Hoof Color

[charlotte]

My daughter is showing a pure hereford heifer, at the fair this year. Friends are helping us out getting her ready and all, being that this is her first year showing. My question is the friends are saying the heifers hooves should be polished black, which is not her normal color, I think they should just have a clear coating put on, not black, which is not even a color on her body and would stick out like a sore thumb. Who's correct???

 

[Bez]

Charlotte

You are correct - your friends are wrong.

Search the Hereford shows on google. There are lots of pics of Herf animals - bet you will see no black hooves.

When we were showing we stayed with the natural colour at all times.

Worked for us.

Bez

 

[Ryan]

This kind of goes along:

I was talking to a gentleman that does a lot of judging, and runs a showmanship camp. He told me a story of when he was judging at a county fair. Apparently the dad got this young girl's steer all clipped and fancied up and what not, and the mom got the girl all fancied up, she even had a Purple shirt that was all glittery. Well the mom thought it would be fun to paint the steers hooves the bright Purple to match the girl's shirt. Said it was one of the funniest things he had seen, and he didn't much like it. Said changing the color of something on the animal didn't look real good, kind of shady, and didnt go real good with the 'show-ring etiquette' And he is really big into show show-ring etiquette.

I thought it was pretty funny, too.

Ryan

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

You only paint the hooves on black cattle

Well, you only use black paint to paint black cattle's hooves. You DO use clear for other colors. You can use a clear acrilic spray can.

 

[charlotte]

Thanks for the reply's. At least i know i am not totally nuts. I also think animals should be shown as natural as possible, you don't go down the road often and see Spritz upped cows mingling together, talking about their nails!!!

 

[Angus Cattle Shower]

You do not have to paint the hooves, but if you want to, and you don't want to spend 15.00 on clear paint, just use final bloom, also known as show bloom.

 

[TxCoUnTrYbOy]

I keep my animals as natural as possible for show. Ill wash them and put a little show spray on the night before show. The only thing I do with the hooves are soak them down with water and get the scrub brush to clean off any dirt/manure that may be stuck on. Leaves a very nice clean look for them, but not that fake look that you can see yourself in if you look into it.

 

[jkwilson]

You do not have to paint the hooves, but if you want to, and you don't want to spend 15.00 on clear paint, just use final bloom, also known as show bloom.

That's what we do. A good shot of final bloom right before the ring.

 

[txshowmom]

You do not have to paint the hooves, but if you want to, and you don't want to spend 15.00 on clear paint, just use final bloom, also known as show bloom.

Final bloom and show bloom are two toatally different things. Final bloom is a spray for hair and hooves and Showbloom is a feed suplement.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Final bloom is also an oil. If you spray the hooves with it, than every bit of dust sticks to it & you defeat the purpose of trying to make them look nice. A fast drying clear acrilic paint will dry clean & will have a shean to it. Nothing sticks to it.

 

[preston39]

charlotte,
A clear lacquer hair spray will highlight the natural color. Looks good. Just have the animal on a clean surface when you spray the hoofs so it can dry before smudging with dirt/dust.

 

[showme]

MAybe if your cow was black I would do that but on a red and white animal. NO..i would not do that if the biggest rancher in the world told me to.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Yes, Preston is right - clear hair spray will do the same thing. You can also use these products on clean black hooves if you don't have black paint.

 

[4-H fanatic]

You only paint the hooves on black cattle

And Jerseys if any one here shows them.