Why is physical contact necessary to assess sheep confirmation and muscling?

Assessing sheep confirmation and muscling involves understanding specific traits related to their body structure and muscle development, which can be significantly obscured by their wool. The fleece of sheep covers their body, making it difficult to accurately evaluate aspects such as muscle mass, body condition, and overall conformation through visual inspection alone. Physical contact enables handlers to palpate and feel the underlying muscle and body composition, allowing for a more precise assessment of the sheep's conformation and health.

While familiarity with human touch, the calming effects of touch, and the ability to check temperature can be beneficial aspects of handling sheep, they do not directly address the necessity of physical contact for evaluating physical traits. Thus, the primary reason for needing to physically contact sheep to assess confirmation and muscling lies in the limitations imposed by their wool.