Advice for the showring

[creativecattle]

Danielle Foster has had her fair share of success in the showring. In this videos she give insight into how she has stayed on top.

[youtube]rFLGssxZClQ[/youtube]

 

[sim.-ang.king]

Looks like she does a lot of work on them
I have never know the show stix was consider hard work
maybe for a girl that sits and looks pretty
I guess that is the diffrenance between steer jocks at the state fairs and the county fair jocks
county fair jocks find the show stix as the easy part and fight over who gets to use it
I guess i'm just not one of those state fair people.

 

[conchos&bling]

I have never know the show stix was consider hard work
maybe for a girl that sits and looks pretty

I've been showing for plenty of years now, 12 to be exact, and its true getting a calf to know you and you learning that calf is the hard part. Steers are easy. Heifers not so much. It doesn't matter if Kirk Stierwalt himself fit your calf out himself and it looks amazing in the chute. If you can't set them up, and know those flaws, that fit job won't mean a thing. You have to know how to get that calf to stand to hide that hole behig his shoulder, level him out, hide that ducked out toe, and keep that flank low. If not you could find yourself beat by a very lesser calf.

 

[3waycross]

I have never know the show stix was consider hard work
maybe for a girl that sits and looks pretty

I've been showing for plenty of years now, 12 to be exact, and its true getting a calf to know you and you learning that calf is the hard part. Steers are easy. Heifers not so much. It doesn't matter if Kirk Stierwalt himself fit your calf out himself and it looks amazing in the chute. If you can't set them up, and know those flaws, that fit job won't mean a thing. You have to know how to get that calf to stand to hide that hole behig his shoulder, level him out, hide that ducked out toe, and keep that flank low. If not you could find yourself beat by a very lesser calf.

Are the judges really that dumb that they can't tell a really great calf from a mediocre one just by the way he is showed? I am not being smarta$$ I really want to know.

 

[sim.-ang.king]

I know but i wouldn't call here a saint

 

[showing71]

Are the judges really that dumb that they can't tell a really great calf from a mediocre one just by the way he is showed? I am not being smarta$$ I really want to know.

No, but having a calf set up to show off its better qualities and hide some flaws will help to move you up a few placings.

 

[sim.-ang.king]

Are the judges really that dumb that they can't tell a really great calf from a mediocre one just by the way he is showed? I am not being smarta$$ I really want to know.

No, but having a calf set up to show off its better qualities and hide some flaws will help to move you up a few placings.

Maybe, maybe not if he/she is a good judge he/she will be able to judge a calf even if it was standing with it's butt in it's face and one leg up it's nose.
I'm Just Saying.

 

[conchos&bling]

True if it's a GOOD judge. I've had some that couldn't tell a herford from an angus.

 

[VCC]

If you pay attention and watch the kids that finish high in showmanship, you will see that they are also usually near the top in market as well. Why is this? Well first off if they are going to spend all the time and money on a calf, they have one that can compete. Now you get into the ring and the judge starts sorting, there may be 2 or 5 calves in the ring that belong at or near the top. Out of these calves you have a couple where they aren't set up, judge looks over at them and the legs are under them or their too stretched out, he looks at the next calf that could be the splitting image of the others but he is set up, legs are set square in the corners, head and neck are in the right position, his ears are forward and calf is relaxed. Who do you pick?
I have seen some calves that should win a class, not win, because the kid could not control the animal, animal is jumping around, dragging the kid, not setting up, disrupting the exhibitors around him, he places 3rd. (he is near the top but does not come back for the final drive.) Is it right, I say yes, since part of the beef selection is disposition, that would be my reason for moving him down.

You're correct, in some classes you do not have to work your hind end off, you walk into the ring and the judge knows that your steer is the best in there. Other times, like the final drive, where all the calves are good, you will work your tail off to make sure that every time the judge looks at the animal it is looking its best. The better the class the longer it takes the judge to make his or her selection.

This last year we had a calf that started to fall apart by the fair, he won his class and my son won showmanship with him. The judge made the top 3 switch calves, when the other exhibitor had my son's calf you could see he was off on his front end, when my son was showing him you could not. That is where working with the animal and being able to show them comes in play.

 

[showing71]

Are the judges really that dumb that they can't tell a really great calf from a mediocre one just by the way he is showed? I am not being smarta$$ I really want to know.

No, but having a calf set up to show off its better qualities and hide some flaws will help to move you up a few placings.

Maybe, maybe not if he/she is a good judge he/she will be able to judge a calf even if it was standing with it's butt in it's face and one leg up it's nose.
I'm Just Saying.

I had a heifer that I took out to Denver to the National Western Stock Show. She was a bit cow hocked when she stood still, but was fine when walking. But I was able to get the heifer set up quickly and well enough that it wasn't noticable, and I walked away with Reserve Champ and was able to sell her out there to another breeder.

Out at the NWSS too, I've beat out several older showmen by just setting up. Many times people let their animals, especially bulls, become too stretched out, and I've won classes and beat out better bulls by having mine set up right.

 

[sim.-ang.king]

setting their feet does help and you do need to work hard on that but i wouldn't call that real hard work compare to feeding hay and mixing feed and going to pick up calves and giving vac. or running cattle to different pens or take care of new born calves
So i would say my first statement is true
Anyone get what i am saying

 

[aussie_cowgirl]

setting their feet does help and you do need to work hard on that but i wouldn't call that real hard work compare to feeding hay and mixing feed and going to pick up calves and giving vac. or running cattle to different pens or take care of new born calves
So i would say my first statement is true
Anyone get what i am saying

Just because it's physically demanding doesn't mean it's the only kind of hard work.

