Episode 16: Show Stock Showmanship

Everything you need to know about showmanship before your show. Includes general showmanship tips and tricks, how to dress to impress, and species specific showmanship tips for pigs, lambs, goats and cattle.

Episode Transcript

Introduction (00:05):
Welcome to the extension connection podcast.
The Grant County CooperativeExtension service is here to
help connect you with researchbased information about Economic
Development, Energy and WaterFarming, Ranch, Yard and Garden,
Natural Resources, Health, andwellbeing, and our very popular

(00:25):
Youth Development Program.
4H I'm your host, Jessica Swapp,the 4 H and Agriculture Agent
here in Grant County, NewMexico.
We are part of New Mexico StateUniversity's College of
Agricultural Consumer andEnvironmental Science, and w e a
re here to serve you.
So let's get started.

Jessica Swapp Massengill (00:50):
Hi everybody.
This is Jessica Swapp.
Massengill once again, the 4Hand Ag Agent in Grant County,
New Mexico.
And we're back again to talkabout showmanship today.
We're going to be talking abouta lot of the different species.
We're going to talk about; whatis showmanship, some general
showmanship tips, u h, theShowman dress code, and then the

(01:14):
species specific showmanship forpigs, lambs, goats, and cattle.
So what i s showmanship?
U m, I found this definition, um, from Michigan State

University and t heir: "Showmanship One- on-O ne For (01:25):
undefined
All Species" publication.
And I thought it was a reallygreat, way to explain what
showmanship is.
Showmanship is about the personhandling the animal, presenting
and showing the animal to thebest of the person's ability.
It is about making sure that theshowman is looking at the judge

(01:46):
at all times.
And showmanship is really abouthow hard a person has worked,
prepared and presents theiranimal to the judge.
I also add in, added in herethat this is strictly an
evaluation of you as theshowman, not necessarily the
quality of your animal.
So for instance, um, you know,maybe you didn't have the grand

(02:09):
champion this year, but you canstill be a Grand Champion
Showman.
So some general showmanshiptips.
The first thing is, is thatshowmanship is won at home.
Whenever you're at home, you'redoing all the work that's
hopefully going to show upwithin that showing.
You want to practice like youcompete.
Um, so when we're practicing athome, you want to make sure that

(02:31):
you're using the equipment thatyou're going to be using the day
of the show.
So the show halters, or thechains or the halters for your
goats, all those things need tobe used at home first.
So that way you can figure outif that's what works best.
Also, I love this saying," Younever get a second chance at a
first impression".

(02:53):
Showmanship is a lot about that.
First impression, impression,um, great Showman are usually
identified by the first fewsteps into the ring.
And I have to say that's truewhen judging showmanship, I'm
usually able to start toidentify who the good ones are
from who the ones that stillneed more work right out of the
gate.

(03:13):
Some general tips are to becool, calm, collected, um, but
you also want to be intense andfocused.
Do not do the beauty queen fakesmile.
I will say that this is apersonal pet peeve of mine.
I do not like to see exhibitorsgiving me a fake smile.

(03:35):
It's very creepy anddistracting.
So just try to look relaxed, um,yet look focused like you care,
you don't have to have your, youknow, a mean face on or
anything, but just don't do thefake smile.
Another thing is don't be late,but also don't be too early.

(03:56):
If you're standing around at thegate way too early, we're gonna
start to fatigue those animals.
They're going to get tired ofstanding, especially if they've
been in the ring several timesthat day.
Um, so try to time things justright, walk the animal at a
natural pace.
We see this all the time wherewe're really trying to rush

(04:16):
animals, trying to hidesomething, or they're really
trying to slow them down to tryto hide something.
In terms of that animal'sconfirmation.
Really animals will walk thebest and look their best at
their natural pace.
So allowing them to do that isgoing to be the best thing for
them and for you.

(04:36):
Another tip is to watch theclasses before yours.
So if you're not in the firstclass of showmanship, it's
probably a good idea to go watchthe class ahead of you, or a few
ahead of you just to get an ideaof what this judge is kind of
doing.
What he's looking for.
Maybe what he's asking, allthose types of things.

(04:59):
Another thing to know is thering and how it's set up.
So kind of knowing where you'llbe coming in, maybe where you'll
be exiting.
Those could be two separategates.
So you're going to want to knowthat before going in on the
slideshow here, if you'relistening to the podcast, um, I
have a picture that says," Ifyou want to look good in front

(05:21):
of thousands, you have tooutwork thousands in front of
nobody." And that is completelytrue.
Like I've said, showmanship isreally won at home.
Some more tips to tell you is tobe aware of the judge, but don't
forget about your animal alsocoaching.
And I'm going to talk about thisfor each individual species, but

(05:42):
just as a general rule, I wouldsay, you know, the parents and
the Ag teachers and ExtensionAgents and whoever you have
helping you on the sidelines,it's all right for them to do a
little bit of coaching.
I would just say, keep it to aminimum, especially don't let
your coaching be a distractionto the kid or the judge.

(06:03):
A lot of times some, uh, I'veseen some coaching going on the
sidelines that is so incrediblydistracting that I end up
watching the coaches rather thanthe actual kids in the ring.
And a lot of times when you'rewatching the kiddos in the ring,
they're not even watching thejudge cause they're watching
whoever who's outside of thering, trying to tell them what

(06:25):
to do.
Uh, another thing is don'tfidget feet placement.
Good is usually good enough.
The more you fidget with theseanimals feet, the more they're
going to get nervous, um, feelvery agitated.
And they're just probably notgoing to work the best for you.
You need to know the judge'spreferences before the show.

(06:45):
So if you're able to find outwho's judging, um, the
showmanship at your, at yourshow or your Fair, know what
that judge likes before theshow.
Um, that's going to kind of giveyou some heads up in terms of
what they like, what they'relooking for.
Um, as well as their pet peeves.

(07:07):
Uh, another thing, this isagain, probably a personal thing
that I don't like to see is Ihave here, don't be too showy.
So what do I mean by that?
I really don't like it when allof a sudden it's, I see you
coming into the ring and it'slike a really big act.
Really in the showmanship realm,It should look natural.

