Thursday, July 16, 2009

County Fair Time


I got my first taste of county fair for the season yesterday at the Washington County Fair!

I didn't get many photos - the ones I took during the livestock shows were too far away from the ring, and besides that, I haven't figured out all the settings on this little piece of junk camera that I bought. Still, I'm happy with this photo of GS and his commercial breeds heifer. Can't remember what he has named her, but while other kids' (not all of course but many) were trying to manage big animals that jumped and yanked and were generally a pain, GS had this sweet lovable little gal who just went where he wanted and stood and waited for him to set her up. In fact, the judge had to explain to him about keeping slack out of the lead (this was his first time showing a big beef). He didn't need to pull slack as far as control was concerned; she was controlled. The greatest thing about it is that he did all the taming and training of her himself. And she wasn't a bucket calf either but came off the cow.

The other first yesterday was attending my first goat show of any size. GS showed several Boer meat goats. They're trimmed sort of like a poodle leaving a poof on the end of the tail but taking most of the hair down for a clean look. They use a chain collar affair. GS did well on showmanship in both goats and beef, especially for not having too much experience in either. He's shown bucket calves but that's not quite the same thing.

Oh, and GS2 who is a Clover Bud showed one of the goats in showmanship. They don't get judged but have the experience of being out there. Needless to say they were beyond cute! But then, that's just GM speaking. I've worked over the poor quality photo of him so you can sort of get the idea. Photoshop to the rescue.... somewhat!

1 comment:

Faithful said...

I loved the pictures! GS proves his heart is in his work! Good job well done!! I was a 4-H leader for many years and remember all too well all the work and fun that goes into a project. We just started showing meat goats in our county, back then. Your little clover bud is adorable as goats can be hard to manage too! I will have to post some old pics.