I have a little different view on this subject than most, I think :???: .
We compete against some of the big boys. There are about ten families out here that run the circuit, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico. They are all milliners and can spend unlimited amounts of money on their cattle and equipment. They have the trailer that can hold eight full grown steers pulled by the awesome looking semi, Cooler barns that are like a deep freeze, in fact their fan cage set up is too cool to get into words. They even have turbo fans hooked up to some contraption that freezes/cools off the air that is directed onto the cattle when they are at the fair :shock: .
Then there is us...........Small Change Ranch..........We pull our dryer around in a wagon that is falling apart, most of our equipment is second hand and our cooler barn is a tin shed
. We live pay check to pay check and I work so we can play the game
. We just love it when we walk in with our 1500 dollar, works of art. My belief is that champions aren't bought they are made. Yes, you do have to start off with a sound animal but you don't have to buy a 20K animal to do this. I guess it depends what the exhibitor wants out of their project. Is it Grand and nothing else or a big pocket book at the end of the trail for all their hard work.
My kiddo's are lucky, they were born with a silver lead rope in their hands. Mom.....meaning me, can fit, show and fine tune a steer like the steer jocks and all I ask in return from my kids is hard work and be there every second of the way. When I clip on their cattle they clip, we work as a team. There is not a day that goes by that I am not out there with the kids. If this makes me one of those hard core parents that everyone is talking about....... all I can say is we love the cattle and love spending this quality time together. My kids are also from a broken home, they go to their father's house every weekend and in the summer two weeks on and two weeks off, court ordered. When they are gone. I don't let the cattle rot in the barn, I do all the work. It's not the cattle nor my children's fault that mom and dad split up, and I feel they have every right to raise animals just like the other kid, broken home or not.
When my kids walk their animal into the ring, you would never know we had that little pocket book. We..... and I proudly say, are one of the feared exhibitors that everyone tries to beat
. The feeling around the barn is how in the heck does that family do it
. Every year since my kids started showing they are in the champion line up with two or more steers. They are hard workers and it shows in the ring. Granted they are still young and need to get a lot more experience under their belts when it comes to showing, but that comes with time. For the past four out of five years one of them has place just under reserve champion, and what a thrill that has been. They have been working on showmanship real hard this year and hope this is what it is going to take to get them their champion this year, God willing
What I am trying to say, we are not mad about these people going out there and buying these high dollar animals. I't just makes it that much sweeter to win. When everyone talks about how much they spent we smile and are extremely proud to have the least expensive animals at the fair that can kick their butt's
it's way cool 8) .
One thing I would love to see change........I would love to see the cattle clean shaven. I feel everyone should have a chance at gold. I just hate seeing the kid with an awesome animal that doesn't make auction and could kick butt if it had that, magical coat. I see kids working as hard as my children on their animals, can't afford a cooler barn, try like heck, to be booted out of the ring. It breaks my heart :cry2: . Also the kid trying their hardest and they don't have their parent's support, that hurts me the most :cry2: :cry2: . We take these kids under our wings, work with them all week at the fair, get them the supplies they need so on show day they too can walk in the ring with pride.
So don't get mad... get even, and kick butt with what you got :lol: JMO
Sorry if I hurt anyone :shock: it is not my intent.
