Your opinions on this heifer, please

[Keren]

Could you all do me a really big favour, and be SUPER critical of this heifer. We believe she is the best heifer on our team at the moment, and yet she is being placed down at shows. Unfortunately, the judges that have placed her down have been the type that are afraid to say anything bad about an animal, in case the breeder is offended. When are judges going to learn that we WANT to know what faults an animal has, so we can improve on them?? The only comment from someone has been that the heifer is too heavy in the shoulder.

I would really like and value your opinion on what is wrong with this heifer. Thanks very much. And just so you know I am going to ask the folks over on the breeds board too.

18 months old

 

[Bek]

To tell you the truth, going by that picture, I can't really see much wrong with her. She looks as good a heifer as I've seen. If we were able to see different view of her we could possibly be more critical.

(PS I'll post my answer over at the Breeds board to)

 

[novatech]

Could be the judges don,t know why.
Could be the the appeal of the person showing.
Could be politics.
Sometimes it is not specific, just eye appeal.
I don,t show, but have gone to shows and asked both judges and contestants as to what they are looking for. I have never received a strait answer.
I look at it like fishing the more times you cast the more likely your are to catch a fish. You may have to change the bait. Keep showing.

 

[Chris H]

How does she move? Does she stride out well?

Does she set up better in the ring than she is standing in this picture? She has her legs spread out a bit too much and I can't tell if she's just squirming or if she doesn't stand correct. If she does that in the ring, the judge might not know how correct her legs are either.

Have you tried video taping a show she is in and see if you can spot anything?

Have you talked to a judge afterwards and asked what he is, or isn't, seeing that knocks her down?

 

[Chris H]

Thought of 2 more things.

Is she a great deal smaller or larger than the other heifers her age?

Also, I'd like to see her dropped a bit more in the flank/udder.

 

[dun]

I'm certainly no expert but she looks posty and not very deep in the flank. May be jsut the way she's standing

 

[KNERSIE]

I'm certainly no expert but she looks posty and not very deep in the flank. May be jsut the way she's standing

not sure about the posty, I think its just the way she is standing stretched out.

I agree that she could have been deeper in the flank creating more of a wedge shape, it would be interseting to see her standing naturally, my guess would be that she will look much better and more in balance.

 

[iowahawkeyes]

I saw the pics of all your calves on the other post. They are all very consistant that's for sure. I like her okay, but my problem with her and most of your cattle is their hip. They all look a little too slopey (sp) to me. I'm kind of a stickler about a nice square hip.

 

[Avalon]

It's hard to say what they are seeing. The showring is very subjective and all about one mans opinion. But here is what I see (according to what I look for in a good show calf.)
She seems to slope in her hip a bit to much (not sqaure enough for me). a bit shallow in the flanks. For an 18 month old I would prefer to see a bit more spring of rib. Her shoulder area seems to be a bit out of balance with the rest of her body. (just a bit heavy fronted). Note how the crest of her shoulder rises above the rest of the spine and the neck. She may be a bit punched in the heart. But this is all nit picking and it is something that a judge must do. Forgive me I've never been so critical on someone else's animal.

 

[showBiz]

I'm not sure judging by the picture, but she looks a bit green. In the showring they need to be really conditioned (borderline fat), She could have a more depth to her flank (are you feeding beet pulp?), and she does seem to appear rounded over the hip (some good hair and a fine tuned clip job could fix), get some good tailhead hair going and that will also help make her look more level from the profile. But a good honest heifer. Just becuz of those things she may place down in the ring, but the showring doesnt mean that shes not going to make it as a good cow especially if she is sound and practical. What is she bred to?