SWLA District Livestock Show FEB 2015

The week of February 1 was the Southwest Louisiana District Livestock Show and Rodeo in Lake Charles, LA and Benjamin brought his Jersey heifer, Amy, to the show.  Check-in time was Friday from 8 - 12 and with my Dad's help (since I had to work), Tricia and Benjamin were able to get Amy's health papers from our veterinarian, load her in the trailer, and get her all checked in.

The previous night we went to the rodeo and had a really good time with just old fashioned, "country" values.  It started out with the Rodeo Announcer on horseback leading everyone in a real good prayer and then the opening ceremony with the American flag being carried out by a girl with a rhinestone-filled outfit under a spotlight. The National Anthem was played and the crowd sang...  It was the sort of thing you wished you'd see more of  these days.

Once Amy was checked in and in the barn, Benjamin had to wash her.  This year the temperatures were almost balmy.  Some years it is so cold that you feel sorry for the animals.  They hunch their backs and shiver and inevitably you get wet in the process.  This year it wasn't so bad.

Bath time for Amy

Cows don't much like taking a bath, though, and they especially don't like water being sprayed on their heads.  Benjamin did a good job of getting the girl cleaned up and presentable.  Although the actual show is the next morning, we wash them the evening prior and then just touch them up with a wet rag in the morning.  Cows are indiscriminate about where they lay down at night and oftentimes you have to scrub them hard in the morning to have them looking presentable for the show.

We woke up early and did our chores and then headed to Lake Charles for the show. The first class of Dairy cows started at eight o'clock in the Coliseum and we wanted to ensure we were there an hour in advance.  Benjamin got Amy looking presentable with minimal scrubbing and then we washed and scrubbed her hooves to get the mud off and cleaned her ears.  At ten minutes to eight we moved her into the Coliseum and tied her to the outer wall of the rodeo arena.

Ready for the show

When we looked at the schedule, Benjamin was in the 28th class.  The judge kept things moving and the classes were small so we didn't have to wait too terribly long. They started out with the Commercial cows and moved through all the dairy breeds in alphabetical order.  The heifers (unbred bovines) of each breed showed in separate classes than the cows (animals that have calved).  It is interesting to see all the different breeds of dairy cows.  There was a HUGE Holstein cow with a bag so full of milk it was incredible.  Jersey cows look like little miniature cows when standing side by side.

Getting Amy set up for the judge

Amy was a little nervous and moved around a bit for Benjamin, but he got a nice rosette ribbon for his efforts.  For the record, I never won a nice ribbon like that back when I was showing livestock. I'm jealous.

This is the class in which all the first place finishers in the Jersey breed compete. You can see that the exhibitors wear white shirts to show their animals.

When all of the breeds have shown, then Showmanship starts.  Where the previous show judged the animals, Showmanship focuses on the exhibitor and the showman is evaluated on their ability to show their animal.  All breeds are allowed and the classes are broken up by the age of the exhibitor, starting with the older exhibitors first.

I had never thought of it, but a friend told me that the order is by design.  This is done so that the younger exhibitors can watch and learn as the older ones show. That makes a lot of sense!  You can learn so much from listening to and watching older people who have the wisdom and experience that's oft learned from making mistakes.

In the ring

You are supposed to get your animal set up properly and keep your eyes on the judge.

The judge comes around and asks each exhibitor questions.  You have to be prepared.  Benjamin was asked who the sire of Amy was.  He answered, "Stryker, our registered Jersey bull that we used to have."  Then the judge asked Amy's birth date and Benjamin was able to answer correctly.

The judge was a real good judge.  I think he was the best we've ever had.  He was interested in the kids and gave them great advice and constructive criticism, getting down on their level to talk to them.  He encouraged them and really helped especially the younger exhibitors, encouraging them and giving them tips on how to be better.  He spoke real clearly and spent a great deal of time with each class.

Showing livestock is a great project for youth, teaching them about responsibility, work ethic, perseverance, compassion, and following through with a task to its completion.  Win or lose, I think it is a great investment of time and money and the kids are better off for having participated.  If the Good Lord's willing, we'll be heading to the State Livestock Show outside Baton Rouge in Gonzales, Louisiana toward the end of the week.