Newbie clipping heifer

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ginnyb

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Hi All, this is our first year raising beef in 4-H. My daughter had her heart set on a getting a belted galloway heifer. Being in California, this was a limited choice. Living near San Francisco means limited number of kids raising livestock around here. 95% of the cattle brought to our fair our steers (only had a heifer class for the first time last year). Danielle is going to clip herself, but we were wondering how you clip heifers different from steers. I keep hearing you want them to look feminine, but what does that mean when clipping and fitting for show? THANKS!
 
i attended the guyer seminars at the ohio beef expo and he said you do not clip a steer differently from a heifer...


what they mean by looking more feminine is just that, looking more like a female then a male.

compare pictures of bulls to cows and note the differences and that will lead you in the right direction
 
On a heifer, I do like to clean the front up more than they seem to do on steers. I usually clip real tight from the shoulders forward. Not to the skin! I try to make it blend and be as smooth as possible from the heart foward. That may be what they mean.
 
Dont know how relevant this will be because US shows are so different from Aust. shows, but anyway ...

Front end on a steer

(approx six weeks before the show) I clip the head down to the skin, clip out the ears, take off the top knot, tidy up the neck and shoulders but dont clip them out entirely

Front end on a heifer

I clip the head down to the skin, clip out the ears, depending on the animal I might leave or take off the top knot, clip out the neck and shoulder but blend this as smoothly as possible.

Barrel on a steer

clip straight down the topline pretty close, blend this in along the eye muscle, take off guard hairs, tidy up bottom line, take off the sheath hair

Barrel on a heifer

clip through the entire coat to even out the length, take off the guard hairs, tidy up bottom line, do not clip down the topline, tidy up the topline to straighten it out

Hind end on a steer

take off the tail head, bone out the tail, take the guard hairs off the back legs, shape the lower butt and upper hind legs, level off the tail switch, clip up the twist if hairy

Hind end on a heifer

depending on the tail set of the heifer I might clip it off or leave it hairy to glue up, tidy up the tail but dont bone it, take off the guard hairs, little bit of shaping to the butt and hind legs but not to the extent of the steer, dont level off the tail switch
 
The best advice I have ever received in regards to clipping heifers, is that the aim is to make them 'pear shaped' from a birds eye view. Basically that means smoothing out the front end and letting them look nice and wide at the back. Hard to explain, but I think the description fits well.
 

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