(07:29):
I'm trying to keep our animalslooking as natural and as good
as possible without drawingattention to ourselves
personally.
Really, the judge should notreally notice you at all.
Um, they should just be able tosee that your animal is always
looking good, that you're,you're doing a good job of
showing them, but yet notnecessarily being distracted by

(07:51):
the way that you look or whatyou're doing.
Um, showmanship counts in themarket classes too.
A lot of people think, well, youonly turn up your showmanship
during the showmanship, uh,classes.
That is, that's not the pointreally of showmanship.
And if you have a judge that'sjudging your market classes and

(08:13):
your showmanship, if I were thejudge, I'm going to remember
who, who came in and was thesame showman during the market
classes that they are in theshowmanship.
Um, a lot of times a lot ofjudges will tell you that
sometimes if they have a coupleof animals in a market class
that are very, very close, andthey're just not quite sure what

(08:33):
to do between them, showmanshipcan be the deciding factor.
It may be that one, one kiddo isdoing a better job of showing
then the other.
And that's literally why they'removing that animal up.
A good showman can really bringout the positives in an animal
and be able to hide thenegatives.
So a lot of times that'll helpin those placings as well.

(08:58):
Another thing is, do not blockthe view of another animal from
the judge.
You want everybody to have afair shot, um, some other good
Sportsman's like things to do,or to shake the judge's hand at
the end of the class, regardlessof the placing and where you
ended up in all of that.
If you are not the winner, uh,go ahead and congratulate the

(09:18):
winner and be classy about it.
I have some pictures hereshowing some kiddos shaking the
hand of the judge.
That's, that's a very respectfulthing to do.
You definitely don't want to beugly and, and have an attitude
out there.
Just shake their hand,regardless of what happens and,

(09:39):
and go on.
Next we're going to talk alittle bit about the dress code.
So I feel like what you'rewearing inside of the show ring
really has practical real life,has a, has a relationship with
real life.
In real life, when you're goingin for a job interview, you
definitely want to look yourbest.
You want to look appropriate.

(10:01):
This is no different.
Some things to keep in mind, uh, usually across the board, a
long sleeve, collared, button upshirt is, is generally accepted
across the board.
I have here possibly wearing atie if you're, if you're a boy,
u m, I think wearing a tiereally just makes you stand out

(10:22):
a little bit in a good way.
U m, as a professional.
It's n ot a requirement unlessit's required by your fair, but
I think a tie really, u m, k ind o f s e ts t h em o ver the,
over the top.
Um, h aving clean pressed jeans,no holes.
And trust me, I'm a, if, youknow, if you know me personally,
I love jeans with holes, but inthe show ring, we d efinitely

(10:45):
don't want to be wearing anykind of pants that have holes,
or ar e w orn out or anythinglike that.
Hair needs to be out of yourface for girls.
It needs to be pulled or pinnedback.
And for boys, it needs to be cutand combed.
And this goes for, uh, girls andboys, both.
Um, if you're going to wear wearjewelry, keep it light.

(11:06):
It should not be distracting toyou or to the judge.
I'm also wearing a belt.
The only thing I will tell youabout a belt is to be careful
with the buckle with sheep andgoats.
Um, sometimes those buckles canrub up against their neck and
can be very agitating for them.
I have here, no hats.

(11:26):
There's some judges that areokay with, um, exhibitors
wearing a cowboy hat.
Um, some that aren't.

Speaker 3 (11:33):
These are just the,

Jessica Swapp Massengill (11:34):
the rules to keep you safe.
If you're not really sure whatthe judge prefers, just keep it
safe, keep it practical, youknow, and follow these types of
rules.

Speaker 3 (11:45):
Um, uh, I will say this that most, uh, judges

Jessica Swapp Massengill (11:50):
do not want you wearing dude shoes.
I am, I'm one of those actuallythat I do not prefer the dude
shoe look.
So just leave those for afteryou're done.
Some shows actually have a dresscode that has, has to be
followed.
So you're going to want to makesure that you're looking up your
shows or your fair's dress code.

(12:13):
Um, a lot of times, depending onwhat show you're going to, if
you're going to a jackpot, youknow, you can kind of relax some
of these, uh, dress code typesthings, you know, you could
probably get away with, youknow, a polo shirt with a collar
rather than the long sleeve, um,it just, just kind of depends.
Again, knowing your judge isgoing to determine a lot of

(12:34):
things.
A lright, we're going to talkabout Pig Showmanship.
So when we're entering the ring,u m, the first thing is you're
going to want to make sure youhave all of your equipment.
You're going to need a brush, awhip, and a rag.
And I will say this, some judgesprefer that if you have a rag,
that it is actually folded andtucked away in your pocket, not

(12:58):
just tucked in your pocket andleft kind of out there to, to
flap around.
I would say to be on the safeside of things, if you have a
rag, can just put it in yourback pocket or your side pocket
or front pocket of your shirt,just fold it nicely to where
it's there.
You can use it if you need to.
Um, another thing is you'regonna want to use the correct

(13:19):
type of whip.
Um, if you're not really surewhat type of whip that is, um,
you're going to want to get withyour Extension Agent, Ag
Teacher, someone to kind of helpyou with that.
And you're going to want to holdyour whip correctly.
There is a right and wrong wayto hold your whip.
Um, before you come in, you'regoing to want to be looking at
the judge before you get intothe ring.

(13:40):
Again, don't smile, but you'regoing to want to look intense
and focused.
You want to have that pig's headup in a natural position before
you enter the ring, as well aswhile you're in there.
Um, when you're first coming inand actually while you're in
there the whole time, stay awayfrom the judge.

(14:00):
If they want a closeup of youranimal, they will step closer to
them.
Um, they will come up for acloser view.
So as you come in to the ring,you're going to want to give a
view of all angles, includingthe chest floor, the side, and
the rear view as a new animalbehind you enters the ring,
you're going to want to move tothe side.

(14:22):
Still try to stay within sightof the judge, like within their
peripheral vision, but allowyour fellow showman to have an
individual moment with thatjudge, to exhibit their animal
individually.
Don't over, or under work, asyou kind of hang out there to
the side.
Um, if the judge is not directlylooking at you, I would say, you

(14:43):
know, go ahead and relax alittle bit.
Um, just keep that pig's headup, keep them moving.
Um, don't get in the way of yourfellow exhibitors.
Um, but don't, don't overwork.
Again, through the whole timeyou don't want to be too
aggressive with that whip.
U m, these pigs should betrained at home.
U m, training is not for the show r ing.

