fitting steers for show

[luvmymoo]

Ive been showing steers for 2 years. My first year I got a lot of help from family members who had showed for years. Well when it came time to clip my steer for the show it turns out things have changed in clipping techniques since they showed.....whoda thunk it??? It was just a local county fair with maybe 15 exhibitors....none of which had any control over thier animals and I did so in the end it did not matter to the judge how my animal was clipped...This year is my last year to show in FFA, as I will be 21 soon, and I am planning on taking calves to an international show that is done in my area. I would love to be able to go to these shows and look like Ive clipped cattle before :cboy: any advice on how to clip steers NOW, not 15 years ago would be greatly appreciated!!!
Thank you!

 

[aplusmnt]

Don't take as much hair off, use to we clipped the underline real close but seems now you leave more on. Do not pull the tail up in a Ball, just brush it out and trim it.

ps. you can show till you are 21? And be in FFA?

 

[luvmymoo]

here in PA as long as you have your calf before your 21st birthday and you pay your FFA dues, you can still show. I dont know if thats the rules for PA or the local fair I show at or FFA in general....but thats what I was told this year before I bought my steer!

 

[-bherefords]

Dang yall are lucky, i only have till this summer (july 4th) till my "junior" showin' days are over

 

[jaydill]

here in PA as long as you have your calf before your 21st birthday and you pay your FFA dues, you can still show. I dont know if thats the rules for PA or the local fair I show at or FFA in general....but thats what I was told this year before I bought my steer!

Lucky y'all! We, like bh, only got till we graduate from high school...then we can only show in opens, down here.

 

[aplusmnt]

I think here it is like 19. I could not imagine someone showing in county fair with the junior when they are about to graduate College.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

In NY, any show that is regulated by 4-H rules (like at the state fair & county fairs) you can show til 18, but any of the breed junior shows, like our Fall Festival, they can show til they are 21 (as of 1-1 of current year).
Same is true for all our Regional and National Simmental jr shows. Actually, they can show thru their 21st BD now.
Maybe you should try showing a Simmental

 

[AAOK]

In NY, any show that is regulated by 4-H rules (like at the state fair & county fairs) you can show til 18, but any of the breed junior shows, like our Fall Festival, they can show til they are 21 (as of 1-1 of current year).
Same is true for all our Regional and National Simmental jr shows. Actually, they can show thru their 21st BD now.
Maybe you should try showing a Simmental

Exactly the same with the Maine-Anjou breed for all of the National Shows. I believe this is true for Juniors of many breed associations.

In Oklahoma, at the County and State shows, 4-H & FFA members can show through the OKC & Tulsa State Fairs (Sept. & Oct.) the year they graduate High School regardless of age. My younger daughter was 17 when she graduated, and one her her best friends was 19, but their State Show careers ended the same day.

Many (most) of our Oklahoma Jackpot shows allow Juniors to show as long as they are a current member of 4-H or FFA.

 

[AAOK]

:cboy: any advice on how to clip steers NOW, not 15 years ago would be greatly appreciated!!!
Thank you!

Let me offer my opinion as to how you want a Show Steer to appear when you are finished clipping. There are lots of ways to get there. Everybody needs develops thier own technique.

Profile: You want to see straight lines and sharp angles. Clip out the rounded areas of a steer by leaving hair long in one area and clipping tight in another.

From Behind: You want your steer to look like a bullet as you look down the sides and over the top. In other words, flat at the end, hairy at the sides of the hips, at tapering in to the neck and right on down to the nose.

 

[-bherefords]

Well with our breed you can show as a junior till your 21, but i was talkin' about liek at Ft. Worth, Houston..etc you can only show till you graduate

 

[luvmymoo]

i dont know what Id do if I could have only showed till I graduated high school!! I only started my first project my jr year meaning i showed him my sr year....and I was hooked- Wish i would have started sooner!!!