Choosing the right animal
KIDS - Calves are a great choice for children because they are easier to work with due to the size comparison. They can have a lot of energy and like to dance in the ring, but they are manageable. If your children have been showing for a couple years, or know how to handle and work with larger animals, give them a yearling to show. Yearlings may present a height problem for the youngster, though. No matter what, remember that children working with animals can make some work into a lot of work. In many cases, an adult may have to step in and break the cow before the child is able to handle her. Always remember that your child's safety should be the most important thought in your mind. Cows are animals and, no matter what size, can trample, bolt, and charge.
TEENS AND ADULTS - Yearlings are definitely my most recommended class for all adults and teenagers. They are a great height for almost all grown people because their head is about the same height as a typical adult's shoulders. Adults can work with cows and calves, also. Cows are typically the same height as yearlings, just a lot larger in size. They tend to be extremely stubborn, though, so any person working with a cow should be very experienced in showing. Cows also require milking at the fair so remember to keep that in mind when choosing your animals, but they don't require as much work before the show. Good cows are very hard to find, though! Make sure they have amazing udders, above all else! Calves can also be shown by adults, just remember to keep your hands level with the calf's head.
BELOW IS A GOOD STARTING POINT FOR PICKING YOUR CATTLE TO SHOW - THIS IS WHAT JUDGES LOOK FOR
TEENS AND ADULTS - Yearlings are definitely my most recommended class for all adults and teenagers. They are a great height for almost all grown people because their head is about the same height as a typical adult's shoulders. Adults can work with cows and calves, also. Cows are typically the same height as yearlings, just a lot larger in size. They tend to be extremely stubborn, though, so any person working with a cow should be very experienced in showing. Cows also require milking at the fair so remember to keep that in mind when choosing your animals, but they don't require as much work before the show. Good cows are very hard to find, though! Make sure they have amazing udders, above all else! Calves can also be shown by adults, just remember to keep your hands level with the calf's head.
BELOW IS A GOOD STARTING POINT FOR PICKING YOUR CATTLE TO SHOW - THIS IS WHAT JUDGES LOOK FOR
Supplies and Equipment for showing
What you need
- white jeans/pants
- steel-toed (preferably waterproof) work boots
- three-button short sleeve collared shirt (can be a white OR colored polo)
- a belt that matches your boot color
- sprays such as "Black Magic" and "Clear Magic"
- wash brushes
- wash pails
- Orvus (a soap)
- blow dryer
- pair of clippers (Andis or Oster)
- harness for exhibitor numbers
- curry comb
- hose with a good spray nozzle for high and low pressure
- a rope halter
- a show halter
The Basics of working with your cow or heifer
i.e. halter breaking, walking, and setting her up
The first couple of weeks working with your animal will be the hardest. She will not be halter broke, unless shown before. The first three times you start to work with her will mainly consist of halter breaking her. First, start by corralling her into as small an area as possible. Then, use feed or just plain wits to ease the rope halter over her head. The halter should look like so:
Make sure the rope goes out to the left side of the cow (her direction, or your right side when facing her). Next, tie her up in a secure area. Here is a great video on the best way to tie a cow on a rope halter...
Leave the animal there for about 20-30 minutes. Make sure she has access to at least water and that her head is tied upwards. It may look uncomfortable for her, but that is how she should be trained to walk in the ring. While she is tied up, take the time to try and "be friends." You or your child will be working with this animal for the next couple months, so it is best to try and build her trust in you. Pet her and treat her like you would a dog or cat. Hopefully, as corny as it sounds, you will form a bond by the time the show season is over. Soon, you will learn what she likes and dislikes, and she will learn the same about you. Once the time has passed, make sure to give her one last pat on the nose, and take the halter off. Remember, do this for the first three or so times you work with her.
After she seems halter broke, you can begin to catch her, halter her, and then walk in circles with her. But not so fast! You can't just grab her and start walking. There is technique involved, and great care should be paid to it, especially if you plan to compete in showmanship.
The very first piece of information is that the circle goes clockwise. It's pretty self-explanatory, but just remember to ALWAYS walk your animal in a clockwise manner. Secondly, your left hand will always hold the halter at the point where the rope leaves the side of the animal. Your right hand will be free to pet her, or "pull throat." Pulling throat is only used when the animal has a very loose and saggy neck. You will place your hand right at the back side of her jaw and gather as much of the loose skin as possible. It just helps to make her look like a more clean-cut animal. It will not make you win or lose a show, but it will impress the showmanship judges.
After she seems halter broke, you can begin to catch her, halter her, and then walk in circles with her. But not so fast! You can't just grab her and start walking. There is technique involved, and great care should be paid to it, especially if you plan to compete in showmanship.
The very first piece of information is that the circle goes clockwise. It's pretty self-explanatory, but just remember to ALWAYS walk your animal in a clockwise manner. Secondly, your left hand will always hold the halter at the point where the rope leaves the side of the animal. Your right hand will be free to pet her, or "pull throat." Pulling throat is only used when the animal has a very loose and saggy neck. You will place your hand right at the back side of her jaw and gather as much of the loose skin as possible. It just helps to make her look like a more clean-cut animal. It will not make you win or lose a show, but it will impress the showmanship judges.