 

[VCC]

Sim.-Ang. King
Digging a 9 foot deep pole hole with a Banjo, Spoon and jack hammer is hard too, but that's not what where talking about is it.
The kids that do well, work hard in the ring as well as all the time spent prior to the entering the ring and after leaving the ring that day.
For us it is:
At the grounds at 5, grain the animals, wash and blow out, muck the stalls, add bedding, water down and pack savings, exercise and let the animals rest and eat hay. You then figure out what the show order is, depending on what calves you have entered, what animals you need to start fitting first and when you need to get started to make sure they are all ready on time. Fit the animals, fit yourself, get the animal to the ring a good 10 - 20 minutes before you show, show the animal, if you win your class take the animal back and try and keep it clean so you do not have to kill yourself before it goes back, repeat as necessary. Once you're done showing, break down the animals, blow them out. Most shows have ended so it is time to break down all the equipment, roll up cords, clean out stalls, and feed cattle (we usually have a 4 to 5 hour drive ahead of us). Pull the trailer around wait in line until you can load, load cattle, shuts, generator, feed, hay, tack box, fitting pads, chairs, cart and do-do forks. Oh wait we forgot the panels and the stomp mats load those, say your good buys, head home.

You'r right, showing is easy.

 

[Chris H]

Sim.-Ang. King
Digging a 9 foot deep pole hole with a Banjo, Spoon and jack hammer is hard too, but that's not what where talking about is it.
The kids that do well, work hard in the ring as well as all the time spent prior to the entering the ring and after leaving the ring that day.
For us it is:
At the grounds at 5, grain the animals, wash and blow out, muck the stalls, add bedding, water down and pack savings, exercise and let the animals rest and eat hay. You then figure out what the show order is, depending on what calves you have entered, what animals you need to start fitting first and when you need to get started to make sure they are all ready on time. Fit the animals, fit yourself, get the animal to the ring a good 10 - 20 minutes before you show, show the animal, if you win your class take the animal back and try and keep it clean so you do not have to kill yourself before it goes back, repeat as necessary. Once you're done showing, break down the animals, blow them out. Most shows have ended so it is time to break down all the equipment, roll up cords, clean out stalls, and feed cattle (we usually have a 4 to 5 hour drive ahead of us). Pull the trailer around wait in line until you can load, load cattle, shuts, generator, feed, hay, tack box, fitting pads, chairs, cart and do-do forks. Oh wait we forgot the panels and the stomp mats load those, say your good buys, head home.

You right showing is easy.

I've found the ones who do the most work are the ones who making showing look easy. I'll be the first to admit we don't spend enough time getting an animal trained for showing. We're working on that. I still remember a girl showing at our state Hereford show a few years ago. She had a top notch animal. She also was a top notch exhibitor. The show has kind of a 'family feel' to it, relaxing & fun. When the judged lined her up first and she was waiting for the rest to be lined up, she had her animal set up and then she dropped her lead! Her heifer didn't budge an inch! Her head didn't even drop! She looked at someone off to the side and laughed, then picked up the lead to resume her position. The heifer never moved until she started to lead her again. That has been my goal to having a well trained show animal. That had to have been one of the funniest things I've seen in a ring.

 

[showing71]

Chris, that's always my goal. I know my calf isn't ready until I can set her up, drop the lead, make a circle around her to take a good look at her and make sure that's how she needs to be set up. I've taken pictures of calves that way for sale. Set them up, drop the lead, and step back to take a pic.

 

[VCC]

Chris, that's the way my son's calves have been the last 3 years, after they have been rinsed blow out and tied for a hour he kicks them out in a pasture, they can not go until they set up, it is usually feeding time so they are anxious to get going. He makes them set up and stand still before he takes the halter off. They get to the point as long as he is sticking them he can take the halter off and move around them with out them moving, once he stops using the stick they figure out they are free and take off.

I really think as kids become better at learning the animal, what they like and don't like when it comes to the showstick and how to get their feet set up as you stop so you do not need the showstick all the time. They become more relaxed and better at showing. Some calves like the dewlap scratched others the chest, some like they hook up others move less if the hook is pointed away and it is just the smooth part. These are things you find out at home, that make it easier in the ring.

My youngest finished showing this year, he showed steers for 8 years, the last 2 he won senior showmanship, He also won 4-H champion those 2 years. I really believe that his ability to show is what helped him win 4-H Market, as he became a better showman he did better in market.

 

[Keren]

not to be petty here, but that girl isn't holding her calf properly. Her hand is 'under' the lead with her thumb pointing towards the calf. it should be 'over' the lead with her thumb pointing towards the handler. It gives more strength and better control over the animal ...

 

[showing71]

not to be petty here, but that girl isn't holding her calf properly. Her hand is 'under' the lead with her thumb pointing towards the calf. it should be 'over' the lead with her thumb pointing towards the handler. It gives more strength and better control over the animal ...

Interesting comment Keren. At several youth shows here, I've heard the judge comment on holding the halter under, especially in the showmanship classes. One judge said that if you hold under, it makes you seem more relaxed.

 

[cattleluvr18]

not to be petty here, but that girl isn't holding her calf properly. Her hand is 'under' the lead with her thumb pointing towards the calf. it should be 'over' the lead with her thumb pointing towards the handler. It gives more strength and better control over the animal ...

that was always my natural instinct to hold my calf so that's how i did it when i first started showing. but as i went to shows and learned how the judge wanted me to hold it, he always said to hold it under and with the thumb pointed towards the calf. it shows that the calf is controlable and knows what it was doing. just what i've been told. different strokes for different folks. that's where the ring can get difficult

 

[tel]

i agree with keren. you could have a total bombproof animal that can take fright.i would think the judges would be encouraging better control at all times .you can still be relaxed with your hand over but then i havent had anything to do with show cattle for years .i just think safety over pretty