(15:06):
U m, while you're out there, notalking, no visiting, u m, no
horseplay while you're in thering or, or in the holding
areas, you should be focused onwhat you're doing.
You've worked all year long tobe in this position, in this
spot, at this show.
Um, don't ruin it by visitingwith a friend or, you know,

(15:27):
looking outside the ring andlaughing, you know, talking to
people outside the ring, thosetypes of things just stay
focused.
You're not in there for verylong, just stay focused and do
what you need to do and getthings done.
During the class, you're alwaysgoing to want to keep the pig
between you and the judge, watchthe judge, but you need to pay
attention to your pig.

(15:48):
It's kind of a gentle balancebetween paying attention to the
judge, but also paying attentionto the pig.
Avoid allowing your hog to rootaround in the dirt.
The reason for that is once theydo that, and if you're watching
the, the slide show here, whenthey stick their head down their
back instantly arches up andthey just don't keep that
levelness.

(16:08):
So don't let them start to rootaround in the dirt.
Again, this is something thatneeds to be worked on at home.
Don't go behind the judge.
Um, if they turn their back toyou, that's, that's their
preference.
They want to look at somethingelse, but don't deliberately go
behind them because they can'tsee you.
They can't see your pig.

(16:29):
Another thing to be careful ofis, you know, sometimes you've
pigs want to get in the cornerand you can't quite get them
out.
So you start to see kiddos usingtheir, their legs and their
knees to kind of push those pigsout.
I would say, try to keep thatdown to a minimum, if you
absolutely can.
No running, uh, that goes forthe exhibitor and the pig.

(16:51):
Pigs should be trained to notcome into the ring and want to
run around and play.
They should know why they'rethere.
They should know that they'rethere to be exhibited.
They should have their head upand the exhibitors should have
control of that animal.
If per say, a pig does run intothe ring, the exhibitor should
not chase after them.

(17:12):
Um, or if they're in the ringand they're just running around,
um, it's better for theexhibitor to just remain calm
and try to keep up with theanimal the best that they can by
not running or chasing them.
Again, no talking, visiting,horseplay while you're in the
ring.
Um, it's just very distractingand very, um, unprofessional.

(17:36):
Don't group up, whenever you'rein there, find the open areas
and move that pig into thoseopen areas.
If you have your pig with fiveor six others, there's a good
chance I cannot evaluate thatanimal because I can't see it
properly.
So trying to keep your animalaway from everyone else where

(17:56):
that judge can really see themmoving, um, is going be, uh, the
best thing to do.
So that's why you have to bepaying attention.
Stay off the fence and stay awayfrom the gate.
These animals are very, veryintelligent.
They learn very quickly wherethe gate is to go back to their
pens, because back at theirpens, they can take a nap.

(18:19):
They get water, they get fed andthey get to relax.
So understanding that theyalready know where the gate is
to go out.
If they start to head towardsthat gate, rather than waiting
for them to get all the waythere and then fighting them
off, you're g oing t o want tostart to recognize that, Hey,
they're headed towards the gate.
I'm going to go ahead and startto turn them, u m, in advance of

(18:41):
getting towards the g ate.
Another thing is, is just notletting them, a ride the fence,
trying to pace back and forth onthe fence.
If you'll just not let them,from the get go, usually they
don't, they'll, they'll go byyour direction and do what
you've asked them to do.
Again, I have on here, hold yourwhip correctly.

(19:03):
That's going to help you thebest.
And don't be over aggressivewith that whip.
And, and this, this, this needsto be said as well.
Sometimes you can practice andtrain and do everything right at
home.
And sometimes we just have a badday.
Kids have a bad day.
These animals have a bad day.
We definitely want to maintain alevel of professional,
professionalism out there inthat ring and do not be over

(19:26):
aggressive with that whip.
Just remember that the world iswatching.
They're watching you.
And also if you're kind of anolder exhibitor, something you
never know who's out therewatching you wanting to be like
you someday.
So be a good role model, be agood representative of our
industry, and don't beaggressive, over aggressive with

(19:46):
those whips.
Another thing to keep in mind isto keep your turns very wide.
Pigs do not turn on a dime verywell.
It causes them to bunch up.
They just don't look good.
Um, so making sure if you'regonna turn your hogs, you do
that in a very wide, um, youknow, type of a turn.

(20:07):
And the other thing to keep inmind is to be aware, poop
happens.
So be prepared out there toclean it off.
I always say if the judge isstaring right at, you just keep
working.
Once he moves to someone elseand is looking at someone else,
go ahead and get that, thatmanure off of that pig.
You can use your brush, useyour, your rag, that type of

(20:30):
thing.
That's what it's there for.
Penning.
A lot of times for pigs, a judgewill ask you to pen your hog.
Um, this is to see how well youcan actually control that
animal.
So what you're gonna want to do,if you get, uh, if the judge
points that you wants you to penyour hog by yourself.

(20:50):
You're g oing t o want to driveto that, u h, p enning area, u
h, go ahead and open the gate,drive that hog in, and then
latch the gate behind you.
While you're in that pen, you'reg oing t o want to keep that hog
between you and the judge.
So that way he can still see thepig inside there.
U m, keep watching the judge,this is not a, u h, r elax and

(21:13):
hangout time.
Again, no talking, visiting,horseplay.
This is a personal pet peeve ofmine that I don't like to see a
youth get penned, and then theirfriends kind of come up there
and they're talking, visiting,laughing.
It's just not very professionalor very serious for me.
I will say this, that beingpenned is a little bit of a

(21:36):
timeout, just for a little bitof, uh, a rest.
But it's also a good time foryou to make sure that that
animal is looking their best.
So if needed, this is a greattime t o brush them off.
Spray them with water to keepthem cool.
Um, o f fer t h em a drink ofwater, possibly.
Um, i f you have some pig treatsin your pocket, it would be a

(21:58):
good time to possibly give thosetreats to that pig, just to ki
nd o f k eep them happy andcontent.
When you're exiting from beingpenned, you're going to want to
open that gate, have that headup.
And then if you are able to goahead and stop the hog, cl ose t
he gate and latch it, shutbehind you.
Again, show that animal's anglesall over again to that judge,

(22:21):
and then be courteous of theother showman as they come out
of their penning and they aretrying to exhibit their hog.
Um, of course though, alwaysstay within view of the judge.
Um, just try to be respectful ofthe other exhibitors.
Next, we're going to talk alittle bit about the questions
that sometimes are asked.
I'm going to be completelyhonest with you that I'm not a

(22:42):
big fan of questions.
I don't feel quite like the showring is a great place to, um,
evaluate how well the exhibitoris in Quizbowl.
But there are some things that,that the exhibitor really should
know.
For instance, with pigs, um,knowing how old they are.

