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| Local 2011 |
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| Local 2012 |
As a third-year dairy exhibitor, I've won showmanship at Local the last two years. I also won Overall 4-H Exhibitor at Local the last two years.
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| OKC 2011 |
I won showmanship in my age division the last two years at OKC, and I won Jr. Showmanship this year at Tulsa.
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| Tulsa 2011 |
You would think that after all that, I would know exactly what to say about showmanship. I'm a little unsure, but I'll give it a shot...since this post was another special request from my friends at the Tulsa State Fair office. = )
DRESS
You can spot a dairy showman a mile away. Dairy showmen wear white: white shirt with 4-H or FFA patch and white jeans with black belt and black boots. I'm not sure why we wear white other than maybe because white clothing is traditionally what milk men wore. Showmen used to have to wear a black bow tie and a little white paper hat. I'm glad we don't have to do that now. I've seen pictures on the internet that at some shows, the showman has to wear a body harness of their own with a number on it. I've never had to do that either. Appearance is important. I was watching a show one day when the judge got on the microphone and told everyone about appearance. I was embarrassed for the kids in the ring he was teaching the lesson, but they should have known better.
HALTERS
Dairy cattle wear a leather show halter with a sliding chain under the jaw attached to a leather lead. The lead comes from the factory measuring about four feet long I'm guessing.
Problem is, you don't want to be that far away from your animal. You also don't want the lead to drag the ground. For one thing it is bad on the leather. (You have to take care of your equipment.) For another thing, you don't want to step on the lead or worse, you don't want your animal to step on the lead or get it wrapped around them and do a somersault and take you down, too. (Been there. Done that. Praise the Lord, neither of us was hurt.) To fix this, you can do one of two things: either cut the lead down so that even if it is hanging straight down from the halter, it will not touch the ground, or you can do what I do...I slip the lead through its own hardware ring and fold it in half. This gives me more bulk on the lead so I can get a better grip if I need to use some muscle, and it does not affect the original condition of the lead.
The normal color of a dairy animal's show halter is black leather, with the exception of Ayrshire and Milking Shorthorn, I believe. They wear brown leather. I would like to have those fancy halters that have rhinestones on them, but I've been told that certain important people in my life would be embarrassed if I tried that... along with bedazzling my show pants!
A leather halter is used on the animal during shows and during training/practice.
A rope halter is used at all other times to lead them around, load them, etc.
A leather halter allows for better control of the animal. It also lets the animal know when it's time to work the ring! The idea is to work with the animal to a degree that the animal will "set-up" in show position with a gentle touch without the need to use a great deal of muscle on them. Older cows that have been worked well and shown for a long time will many times just walk into a set-up position and stay on their own.
SHOWING
An animal must learn to set-up and stay in show position for an extended period of time. The judge has to evaluate all the animals in the ring, and that takes awhile. Hold her head.
A showman must always keep his/her eye on the judge. You must also not turn your back on the judge. You must always know where the judge is at all times.
You also re-set your animal in a slightly different position depending on where the judge is standing. The showman must also move and stand in different places according to the position of the judge.
When showing a heifer, the exhibitor should position the heifer's front legs straight underneath her, evenly. The rear legs should always be positioned so that whichever side the judge is seeing, THAT rear leg closest to the judge should be farther back than the other rear leg...but not too stretched out looking. If the judge walks around to the other side, then you make your animal "switch legs" so the same effect is created. Heifers don't have a visible, "bloomed" udder for the judge to look at. If she's nervous, she might arch her back. Give her back a quick touch to make it relax and be straight again. Straight backs are a must.
When showing a cow, the exhibitor does just the opposite. The rear leg closest to the judge should be forward. This allows the full udder to be viewed. The judge wants a clear view of all four quarters of the udder, the placement of the teats, their length, and the degree of levelness of the udder floor. When the judge walks behind a cow, the rear legs should be made even with one another.
I haven't had any experience yet with showing a dry cow, so I'm not sure what the rules are for setting them up.
The dairy showman walks and stands on the left side of the animal. Depending where the judge is, the showman will walk forward, backward, or sometimes a little sideways always keeping face forward to the judge. When the animal is set-up and the judge comes near you, you step away a little farther to the left side of the animal so the judge can see from nose to tail and down both sides.
EXTRAS
The judge will also ask questions. He/she will want to know the animal's birth date. The judge may ask you the sire's name (the animal's father) and the full registered name of your animal. You may be asked any number of trivia questions about dairy: anatomy, processes, anything.
Some judges make you switch animals with another showman toward the end of the competition. He/she wants to see how you handle an unfamiliar animal. I've always wondered if it looks good on the showman if their animal is easily lead by a stranger. You know, like they have trained it very well. I'm thinking it has to look bad if a stranger can show your animal BETTER than you can. Maybe I can ask a judge that one day.
POTENTIAL PROBLEMS
You can work your animal very well throughout the year, but you don't know how it will behave in the ring until you get there. Many animals don't like to be with a new mix of animals. Some don't like it when another exhibitor pulls their animal too close behind them in the circle. Some don't like strangers. My Ayrshire never has cause to kick until we get to a show. Several shows in a row, she somehow managed to kick me right before we went into the ring. Last year, she kicked my FINGER just three minutes before we walked into the ring at County. It was my halter hand. It was like it was on fire. Yes, I cried, but I sucked it up and did my job. Since she's an Ayrshire, we were the ones to actually start the show. No time to recuperate. Another time she kicked the dairy superintendent in the leg as he walked past her entering the ring at OKC. She's multi-talented. She can kick forward, backward, and to the side. She never has that problem except at shows. Lucky me (sarcasm). Other animals can be the same way, so you should always leave one animal length between your animal's nose and the rear end of the animal in front of her. You can't control the person behind you, but you can control the space in front of you. Animals sometimes get squirrely when the judge has you line them up side by side. You also never know which animals might end up being in heat during a show. They will try to mount each other. One of my friends (age 10) was standing next to me when her yearling tried to mount her three or four different times in the ring! Yes, you read it right. Her own animal tried to mount her. She got pretty beat up. Each time it landed, her animal slammed into mine (Posey) and it just about knocked both Posey and me over the fence onto the ribbon table. People went scattering. You have to be super aware of EVERYTHING going on around you: your animal AND every other living thing in the ring.
From the time you enter the show ring until the time you are dismissed from it, you are constantly working. You don't just set-up your animal and stand there; you're not done.
You should have worked with her enough that the two of you have a relationship by now. You are the boss, but you are gentle, and she does what she's "told".
I should probably stop here. I have super-secret training techniques and showing strategies that I'm afraid I would reveal to the world if I keep going. I have to keep my competitive edge, you know!
The one thing I just can't ever seem to remember when I'm in the moment is to shake hands with the judge when I leave. I'm so mentally worn out, I can never remember to do that consistently! Maybe this coming show season I can add that to my list of things I do in the ring.
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