For animals with a coat (such as cattle, goats, sheep, lagomorphs, etc.) it is necessary to remove the skin to reveal the underlying muscle mass before proceeding with the evisceration and sectioning of the carcass.
Skinning was generally performed with the animal suspended (hooked to the Achilles tendon of the hind limbs with the head therefore facing the ground), if it was of a size and weight that allowed it to be lifted with pulleys (for cattle, read the next question).
Long, precise incisions were made with a knife between the muscle and the skin, pulling the flaps until they were completely detached.