(23:03):
That's a pretty basic thing toknow.
Um, knowing what breed of pigyou have.
Also being able to read notches,not only on your animal, but on
others.
So knowing the notches of youranimal, and then also a judge
could possibly ask you to readnotches on another pig in the
ring, just so that they knowthat you actually know how to

(23:25):
read them.
Sometimes they're going to askyou about feed.
So knowing what brand, how much.
And when I say how much theydon't like to hear, well, it's a
coffee can of this, and a coffeecan of that.
Um, I want to know actualpounds.
So, you know, two pounds of, youknow, high pro, two pounds of
Mormons, two pounds of Lindners,whatever you're feeding.

(23:47):
Knowing the amount in terms ofpounds, um, how much it actually
weighs.
Knowing the protein percentage,the fat percentage, as well as a
general idea of the supplementsthat you're giving, and why.
Another thing is, judge may askyou how much that pig is gaining
per day.
That's a pretty generalquestion.

(24:08):
Um, they may ask you how muchthey weigh.
Um, again, these are notnecessarily"Quizbowl" type
questions that are really superdifficult.
Um, these are pretty generalquestions that I think every
showman should know about their,their pig project.
So as we get down to, I said, Iwas gonna talk about coaching,

(24:30):
um, just about for everyspecies.
So here we are, I'm going totalk about it with pigs.
Um, and I'm, I'm a show mom,just like a lot of you are, I'm
an Extension Agent and yes, itis difficult to stand on the
side and, and maybe watch thingsgo, not quite how you would
like.
But, we have to let these kidsdo this.

(24:52):
This is their project, it'stheir turn.
So keeping the coaching down toa minimum, I think is really the
best thing you can do for yourkid, cause they really shouldn't
be paying attention to youanyway.
They should be paying attentionto the judge and to their animal
and making sure that they'reexhibiting that animal to the
best of their abilities.

(25:12):
Um, so I would always encourageus parents to just try to keep
it to a minimum.
We all care.
And that's why we, we probablygo a little bit overboard
sometimes.
I know I have found sometimes ifI feel like I can't contain
myself in terms of the coaching,I will just go back to the barn
and, um, have someone elsereport to me on how things went.

(25:35):
So that's a little bit of adviceout there for you parents.
I hope that helps you.
So we're going to talk a littlebit about lamb showmanship.
Entering the ring, you shouldnot have a halter with sheep.
Um, you're gonna want to belooking at the judge before you
get into the ring, payingattention, being ready to enter.
Don't smile once again, just tryto look intense and focused,

(25:58):
serious.
Let the animal walk at theirnatural pace.
Again.
They're going to look their bestif they're walking at a natural
pace.
You're always g oing t o w ant to walk behind that point of the
shoulder, that way that, that lamb will really walk, u m, in a
smooth pattern.
Don't drag or pull your lamb.
It just doesn't, it just doesn'tlook good.

(26:19):
It doesn't work.
U h, this is a big pet peeve ofmine personally, a s I don't
like to see you slap or hit yourlamb.
U m, so say they're not walkingand you pop them on the d ock.
I'm not a big fan of that.
U m, I don't w anna see youdoing anything that could be
misconstrued, u m, in a negativeway in that show ring.

(26:42):
These animals should have beentrained to walk, u m, p rior to
being in the ring.
And I get it again, thingshappen.
We have a bad day, you know,things happen and, and I get
that, but let's just try to keepa level of professionalism by
not slapping or hitting these,these animals.
Use the proper hand placement.

(27:02):
Use one hand to lead and theother hand to tap the side of
the l amb, if, if you need to.
So that's kind of a trick ifthey're not really wanting to
walk is by having completecontrol of this animal with one
hand, you can use your otherhand to actually tap them on the
side, to encourage them to g o.
K now wh ere y ou're going, andwhat view the judge is going to

(27:26):
look at first, u m, j ust ki ndo f h ave a heads up of where
you're going.
So that way you can ki nd o f calculate your steps.
Again, no talking, visiting, youknow, just don't be distracted
in the show ring or in theholding areas.
If you're listening to this orwatching this video, it's
actually raining, which we're soexcited to have in a Grant

(27:49):
County, New Mexico.
It doesn't ever rain here.
So, um, if it's a little loud,I'm not going to stop recording
because I'm just so happy tohear it rain.
Moving on in the lambs, uh,during the class while you're in
there, you're going to alwayswant to keep the land between
you and the judge.
Let that land walk at a naturalpace like we've talked about
before, uh, keeping adequatespacing between exhibitors.

(28:11):
Don't get too close to eachother.
It makes it very difficult forthe judge to evaluate each
animal individually.
Stay in line.
Don't be too close to the fence.
Don't be too far out of line orturned the wrong direction, stay
in line with whatever you'resupposed to be doing.

(28:31):
With animals, or with lambs andgoats for sure, Um, you're gonna
walk, you're gonna set.
You're gonna brace.
And that's something that needsto be worked on at home is
walking, setting bracing.
When you have these animals set,you're going to want to keep,
you know, 90 degree angles.
Don't stretch them out too faror bunch them up.

(28:53):
We're going to want to try tokeep levelness of those lines,
keep them at 90 degree angles.
That's where they're going tolook their best.
Again, don't fidget with thelegs, especially if the judge is
looking right at you close isclose enough.
You can readjust the feet if youneed to while the judge is
looking at someone else.
So get those feet as good as youcan.

(29:16):
Um, if, if the judge is lookingright at, you just keep, keep
holding.
Um, and then once he moves on orhe or she moves on, um, then you
can go ahead and set those feeta little bit better.
Um, for those of you that areyounger exhibitors, that can't
quite reach those feet.
It's something to be worked onat home to be able to set those
feet without having to use yourhands.

