Showmanship Information and Tips

[Snider_Angus]

I thought this would help a lot of beginners so i posted it up. If anyone has anything they would like to add. DO IT!

This is the way that I show. Anywhere I go
1. We always wear a WHITE collared shirt underneath our club jackets(ffa or 4-h) with nice jeans and ALWAYS wear boots.(never steel toed)
2. Loose fitting pants aren't the best in the world but they will work. We like straight legged Cinch jeans that fit KINDA loose around the boot(Cinch Black Lables). Just make sure they dont drag the ground.
3. TIP. We completely fit the calf and get it READY TO WALK IN THE RING BEFORE you change into your show clothes. We always takethe calves outa the chute and have someone lead them to the water bucket before we change... and while they are drinking we go and get "dressed"
4. if this is your first show, go and stand by the ring for 20 minutes or so and get a feel for how the show is setup.
5. SCOTCH COMB. always carry it in your back right pocket(nearest the calf) with the teeth against your jeans... if the Judge ever touches your calf? wait until he moves to the next class. Then take your comb and redo the hair where he touched.(be kinda quick about it)
TIP!! When moving feet. the most important thing to do is to always use your halter as a tool to your advantage... For example. If you want the back leg on your side to move forward. Hook your showstick behind their foot and pull forward on the hater lead.(to move back do the opposite, push with the point of your stick and push backwards on the halter)
6. When you are standing in a strait line, set up in the ring. always have that back foot on your side forward just about 3 inches or so. If the judge walks to the back of the calf move it back to where its even with the other one...
7. SHOWSTICKS! The perfect showstick length depends on two things. SIZE OF THE ANIMAL and SIZE OF THE SHOWMAN. If your animal is pretty long and big your gonna want a bigger show stick to reach those back legs. Your stick needs to be long enough that you can move the back legs WITHOUT PULLING THE HEAD TO THE SIDE.
8. MAKE DAM SURE YOU KNOW YOUR ANIMAL. Birthdate, Weight, Sire, How much he is eating a day, Breed Percentage, His Strengths and Weaknesses(good bone substance, muscle substance,) If the judge asks you what you would change about him START WITH HIS GOOD QUALITIES. "i really like this steers substance of bone and i think that he will finish out to be a great steer. He has alot of muscle right now and its obvious but i think he will soften up and fill out well.

9. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE OUT OF ALL. IF YOU DONT REMEMBER ANYTHING ELSE FROM THIS REMEMBER Just have fun and live it up. You win a few and you lose a lot. It will all be alright in the end though.

 

[chippie]

Good advice Snider_Angus.

I suggest talking to your leader or advisor about what to wear. Or if you have friends who show, ask their advice. Style varies across the country. For example, we live in a county near Houston, Texas and the exhibitors at our county fair, both FFA and 4-H, never wear their chapter jackets while showing.

 

[t&d farms]

another tip:
if you do not have a grooming shoot, please ask the owner if you can use it. Just because its empty dont assume you can just use it without asking. (can you tell we've had issues with this) we dont have a problem with people using our shoots if A> we are not using it or about too B> they ask C> and they dont leave a crazy steer thats freaking out in it..

 

[Angus Cattle Girl]

Another couple of showmanship tips:

1. Use your feet to help you set up the front feet. Use your feet as kind of a brake for your calf's feet.

2. EYE CONTACT!!! Stare the judge down. If it bothers you, look at his/her forehead insted of directly in the eye. Always make sure you know where the judge is.

3. Know how the ground is in the show ring. Not all the ground is level. The best thing you can do is find a high spot and try to put your calf's front legs on that high spot.

4. When you set up your calf head to tail or for a profile view with other calves, always line up with the calf next to you. When the judge looks down that line of calves, he wants to see one continuous pair of front legs and one continuous pair of hind legs.

5. Off-set the hind legs. When you're on a profile view of the calf, the side closest to the judge is called the money side. Set the front legs up square but move the hind leg closest to you slightly in front of the other hind leg. This makes your calf look better, than a body on two posts.

6. You don't necessarily have to change AFTER you get your calf ready. You can put on all of your show clothes then wear a long-sleeved windbreaker over your shirt and some cover-ups over your jeans.

7. Always wear a long-sleeved shirt. Even if it's blistering hot weather, a long-sleeved shirt looks more presentable than a short-sleeved or sleeveless shirt.

8. If you bone up your calf's legs and use black paint, make sure to go and check your face before you show. Inhaling that stuff through your nose can cause black marks under your nose.

9. A more obvious tip...NEVER wear tennis shoes. That'll immediately place you dead last.

10. Be calm and make all of your movements smooth. If you calf starts getting antsy and tired, be calm. Keep scratching him. And take long, slow strokes with your show stick. I've seen lots of kids let nerves get to them and they start to saw their calf in half with their show stick. Also, don't jingle that chain on your show halter. Big No-No. Not only can it get annoying for the calf but if you do it in the show ring, eventually the judge will get tired of hearing it.

11. Be knowledgeable about your calf. Know the basic info plus what the floor price for fat cattle is, what some struggles are in the beef industry. Also, maybe the ribeye area of your calf, what you would change about him, etc. Be confident in your answers. Try not to include um's in your answer. Look at the judge when you answer your questions.

Well, that's all the tips I can think of for now. :banana: :banana:

 

[farmwife]

Good advice, y'all.

One more thing that I can think of -- know the show rules. Around here most shows have gone to blow and go (no fitting allowed, period).

Other basic stuff:

Never point your showstick up in the air (common for some beginners).

Make sure the nosepiece of the halter is not low, down on the muzzle (I hate this and you have less control).

Show courtesy to the other showmen in the ring. Help them if their calf stops or they drop their stick, etc.

Remember, it ain't the way your mom and dad used to do it -- make sure you are fitting your calf appropriately (rooster tails and a few other things went out years ago, if your mom or dad doesn't believe you tell them to walk around the barn with you).

 

[Daisy452]

One more thing, when you are walking your calf around the arena, never bunch the lead in your hand into lopes or anything, and NEVER under and circumstance rope the lead around your hand. A BIG BIG NO NO! Hold the lead with one hand, hold just above where the chain meets the leather. If lead is to long you may cut it to an aproproiate length. Thats all!

 

[ScottP]

Great info! Here's a list of our videos on showing various animals (It's a free site)
http://www.24-7agtv.com/Joomla/index.php?option=com_seyret&task=searchvideos&Itemid=0&searchkey=show