Characterizing and mapping soil types typically includes enough observations and tests to make decisions on which soils are more prone to compaction, and general wetness from both hydric indicators of water table depth and plants that are indicators of prolonged wetness. Some soils drain quickly, while others retain water, and the particle size analysis and Munsell soil chart is helpful in making some interpretations. Knowledge of hydrology relative to topographic position also useful. Understanding that in many instances riparian areas remain wetter and may be limited in their ability to sustain intensive grazing pressure. Measures such as moving water sources and salt lick to drier uplands may have some benefits in limiting compaction, but also less disease typically than drinking from streams, and less pollution to streams also. Where stream access is necessary, designated crossings or watering areas may limit impacts.
Of course Proctor tests and soil moisture data associated are helpful in reading a soils potential for compaction, but at landscape levels used often by cattle, it take some ability to read indicators unless the soils and moisture are very uniform. The soils scientists who map soils that I know become very good at reading the landscape and vegetation indicators.
You should determine the compactibility of yor soil. This will help you to decide what moisture content is critical for soil. Then just graze yor animals when your soil moisture content become lower than the critical moisture content.
You may be interested in some work done i the 1980s in UK on 'poaching' (the term used to describe soil deformation and the loss of macroporosity) and subsurface compaction under grazing (which many have observed produces maximum density between 2 and 12cm below the surface - see my paper attached for an example). Scholefield and colleagues used an artificial hoof to conduct a series of experiments (Scholefielfd and hall 1985, Soil Use and Management 1 134-138, Scholefield and Hall, 1986, Journal of Soil Sci 37, 165-76, Schoelfield et al 1986, Soil and Tillage research 6, 1-16). If you use moisture content to manage cattle access to susceptible pastures, you will need to house them somewhere or move them to drier (better drained) areas. Also using fixed stocking rates rather than more intensive use on a rotational basis might help.
Article Denitrification characteristics of a compacted pasture soil
We have to determine bulk density of soil spatially alongside soil moisture data using definite grid size , and later developing variograms for these two important attributes ...
Experimentally, You can find optimum conditions of soil to avoid compaction by selecting different treatments of soil texture, organic matter, soil moisture, bulk density and animals’ weights.