(29:39):
So, first of all, by steppingthat lamb into the bracing
position, um, and then if youhad to move them by pushing them
, um, into place.
You're going to want to keepyour lamb in a straight line
from nose to dock.
Um, don't bend their head whileyou're setting their feet.
So once again, some of thelittle guys I know it's hard,

(30:01):
but you cannot crank that headand turn that head and try to
set feet, it just, the Lamb'sgonna move and it just doesn't
ever really work.
Again, walk them into place,which is a good reason to know
where you're going and what viewthe judge is going to be looking
at first.
Uh, you want to brace with allfour feet on the ground.

(30:22):
You not pick them up and holdthem.
Um, it just doesn't ever reallywork that way.
Um, it doesn't look good.
And if you picked me up by myhead and tried to hold me, I'm
probably gonna fight you too.
Don't pull them to you.
If you're watching the YouTubevideo, I have several pictures
here kind of explaining, um,some of the adults in terms of

(30:43):
things like bunching them up,pulling them sticking that head
forward, pulling them to you.
You really, it's a partnership,that Lamb should be pushing into
you and you should be pushinginto them.
So again, if you were to grab meby my head and pull me, I'm
going to pull back.
I'm not going to want to brace.

(31:04):
Okay.
So using proper hand placementfor control of the head and to
keep those ears up, um, ifyou're watching a YouTube video,
I have some pictures.
If you're just listening to thepodcast, you can, you can just
Google this type of stuff or getwith your Extension Agent, Ag
Teacher, have them show you, abreeder, whoever you can figure
out some, some proper handplacement.

(31:25):
So that way you can keep controlof their head and be able to
keep those ears perked up.
It just makes them look superclassy.
Uh, use a proper feet placementalso for bracing, which is
basically an L shape.
Um, I don't like to see, uh,kiddos with their legs, like
really, really far apart whilethey're trying to show these

(31:45):
lambs.
Um, I really just like the Lshape to keep, keep from looking
too showy.
I feel like whenever they havetheir legs are really far apart,
it's very distracting.
Alight brace while the judge islooking at you from the side
profile again, don't overworkthese animals.
You're g onna w ant t o startbracing.

(32:06):
U m, when, when the j udge iscoming down the line on the rear
view to handle these sheep,you're gonna want to start
bracing.
U m, when the judge is about 2 lambs away.
And then keep bra cing un tilhe, he or she has gone past you
by, u m, s o rry.
My phone is ri nging has gonepast you, u m, by two lambs.

(32:30):
Um, yo u don't want to slap orhit the lam b.
O nce again, we need to remainprofessional.
What you can do though, is tapthat lamb lightly on the side as
a cue that, hey, it's time to goto work.
It's time to really brace whenthe judge has kind of, you kn o
w, w alked away from you.
You know, you can relax thoselambs by rocking and shaking
their head lightly while thejudge is evaluating other

(32:52):
animals, that's just goi ng tohe lp keep them from overworking
again, make sure your beltbuckle, isn't rubbing or
scratching, the Lamb's head orneck can be very irritating.
And I mean, just think about assomebody who is pressing against
you with a metal buckle againstyour neck, it's just not very
comfortable, and It can justlead to problems out there that

(33:13):
you don't, that you don't want.
Keep that nose level.
Don't crank it up.
We see this a lot.
And sometimes, I mean, if, ifsomething works for you and it
works for that animal, go forit.
Um, I just like to see animalslooking more natural.
So I don't like to see theirhead cranked up where their nose
isn't, you know, facing the sky,um, switch sides once the judge

(33:35):
is already past you.
Um, if you have that lamb in agood brace.
Stay there.
Don't move so that you canswitch sides and then you kinda
mess everything up.
So just stay put once the judgegets past you, go ahead and roll
to the other side.
Most judges are going to respectthe fact that you had them stuck

(33:58):
and you're keeping them stuckbecause they were looking really
good.
No talking again, visiting don'tbe hanging out and having a good
old time out there with yourfriends, uh, the front view.
And you want to make sure thosefeet are wide and square.
Hold those Lamb's head up withthose ears up.
Um, and then again, switch sidesas the judge passes.

(34:19):
If a judge pulls a lamb in frontof you, make sure you pull up
and fill that empty spot.
We don't like to see a bunch ofgaps out there.
That's just good showmanship toknow to pull up.
And then everybody behind youneeds to pull up as well.
Again, when talking about thequestions, part of thing, I'm
not a big Quizbowl person.

(34:39):
I feel like a few things shouldbe known by the exhibitor, um,
about their project.
For instance, age of theiranimal breed, possibly what
they're, you know, they'refeeding, the brand, the amount.
I like to know exact amounts interms of pounds and ounces, um,
not a full cup of this or a canof that.

(35:01):
Knowing the protein percentage,fat percentage, any kind of
supplements that you might befeeding.
Those are all good things to, toknow, u m, as well as how much
they're gaining per day onaverage.
And their weight is alsosomething I might want to know.
And I might be asking.
Sometimes I'm just going to askthings like, what, what did you

(35:22):
like best about your project?
What was the hardest part ofyour project?
If you could do it all overagain, would you still choose to
, to pick this particularproject?
You know, things like that.
I don't like to make things toodifficult.
I'm gonna talk little bit againabout that coaching.
Once again, we've got to keepthat coaching down to a minimum.

(35:43):
They're on the sidelines fromall of us parents and Ag
teachers and Extension Agents.
Um, and let these kids showtheir project.
It's theirs and we're justreally there to guide them.
So keeping that down to aminimum is, is honestly the best
thing to do.
All right, we're going to talk alittle bit about Goat

(36:03):
showmanship.
As we enter the ring, you needto have the proper equipment, a
halter, chain know what worksbest for you and your goat
before entering the ring.
These are all things that weneed to figure out at home.
Some goats like the chain, somegoats like the halter.
It just depends.
These are all things you'regoing to want to know before
we're walking into thatshowroom.

(36:25):
We're looking at the judgebefore you even get into the
ring, shows me that you'repaying attention.
You want to be there and you'refocused.
Be ready to enter.
Don't don't hesitate to come in,be ready to roll.

Speaker 4 (36:38):
Don't smile again.

Jessica Swapp Massengill (36:40):
Just try to look serious and very
professional, uh, no talkingvisiting once again.
Um, I, I think I say this inevery species, cause this is
also a pet peeve of mine that Idon't like to see.
Um, kids talking, um, or nottaking things seriously, let the
animal walk at a natural pace.

