Show tips and Tricks

[all4athena]

Does anybody know any tips and/or tricks for showing beef cattle????

the only one i know of is that if your cow has a swayed back, you can use your showstick and poke it in the navel/sheath when the judge isn't looking and that'll straighten the back up...

thanks!!

 

[Grand Chaser]

if your calf won't set up right the chain on your halter is your stearing wheel if you are trying to move the foot forward just barley pull the chain forward to the front of the ring. To move it back pull the chain to the back.

to make a high flank come down pull the hair on the stomach down and thicken it wiht paint.

theres alot more out there i got all of those from a clinic by Kirk Steirwalt.

I hope that made sence!

Tori

 

[all4athena]

cool! totally understood it!

 

[Grand Chaser]

ok because i got confused writing it lol.

 

[n i c c i]

I would say just watching more experienced handlers. I only ever led beef cattle but i'm not all that flash on the tricks side of it. I usually watch other handlers a heck of a lot and it really does help. Just go to a show and talk to the breeders and owners, i swear they know all!

 

[AAOK]

There are soooo many tricks to the trade of showing Beef Cattle. I'll just give a few I think to be most important.
1. Never wash your calf on Show Day. It's OK to rinse, but wash with soap and condition the hair the day before.

2. Try to have 99% of your clipping done about a week before a show. Your calf will look like it doesn't need to be clipped, anstead of looking like it just got clipped.

3. Turning your calf in the ring, or at home. PUSH, don't pull. In other words, right turn only. Just the opposite of NASCAR. :lol:

 

[Grand Chaser]

I got some more for you!
1) Keep your hair conditioned all the time
2) When leading your calf around Put on the show halter for as coulple of roundsso they get the feel of it. If they don't respond to it thenput some vet rap on it but if it needs to be more agressive then put some type of spikes on it.
3) Always have two diffrent show sticks one for the show and one for at home.

 

[tracy]

when i am clipping steers i nearly always clip very short on the inside of the back legs and leave the outside with more length,makes them look like they have more muscling in the rump and down the legs,works for me

 

[Circle C Ranches]

if your calf won't set up right the chain on your halter is your stearing wheel if you are trying to move the foot forward just barley pull the chain forward to the front of the ring. To move it back pull the chain to the back.

to make a high flank come down pull the hair on the stomach down and thicken it wiht paint.

theres alot more out there i got all of those from a clinic by Kirk Steirwalt.

I hope that made sence!

Tori

I do this because you dont have to fight them to get there feet just right. Rinse and blow twice a day; only us soap if there dirty. Put some Kleen Sheen on them once a day. Rinse in the morning after they have eatin and again at night before or after they eat. This will help to train hair. Put them under fans during the day for hair growth. Then at night turn them out to pasture for grass ect. Brush the Kleen Sheen in dont blow in. Brush them as much as you can that is what also makes the hair grow.

 

[aussie_cowgirl]

if you have an animal that is sicklehocked (though i would hope you would never show one like that) square the animal up with its legs back. same goes if it stands too far back pull the feet forwards.

If your animal has a dip back, scratch the belly with ur cane, i dont agree with putting the cane hook in the sheath thats just asking for trouble. if the animal is roach back, scratch its back to level it out.

also, to get the appearance of a straight back brush and smooth the hair along the backline and to make the tail head seem higher, brush the tail head hair up and spikey.

To make an animals butt seem wider, brush the hair from the middle out.

to make an animal seem longer, brush hair forwards.

to make and animal seem thicker, brush hair down.
to smooth an animals shoulder and make it look correct, brush diagonally downwards from the top back of the shoulder to the bottom point of the shoulder

you can square an animal up without a showcane aswell. when going to stop an animal hold the animals haid high and stop suddenly. if one leg is forward, push lightly back on the chain and they should move it back

I always ahow standing out from the animal and holding its head up giving a sort of "tadaa! heres my brilliant animal" impression.

always turn the animals head so they can see the judge approaching it and/or touching it. generally they wont freakout then.

um.... thats all i can think of now

-kyla

 

[Australian Cattleman]

I've been showing for thirty years. I have learnt most from Brahman,Hereford and Santa breeders over the years. Both preparation of short coated and longer coated animals were catered for by watching these types of breeders.
Some fads have come and gone. When I first started no one really clipped their cattle as much as is done now. Tails weren't fluffed up like they can be now. Never seen any glitter sprinkled on them like some red Brahman breeders do here now.
Colin

 

[CKC1586]

Glitter??? Really? Why?

 

[aussie_cowgirl]

if you were a judge would you take notice of a cow covered in glitter?

 

[CKC1586]

if you were a judge would you take notice of a cow covered in glitter?

It would probably distract me! I would see the glitter and wonder what the.....

 

[holly heifer]

How about a hereford heifer covered in gold glitter? :lol2:

 

[CKC1586]

How about a hereford heifer covered in gold glitter? :lol2:

Ya and how about painting the hooves bright red?! :shock:

 

[holly heifer]

:lol: Yes, and a big ole red ribbon on her tail! ;-)

 

[holly heifer]

:shock: maybe we can start a new trend!!!!!!!

 

[CKC1586]

:shock: maybe we can start a new trend!!!!!!!

Yes and maybe some blue mascara on those white eyelashes! :lol:

 

[aussie_cowgirl]

true, i dont know if they run junior judging competitions in the US but here they do. basically were judged on how we judge and place a group of 4 animals. for some reason they always put murray greys in and when theyre shined up they are soooo hard to judge