The less fighting you have to do with the calves the better. As soon as we get the calves halter broke we start tying them up, first it is loose (about 18" to 24" of rope) so they can fight it a little and find out they can't go anywhere. Once the calves have stopped fighting the halter we start tying them with their head up for about a half hour at a time. This will help them build endurance for standing for long periods of time. At a show they may spend an hour or more standing in the grooming shoot, than another 30 minutes or more outside and in the ring. It also helps tire them out a little before you start working on them.
We will run them in, tie them with their heads up for a little while and them lead them to the wash rack tie them nose to the rail and then head up, (not wrenched up but up) this way they are limited to just side to side movement. Stand back and rinse, if he wants to move and fight the water he won't hurt anyone and just tire himself out, after a few baths they seem to calm down. We wash with soap once a week and rinse once a day, pour a quarter sized dollop of "Mane and Tail" cream rinse in a full 5 gallon bucket over their body after rinsing twice a week (you leave this in, don't rinse after), We dip the tail first then pour over the calf. This will help get the tangles out of the tail.
I think the daily rinsing dose a lot for getting the calves calmed down, they get used to being handled just seem to get used to the routine. We tie the calves under fans in a shaded stall for the last 3 months, rinse twice a day to get them to grow hair you can work, the funny thing is our calves are in a half acre pen at night and get tied during the day in the stall. After a few weeks of the routine they are standing at the gate in the morning waiting to go in, they each would go to their spot and stand there, that's where we put on the halter. Fans, fly free, and cool their not stupid.
As for the halter if you plan on leaving it on them try getting a nylon horse halter that will fit over the rope halter, put the horse halter over the rope halter and run the lead through the buckle on the side. It will let the rope halter work the way it should but keep him from rubbing it off. We had an Angus calf that could get the rope halter off in less than 30 seconds of being tied, so we put the horse halter over his rope halter and put a stop to that.
Remember every day you make progress no matter how little it may seem you and your daughter are winning.
I am giving them their feed in the morning and daughter is doing it at night. He is starting to calm down. Have a 3 day weekend off so plans are to tie them up so we can start getting some hands on with them.