(37:01):
Um, again, just like sheep,you're gonna want to walk behind
the point of that shoulder.
That's going to help that goatreally stride out the way that
they should don't drag or pullyour goat.
Um, and I know goats are, can bevery, very stubborn and that's
easier said than done sometimes.
Um, but really hopefully you'veworked with them enough at home
that they understand whatthey're supposed to do when they

(37:23):
go into that show ring.
Once again, remainingprofessional, don't slap, don't
hit that goat.
Um, we don't want to seeanything like that happening.
Um, and honestly, that's just areally quick way for me to sort
you out of the top.
Use proper chain placement whileleading a goat.
So a lot of times when you don'thave that chain actually placed

(37:43):
correctly, that goat's not goingto want to walk because it's
uncomfortable.
So making sure that you haveadjusted your chain placement
when you're, when you're headedon the walk, um, is going to
help you out a lot, know whereyou're going and what view is
first.
That's always going to be, um,something that you need to be
keeping in mind during theclass.

(38:06):
You always want to keep the goatbetween you and the judge, just
like everything else.
Let that goat walk at a naturalpace.
Keep spacing between exhibitors.
Don't get too close.
Don't get too far away.
Stay in line again.
Don't be too close to the fence.
Don't be too far out of line orturned around or turn in the
wrong position.

(38:28):
If you're on the side profile,keep those goats on a side
profile.
Don't let them turn to a rearview.
Um, again, walk, set, brace.
That's their job, keeping those,uh, 90 degree angles.
Don't stretch them out or letthem bunch up, especially goats
that just naturally don't havequite the levelness that sheep

(38:48):
do.
And out of that hip, sure thatyou're not bunching them up is
going to make them appear to bea little bit more level.
Uh, again, don't fidget withtheir legs, especially if the
judge is looking at you closestclose enough, um, readjust those
feet.
If you need to, while the judgeis looking at somebody else,

(39:12):
keep that goat in a straightline from nose to tail.
Don't bend their head whenyou're setting their feet.
Um, it's just going to make themmove again, walk them into
place.
That's going to be the easiestthing to do and brace them with
all four feet on the ground anddo not pick them up and hold
them.
Use proper hand placement forcontrol of the head and to keep

(39:34):
those ears up again.
If you're not sure what I'mtalking about.
Um, if you're listening to thepodcast, you can actually get
online and look these up or callan Extension Agent, uh, 4H
Leader, anybody to help you useproper feet placement.
Again for the bracing, use thatL shape.
A light brace, while the judgeis looking at you, on the side
profile.
You don't have to overworknecessarily.

(39:57):
Start bracing on the rear viewwhen the judge is about two
goats away.
When he's coming down the lineto handle, keep bracing until
he's about two g oats p ast you.
Again, do not slap or hit thegoat.
Um, it's just veryunprofessional.
You can tap the goat lightly onthe side as acute a brace, just
like you would for sheep.

(40:17):
It kind of wakes them up andlets them know that, Hey, it's
go time.
You can relax a goat by rocking,shaking the head lightly while
the judge is evaluating otheranimals.
Again, making sure your beltbuckle isn't rubbing or
scratching that goat's neck isgonna also help you out.
Um, in terms of keeping themcomfortable, you need to keep
their nose level, not cranked upto them, the sky and switch

(40:40):
sides.
Once the judge has passed you.
Again, no talking, no visiting,hanging out in the ring or in
the holding areas.
The front view, if you'reexhibiting these goats, um, and
the judge is going to comearound and take a look there at
their chest.
Um, you want to make sure thattheir feet are wide and square.
Hold those g oats, heads up withtheir ears up and s witch sides.

(41:03):
As the judge passes.
If the judge pulls a goat infront of you, make sure you pull
up and fill that empty spot.
And t hen everybody behind youneeds to fill in, u m, the empty
spot that you'll be leaving.
We'll talk a little bit aboutthe questions.
It's k ind o f the same thingwith these goats.
You know, I'm pretty basic interms of the questions that I a

(41:24):
sk.
I t's not a, I just don't feellike it's a q uiz b owl contest.
Age?
That might be something I mightask you.

Some feed type things (41:31):
So brand, the amount of h ow many pounds
of this, pounds of that, proteinlevels, fat supplements?
All those sorts of things thatgo into the feeding.
Ga in p er day, as well as howmuch they weigh?
Um, o nce again, we're going totalk a little bit about
coaching.
Please.
Just keep that down to aminimum.
Don't be distracting, um, to thejudge as well as don't be

(41:53):
distracting to the exhibitor.
If they're paying more attentionto you than they are, the judge,
um, they could possibly getting,be getting pulled for a good
reason or bad reason, but ifthey're not paying attention,
then they don't know that.
And the judge moves on.
He may forget that he had pulledthat goat, you know, into a
third.
And then all of a sudden you'resitting there in fifth when you
could have been in third.

(42:14):
But you weren't paying attentionbecause you were paying
attention to whoever wascoaching us outside of that
ring.
All right, Cattle

Speaker 5 (42:24):
[inaudible],

Jessica Swapp Massengill (42:25):
Some people would probably argue with
me on this one.
Well, actually think the cattleare very difficult to show.
For me, they were probably thehardest thing.
Um, again, all of them are hard,um, in their own way.
Um, but when we're entering thering again, proper equipment, so
a show halter, a comb and a showstick are pretty much the
essentials.

(42:46):
Once again, you want to makesure you, you've used those
things at home.
We've, practiced with theseitems at home.
Don't smile, just look intense,look serious, look professional,
your halter needs to fitproperly.
Um, meaning that it's not toohigh and it's not too low.
These are things to figure outat home.

(43:07):
Um, if you have several calvesthat you're taking, you may want
to actually label the haltersthat go to which animals.
So that way you don't have awreck.
Whenever you're trying to headto that show ring, making sure
that that halter fits thatanimal properly.
So it's not too high on theirnose, not too high, um, trying
to cover their eye or not todown low, or it's actually

(43:29):
cutting off their air.
These things are going to causeyou problems cause it's
uncomfortable for them.
And they're not going to want tocooperate.
Use a correct color of Halter.
Um, for some people, this is abig deal for some people it's
not.
Um, I think depending on thesituation, um, you know,
obviously we have a black path,don't use a white halter.