Also know that you will walk backwards and also walk with a side-step. As the show person, your number one job is to make the animal look her best! To do so, when a judge turns to look at your animal, step away from your cow without losing a good hold on the halter and don't stay too close that you distract the judge from examining her. At the same time, you should also begin to walk backwards. Do not ever change your hand positions! After the judge is done looking at her, you may go back to side-stepping around the ring. Here's a video to watch. Pay attention to how the people walk.
Each step should be slow and deliberate. You and the animal should be one unit, walking as one. If she does not want to budge, just give a quick tug. A lot of the time, she will learn to trust you and will even back up for you. Which leads to my next piece of information... you must set her up! Setting her up means that you stop walking. This may happen because the people in front of you are not moving as fast as you are, or because the judge asks you to stop. Whenever you stop moving, in the ring, you must set your animal up! To do so, first, make sure her front legs are even and lined up. There is a difference in how to set up a cow compared to a calf or yearling (heifer). The back legs are separated in two specific ways. If you are showing a cow, and the judge is on the right side of her, make sure her rear right leg is ahead of her rear left leg. If you are showing a heifer, and the judge is in the same place, her rear right leg will be behind her rear left leg. The exact opposite should happen when the judge is on the left side of your animal.
WAshing
Alright, so now you know how to halter break your cow, how to hold the halter, how to walk, and how to set her up. That's the basics to any dairy show. You should practice with her every few days to make sure that you are both ready for the show. But, there's still more work to be done! Now we're going to cover how to make your animal look "pretty."
So, when there's about one month left until the show, you will wash your animal for the first time. This is a very interesting experience, especially for those who are not privy to the world of cattle. I guarantee you will get dirty and work hard, if you do it right.
You will need a good hose and spray nozzle, a wash bucket and brush, and Orvus (or another type of soap meant for cattle because they have sensitive skin.) Start by catching your animal, haltering her, and tying in a place she can be washed. Talk to her a little bit to try and calm her, and then begin to gently spray her down. Stay away from her face for now. Sometimes it works best to start at her legs and work up, just make sure you get all of her body wet. Once her body is wet, you can gently spray her face, also. Be careful not to get water in her ears! A good idea is to get her wet with a gentle spray and then use a more powerful spray setting where she is very dirty (from manure or grass stains). After she is wet, put a handful of Orvus into the bucket and fill the bucket with water to create lots of suds. Take the brush, dip it in the bucket, and start at the top of her head. She will mostly likely fight, but insist. She must be washed from snout to the tip of her tail. Try to work from top to bottom. Scrub all of the dirt and grime off of her. When you reach her legs, be careful! They tend to dislike being scrubbed with a brush down there, and they may kick. But again, keep trying because it has to be done. Once you think she is clean, rinse her off. Again, start with her head and work your way down. She may need to be washed again if you did not get all of the dirt off on the first wash round. If you find she has a lot of manure clumped in certain places, take the curry comb and gently try to brush it away. If the dirt is gone but there's stains left, try taking some Orvus and just leaving it on the stains for a couple minutes. Make sure the clumps of manure are out of her tail, too! I recommend soaking her tail in the wash bucket, and then trying to break the clumps with your fingers. Always be sure to wash the Orvus out right away! Like I said, cows have sensitive skin and the Orvus can irritate it very easily if left on too long. Once she is washed and rinsed, go ahead and let her go.
Each time you take the time to wash her will make her less temperamental and easier to work with in the ring. I recommend washing your animals every other day starting two weeks before the fair. It helps to keep her very clean and keep her used to seeing you.
So, when there's about one month left until the show, you will wash your animal for the first time. This is a very interesting experience, especially for those who are not privy to the world of cattle. I guarantee you will get dirty and work hard, if you do it right.
You will need a good hose and spray nozzle, a wash bucket and brush, and Orvus (or another type of soap meant for cattle because they have sensitive skin.) Start by catching your animal, haltering her, and tying in a place she can be washed. Talk to her a little bit to try and calm her, and then begin to gently spray her down. Stay away from her face for now. Sometimes it works best to start at her legs and work up, just make sure you get all of her body wet. Once her body is wet, you can gently spray her face, also. Be careful not to get water in her ears! A good idea is to get her wet with a gentle spray and then use a more powerful spray setting where she is very dirty (from manure or grass stains). After she is wet, put a handful of Orvus into the bucket and fill the bucket with water to create lots of suds. Take the brush, dip it in the bucket, and start at the top of her head. She will mostly likely fight, but insist. She must be washed from snout to the tip of her tail. Try to work from top to bottom. Scrub all of the dirt and grime off of her. When you reach her legs, be careful! They tend to dislike being scrubbed with a brush down there, and they may kick. But again, keep trying because it has to be done. Once you think she is clean, rinse her off. Again, start with her head and work your way down. She may need to be washed again if you did not get all of the dirt off on the first wash round. If you find she has a lot of manure clumped in certain places, take the curry comb and gently try to brush it away. If the dirt is gone but there's stains left, try taking some Orvus and just leaving it on the stains for a couple minutes. Make sure the clumps of manure are out of her tail, too! I recommend soaking her tail in the wash bucket, and then trying to break the clumps with your fingers. Always be sure to wash the Orvus out right away! Like I said, cows have sensitive skin and the Orvus can irritate it very easily if left on too long. Once she is washed and rinsed, go ahead and let her go.
