Showing Clarabelle

On Saturday morning we woke up early and got the morning chores done and then drove to Lake Charles for the Southwest District Livestock Show.  Benjamin would be showing Clarabelle and the show started promptly at 8 am.  We had to get to the barn earlier to feed, hay and water her and to re-groom her. Cows have a propensity to lie in their own poop overnight.  We checked the judging sheets to learn that Jerseys would be showing last. 

Clarabelle's udder was full of milk and began to drip, but we can't put Astro, her little bull calf, on her until the show was over.  Her bag was tight and she moo'd a little bit for Astro as Benjamin walked Clarabelle to the arena.  Tricia spoke calmly to Clarabelle to relax her.  It is important, especially in Showmanship, that the animals are well-behaved.

Benjamin chatted with his Dairy Showing buddies to pass the time while the Holsteins, Ayrshires, Brown Swiss, Guernseys, and AOB and Commercial showed.  Running around having a good time during the shows and missing school are a couple things I fondly remember about the shows when I was younger.

Finally, it was time to get in the ring.  The judge surveyed the animals and paced back and forth in the Jersey Division...

He did the same thing in the Showmanship Competition, except this time he judged the exhibitor.  The judge is always helpful and gets on the microphone and gives praise and constructive criticism to make everyone better.

In the end, Benjamin won Reserve Champion Louisiana Bred Jersey and second place in his Showmanship age division.  We had him pose with Clarabelle and his rosettes for a picture. 

The shows are fun, but they tend to be long days.  We weren't released until almost 8 pm that night.  Clarabelle and Astro took advantage of the "down time" and rested.

Astro was doing what I wanted to do.  Z-Z-Z-Z-Z.....

When released, we loaded the animals up and got them home around 9:15 pm, unloaded them, and unpacked all the showing supplies.  This weekend we travel to Gonzales, Louisiana for the State Livestock Show.

Clarabelle's Last Time to Show as a Heifer

On Friday morning Benjamin brought Clarabelle, our two year old Jersey heifer, to the Parish Fair Barn.  She was going to be showing in the Jefferson Davis Parish Fair on Friday and then again on Saturday Morning as part of an FFA Fall Classic Livestock Show.  Clarabelle is showing as a heifer, but she will be calving at the end of October.  After that, she'll show as a Dairy Cow.  She is getting pretty wide in girth and she is just barely starting to bag up.

Out of all of our show cows over the years, Clarabelle has the gentlest, most easy-going temperament of all.  She stood perfectly still while Benjamin clipped her, and she never gets in a rush when walking in the show ring.  Now, sometimes that changes once they calve and they are nervous looking for their calf, but for now, she is a really good show cow. 

Saturday morning Benjamin got to the barn early to feed and water Clarabelle and get her cleaned up.  He had washed her the day before, so it should have just been a touch-up spot cleaning, but ol' girl laid down in her poop overnight and Benjamin really had to give her a good scrubbing.  The fair was still going on right outside the show barn and the barn filled up with the smoke and aroma of the "fair food" being cooked by the FFA, Lion's Club, and all the other booths selling food.  That's why the photos below are a little hazy.

The judge was from Alexandria and she did a real good job, explaining what she was looking for from both the exhibitor and the animal.  She asked the exhibitors different questions about their project.  She asked Benjamin, "How much does a gallon of milk weigh?"  Answer: About 8 1/2 pounds.  She also asked, "What is the milk of Jersey cows known for?" Answer: Jerseys have a high amount of butterfat compared to other breeds.  Whereas a Holstein is known for volume, a Jersey is known for the richness (the cream).

There are two different shows that go on.  The first judges the animal and how well the animal looks.  the second is showmanship which judges how well the exhibitor shows the animal.  The judge makes the exhibitors walk around with their animals, judging how they handle the animal and set it up. 

It is crucial to keep your eyes on the judge.

The way you show a heifer as opposed to a cow (once they have a calf, they are no longer heifers, but are cows) is different.  With a heifer, the back leg closest to the judge must be positioned back like shown in the photo below.  Conversely, when showing a cow, the back leg of the cow closest to the judge should be positioned forward, so that the judge can see the udder and teat placement.

Benjamin won Reserve Champion Jersey and in Showmanship, he was the Champion Showman.  We are proud of Benjamin and Clarabelle.  They did a great job.

Benjamin won some nice looking ribbons to hang in his room.

The next time he shows Clarabelle, it will be in the Spring Livestock Shows in January.  Lots of things will have changed by then.  It will be cold, instead of hot.  Clarabelle will have a calf by her side with an udder full of milk, and she'll be shown as a cow instead of a heifer.

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.