(43:52):
If you have a white calf, youknow, you probably can get away
with a black halter.
It's probably okay.
It's really up to the judge.
And again, this is really whyyou should know your judge know
what their preferences are.
For me, as long as the halter isnot distracting, I really don't
care what color it is.

(44:12):
Um, I would say black across theboard, um, works just fine.
Um, if you have a red calf, youcan get kind of a reddish
colored halter.
The halter lead doesn't need tobe too long or too short.
Um, so on the YouTube video, Iactually have a picture there on
the far right hand side of alead, that I would consider to

(44:34):
be too long.
It also could be that shedoesn't have, um, this calf's
head crank cranked up quiteenough.
But I feel like that lead ropeis just a little bit too long.
When you have the lead rope toolong, there's a chance that you
could step on it.
Your calf can step on it asthey're trying to move.
And it just, it doesn't work.

(44:55):
So these leads need to be aboutarms length, so not too long.
Um, but also not too shorteither.
You don't want to completely cutthem down to nothing.
And then you have nothing tohang on to.
Don't wrap that lead rope aroundyour hand.
U m, you should, you should beable to just let it hang freely
where it's not on the ground.
It just is k ind o f hangingfreely.

(45:17):
Your s how show stick should be,u m, also the proper length.
Some people say it n eeds to bethe height o f t he

Speaker 6 (45:24):
Kid.
Um, I say that

Jessica Swapp Massengill (45:26):
It's whatever works best.
If you have a kiddo that needs alonger show stick.
Let them have a longer showstick.
If that's what's working, youknow, best for them and to the
calf.
I say, do it.
Again, keeping your keeping yourshow stick, I would say
respectful and professional.
I don't really like to seereally the blinged out show

(45:49):
sticks and stuff like that.
I'm cool with it at home.
U m, but maybe for the showring, really just sticking with,
you know, kind of a blackcolored, u h, show stick is
really best.
Let's leave the rhinestones andstuff.
U m, aside for the show ring.
Again, be looking at the judgebefore you even get into the r
ing, show them that you'repaying attention.

(46:12):
U m, I know myself a lot oftimes, I like to watch b efore
they actually come in.
I w ant t o see what these kidsare, are doing.
Are they, um, are they lookingfocused?
Are they kind of game planningin their head?
Um, or are they, you know, maybehanging onto their girlfriend or
boyfriend and, and they're notreally that serious.
Um, these are the things I'mkind of paying attention to.

(46:34):
You're going to want to be readyto enter.
Um, so don't make the judgewait.
Be ready to enter the ringwhenever they call you in.
Have that head up in a naturalposition before, and as you
enter the ring.
No talking, no visiting again,this is a pet peeve.
So I like, put it on everyslide, don't be messing around

(46:55):
in there.
Um, let that animal walk at anatural pace and really manners
for these animals need to betaught at home.
Cattle are very big.
They they've got a mind of theirown, and I completely understand
that and respect that, but we'vegot to work with these animals
at home to teach them somemanners.
You need to hold your show stickproperly.

(47:17):
Um, I know sometimes we'll,we'll put that show stick up
there in front of their face totry to keep them, you know, kind
of slowed down if they're tryingto get away from us a little bit
too much and possibly, you know,to, to a small correction.
Um, in terms of their manners,but really that show stick
really just needs to be down andheld to the side, uh, with the

(47:38):
pointed side down, um, we don'twant to hold it like a javelin,
just we could, we could possiblyhurt someone and we, we don't
want to do that or hurtsomebody's animal.
You don't want to be tooaggressive with that show stick.
So once again, don't try to sawthat calf in half.
Whenever you have them, youknow, stopped, uh, just a couple

(48:01):
of, of very, um, calmingscratches to their belly will
help to sooth them.
Don't let your nerves get thebest of you.
And you're just sawing away withthat show stick on their belly.
It's gonna transfer into anervous feeling for them.
And they're going to wonder whyin the heck, you're, you're
trying to saw me in half withthat thing.
Know where you're going and whatview is first.

(48:23):
That's just going to help youout in terms of getting their
feet and legs set.
Okay.
So during the class again, don'tgive me that fake smile and just
keep it professional, keep itcalm.
Um, let that cap walk at itsnatural pace.
Keep their head in a naturalposition.
Hold that show stick properly.
And again, keeping adequatespace between exhibitors.

(48:46):
These animals are pretty big.
So that space, u m, depending onthe size of the ring that you
have, you need to leave quite abit of space.
Um, in case you need to pull andmove.
If the judge pulls you, um, ifhe's going to come and handle
these calves, all those types ofthings, making sure that there's
adequate distance between youstay in line, don't get too

(49:06):
close to the fence.
Don't get too far out of line orturned.
And if you need to, I think Italk about this later, but I'll
cover it a little bit right now.
If, if you're completely wonkyin line and you need to get out
and reposition or something likethat, just make sure you're
taking that, pulling that animalout and making wide big circles.

(49:28):
Um, I like to tell kiddos, thinkof it as a limousine.
They do not turn on a dime.
Um, you've got to make somereally, really wide turns to try
to get them turned around.
So whenever we're in the ring on, you're gonna walk them,
scratch them and set them.
That's their job.
You're going to want to try towalk them into place.

(49:50):
The best that you can just sothat you don't have to mess with
their feet.
However, understanding theirfeet placement is very
important.
So if you're listening on thepodcast, you can get online or
talk to someone and get somehelp on understanding which feet
are supposed to be.
Where on the side profile,you're watching the YouTube
video.

(50:10):
I have a picture actually heretowards the right of a Charlotte
calf, that's, that's setperfect.
Um, on the side profile, therear show side, but needs to be
set slightly further back thanthe other rear foot.
Um, the Front foot on theshowman's side, i t needs to be

(50:31):
slightly further back t han theshow side, front leg.
U m, a lot of times, if youactually put them pretty close
to even, t hey're usuallythere's usually enough
difference between them thatit's set up just right.
On the rear view, all feet needto be set evenly, square and
wide.
Once you stopped.
U m, you can scratch that calf acouple times again, just to help

(50:53):
kind of keep them calm.
And again, don't saw them inhalf with that show stick, u m,
and then start working onsetting those legs.
And usually if y ou'll set oneleg, give him a couple o f
scratches, set another leg, giveh im a couple scratches.
You know, don't just get crazywith those s how sticks, trying
to poke and move and everythinglike that.

