Home

Discussion

Recent Discussion

Create New Topic

Membership

Join Now

Login

Cicely8

                     
                                   



Step 1:
You need to buy a calf that fit≠s your need. Do you want breeding stock, or a market animal?  There are many different kinds you can choose from. To find out more, see Cattle Breeds.

Step 2:
Start working with you calf every day by halter-breaking the animal and beginning proper hair care.

Step 3:
Ready your calf for the show ring by fitting him/her.

Step 4:
Show him/her!

Halter-Breaking

       This is probably the most important part of showing cattle. To show cattle you need to be able to lead your animal around the ring so the judge can place him/her. To make this easy you need to tame down your calf and be able to walk them around on a halter. Begin when your calf is young, this makes it easier to handle them. Using a nylon rope halter, corner your calf in a small pen or squeeze chute, then slip the halter on and tie the end of the halter around a post. Then leave your calf tied up for about an hour. If he/she stops pulling on the rope, you can let them go early. Keep doing this for about a week or two until you feel comfortable walking up to your animal.
Then you can start leading them around. Every calf is different on the way they take this. Some calves don≠t care and just follow you the first time, but that normally doesn≠t happen so be prepared for snorting, kicking and dragging (which might be you). The first time you lead them around try to do it in a pen so that way if they get away from you they≠re not free and running away. Try your very best to hang on to them even if they get wild. Because once they figure out that they can get away from you it≠s very hard to make them forget it.


Hair Care
  
 Washing my steer.
    Hair care is something you can work on when you are trying to halter-break your animal. Take a brush (cattle brush) and brush the hair down and then forward. This will also speed up halter-breaking. You can start washing your calf a couple of weeks before the fair, and brush them or blow them dry. When you wash you can use special cattle soap, or lemon-scented dish soap works as well.   




Show Prep
    This is something that you should probably not do on your own, unless you know what you are doing, because if you mess this up your calf will not look as good as it could. There are special things that you should probably buy to use on your calf. Good places to buy these products are at Sullivans' and Show Stopper Equipment, which are cattle outfitting stores.  At these stores or websites you can get almost anything you want for showing cattle, sheep or swine. A few of the products that are good to get are listed below:


An Easy Comb Adhesive-
Use this like hair spray on the legs of your calf to make the hair stand up. Comb it the way that you would like the hair to be and it will stay that way. But after the show be sure to wash it all out, because if left in it will damage the hair.

Color Touch Ups-
This will add more body to the area in which you spray, you will need to match the spray to the color of your calf. For more thickness use a white spray first, then put on your other color. This is mostly used for the legs to give your calf a squarer look.

Sullivan's Revive˙-
Revive˙ is something that you should start using about a week before your show, this will add shine to the hair it is sort of like human hair conditioner.


Sullivan's Hocus Pocus˙-
Hocus Pocus˙ is a great product for after the show, it will break down adhesives and color treatments so it will be easier to wash your calf.

Fly Spray-
This is something that you can buy at some hardware stores, just to keep the flies away and your animal more comfortable.

Shampoo-
Most dish soaps will work because it cuts the grease from the skin and hair and leaves it really soft. You can also purchase special shampoos from Sullivans'

Before you go to a show be sure you know what the rules are for showing your animal. Many shows are different and some don≠t allow adhesives or color treatments. It≠s better to be safe than sorry.


Showing

 
Setting my steer up for the judge

              Lining up in a class
 

This is something that you will only be good at if you watch and practice. There are many tricks and tips that you will pick up along the way to becoming a good showman, but here are some of the items you will need for showing:


Show Halter-
This is different from your halter that you used to break your calf to lead, it's made out of leather and has a metal chain underneath the chin.



Show Stick-
A show stick is what you use to set your calf up,
this is used to make his feet square so the judge can get
a good look at the animal. There is a pointed end and a
curved end to the stick. You use the pointed end to set
up the feet and you use the curved end to calmly
scratch the animal's belly


Curry Comb-
  This is something you should carry with you in
 your back pocket in the show ring, so when the
judge comes and feels your calf for fat thickness you, can brush the hair back to the way it was. They come in many different styles



Learn more about Showmanship

Remember to keep showing your calf even after you are placed, it shows good sportsmanship. Don't get discouraged if you don't do so well the first time. Keep at it
and try again, but most importantly  Have Fun!



        Website created by Cicely M. Batie
               Questions or Comments
        Email- cmarie_sheep@hotmail.com
 Pictures from: http://www.vittetoeinc.com/showstopper/showcattle.htm

Discuss