Each time you take the time to wash her will make her less temperamental and easier to work with in the ring. I recommend washing your animals every other day starting two weeks before the fair. It helps to keep her very clean and keep her used to seeing you.
Clipping
After you wash your animal for the first time (about a month before the show), clip her too. Make sure she is completely dry. If she is wet or damp, you can use a blow dryer or a dairy vac to try and speed up the drying process. I would also recommend being dry, yourself. The hair is very fine and tends to fly everywhere. Being wet just makes the hair stick to you more and makes the clipping process even more uncomfortable.
The first step is to tie her up in a secure place. I recommend using a chute so it is harder for her to kick, and so she won't be able to side-step or run away. Once she is tied, turn on the clippers and just let her adjust to the sound. It may be frightening to her, so try not to move about too quickly.
After she seems to have settled down, you can start to clip her main body. There are rules to remember: 1. Go against the grain of the hair and 2. Don't use a lot of pressure. When clipping her body, you will always want to start at the bottom of her belly and work your way up in one single stroke.
DO NOT TOUCH THE HAIR ON HER SPINE (top of her back)! That area will turn into a "topline." Depending on how experienced you are, you may or may not work with the toplines. I recommend that you look for someone to blow up the topline for the first couple of shows until you have watched enough that you feel comfortable to try it yourself. It requires a very steady hand and great skill to make a topline look great. Because it is such a difficult process, I will not go into very much detail. It is much easier to learn and practice from someone, than trying to read and practice from an internet source.
After her body is clipped, you should move to her legs or head, both of which need to be done and are difficult. Legs are tough because she will typically not like the vibration on her legs and attempt to kick you. But, just like washing her legs, it has to be done so persevere or find someone who is more comfortable working with cattle. Her head is typically more trying than her legs. The head is an awkward place for a buzzing and vibrating implement to try and navigate its way and cut the hair. Try to get as much hair off of her face, nose and ears as possible.
In the end, if you leave the topline alone, your animal should have very short hair from the hooves all the way to the top of the back, and from the hair (not mane type part) on the tail to the whiskers at the end of the nose. Even the hair inside her ears should be clipped!
The first step is to tie her up in a secure place. I recommend using a chute so it is harder for her to kick, and so she won't be able to side-step or run away. Once she is tied, turn on the clippers and just let her adjust to the sound. It may be frightening to her, so try not to move about too quickly.
After she seems to have settled down, you can start to clip her main body. There are rules to remember: 1. Go against the grain of the hair and 2. Don't use a lot of pressure. When clipping her body, you will always want to start at the bottom of her belly and work your way up in one single stroke.
DO NOT TOUCH THE HAIR ON HER SPINE (top of her back)! That area will turn into a "topline." Depending on how experienced you are, you may or may not work with the toplines. I recommend that you look for someone to blow up the topline for the first couple of shows until you have watched enough that you feel comfortable to try it yourself. It requires a very steady hand and great skill to make a topline look great. Because it is such a difficult process, I will not go into very much detail. It is much easier to learn and practice from someone, than trying to read and practice from an internet source.
After her body is clipped, you should move to her legs or head, both of which need to be done and are difficult. Legs are tough because she will typically not like the vibration on her legs and attempt to kick you. But, just like washing her legs, it has to be done so persevere or find someone who is more comfortable working with cattle. Her head is typically more trying than her legs. The head is an awkward place for a buzzing and vibrating implement to try and navigate its way and cut the hair. Try to get as much hair off of her face, nose and ears as possible.
In the end, if you leave the topline alone, your animal should have very short hair from the hooves all the way to the top of the back, and from the hair (not mane type part) on the tail to the whiskers at the end of the nose. Even the hair inside her ears should be clipped!
If you're serious
If you're serious about showing cattle the right way, I highly recommend the video "Dairy Heifer Clipping and Fitting" by Highland Livestock. http://highlandlivestocksupply.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=47&products_id=828 It's a great video that covers everything from beginning information to experienced tips. Like I said earlier, it's much easier to watch than to read how to do this.
NEXT
Alright, so, you have been washing and walking your animal about every other day for the past month. She has also been clipped once and you have a better idea of what you're doing. Now it's two days before the show....Here's what's next:
First of all you are going to clip her one more time about a day before the show. She should be immaculate: everything should be perfect from nose to tail. Continue to work with her. Practice setting her up and leading her. You should gather up your outfit for the day and all of your washing supplies. Make sure you have transportation for her to the event. Get a good night's sleep because the day of the show is very hectic!
First of all you are going to clip her one more time about a day before the show. She should be immaculate: everything should be perfect from nose to tail. Continue to work with her. Practice setting her up and leading her. You should gather up your outfit for the day and all of your washing supplies. Make sure you have transportation for her to the event. Get a good night's sleep because the day of the show is very hectic!