(51:15):
Once again, if you can trainthem to stop naturally with
their feet, mostly set, it's going t o save both of you a lot
of work when we're g onna setthose feet.
There's really two things thatyou need to do.
You need to use the halter andthe show stick to set those
feet.
If you're trying to move a footup, you're going to want to pull
forward slightly on that halteras well as grabbing that foot

(51:39):
with your, with your stick.
That's going to help your calfto know, you want him or her, to
move their foot up.
If you want a foot to go back.
Um, again, pushing back on thathalter and giving pressure to
that foot is going to help themto understand you want that foot
to go back.
You want to keep those 90 degreeangles in cattle, just the same

(52:00):
as everything else.
Don't stretch them out too far.
Don't bunch them up or feet toofar underneath them.
Don't fidget with those legs.
Again, especially if the judgeis looking at you closest close
enough.
And if you need to readjust, um,you can always do that while the
judge is kind of moved on tosomeone else and get them back
to, um, perfect.

(52:22):
Keep those calves straight inline from nose to tail.
So, and this is especially hardfor some of the younger
exhibitors.
Don't bend that head whileyou're setting those feet.
You got to try to keep that headand the head and the tail in a
straight line.
If you bend their head, they'regoing to want to swing their
hips.
Another thing is, is trying tokeep those ears forward.

(52:45):
Just kind of gives these calveskind of a special look.
You want to be calm and cool andcollected out there.
It can be very difficult.
These animals are very big.
They have a mind of their own.
Um, and, and again, sometimes wecan do everything right at home.
Things just still don't work inthe show ring.
Um, I would say that theprobability of that happening is

(53:05):
not likely, but it does happen.
And if, if things go wrong, justtry to try to, you know, stay
cool, stay calm, um, smoothmovements.
When you're switching hands fromthe walk to where you are, where
you're going to set up, youknow, don't, don't be moving so
fast that we accidentally, youknow, poke that, that steer in

(53:29):
the eye with the show stick orhit him or something like that.
just try to be smooth, if youcan.
If a judge touches or handlesyour calf, comb that hair back
up.
Some judges say it's a big dealto them.
Some judges say they don't act,you know, it, it doesn't make
any difference to them, whetheryou comb that hair back up.

(53:49):
I would tell you just as asafety measure, across the
board, if the judge comes by andhandles your calf, just comb
that hair back up.
U m, it's g oing t o keep yousafe.
Little side note here.
When I was a youth, I actually,it was between me and another
exhibitor to, u h, to w in theshowmanship at our County fair.
And I literally lost it off ofnot combing that hair back up.

(54:14):
And I can tell you this, I'venever forgotten to comb hair b
ack u p ever since.
So, u m, just something outthere.
U m, the judge said he had touse something to separate us,
and that just happened to be theone thing I didn't do.
So another thing to do is tokeep their head up in a natural
position.
Don't visit.

(54:35):
Don't hang out in that showring, be all business when
you're in there, when you'reexhibiting this, these animals
on the front view.
Make sure those feet are wideand square and try to keep those
ears forward.
If a judge pulls a calf in frontof you, again, pull up and fill
that empty spot, and theneverybody behind you needs to
pull up and fill that emptyspot.

(54:56):
We talked about this a littlebit before, but um, if you're
needing to reposition.
Make a wide, wide circle.
There's no way you're going tobe able to make a tiny little
circle and try to get that calfback in on the side profile.
It just, it never works.
Again, I don't think that, uh,from a personal standpoint, that

(55:19):
showmanship should come down tobasically, you know, quiz bowl
questions.
We have a completely separatecontest for, for Quizbowl and I
highly encourage all exhibitorsto do Quizbowl is it will help
you in showmanship.
If you do happen to have a judgethat does like to ask a lot of
those technical questions.
However, knowing some of thevery basic things are really a

(55:43):
necessity.
So there are a few questions youshould be able to answer.
For instance, the age of yourcalf, when they were born, their
breed, how much you're feedingthe brand, the amount in terms
of pounds, protein, fatsupplements, um, anything that
you can provide that judge tolet them know that you know what
you're feeding them and why.

(56:04):
Again, game per day, that mightbe something that the judge
might want to know as well astheir weight.
We talk about this in everyslide and it's the coaching part
and cattle are especially hardbecause they are so big and it's
hard to see all of those, thosefeet and legs all the time.
And so we sometimes rely onsomeone from outside the ring to

(56:27):
kind of let us know.
And there's all these secrethand signals and everything like
that.
Usually if, if somebody isoutside of the ring, just a head
nod of a yes or a no, I feellike that's good enough that
that should be able to tell thatyouth that, Hey, take another
look.
Um a foot's out of place.

(56:48):
Something's not right.
You need to be, you know, kindof pay attention a little more,
cause something's not right.
Don't let the kid be sodistracted by you coaching them
that they're not watching thejudge.
Um, very, very important.
Once again, um, this informationwas provided courtesy of the
Grant County CooperativeExtension Service.

(57:08):
My name is Jessica SwappMassengill and I'm the Grant
County 4H/ Ag Agent.
Um, if you have any furtherquestions or suggestions,
anything, you can always give mea call, um, at my office(575)
388-1559.
We're not in the office everyday, just due to the rotation.

(57:30):
We only come in on certain days,but you can leave me a message.
Probably the best way to getahold of me is through my email,
which is jessiej, which isspelled: j e s s i e j@ n m s u
as in New Mexico StateUniversity.edu(
[e-mail]).
I hope this was helpful for you.

(57:50):
I wish you luck in yourshowmanship.
Um, sh owmanship was my favoritething to do growing up and it's
still my favorite thing tojudge.
And I hope this help you.

Jessica's Closing Statem (58:02):
Thanks everyone for listening.
If you enjoy this podcast, don'tforget to hit the subscribe
button on Apple podcast,Stitcher, Google Play, or
whatever app you're using tolisten to this podcast.
Want more information?
You can visit us at our website,grantextension.nmsu.edu.

Follow us on Facebook at (58:23):
NMSU Grant County CES.

Snapchat at (58:23):
Grant County NM 4-H.
Or shoot us an email atgrant@nmsu.
edu.
O r give us a call(575)388-1559.
New Mexico State University isan equal opportunity.

(58:45):
Affirmative action, employer andeducator and NMSU, and the US
Department of Agriculturecooperating.