A Good Fair

We showed the cow/calf at their first show of the year last Saturday, August 6. It was a good fair, good show and good premiums. Quizz won her class and Division Reserve Champion. Jazz placed 2^nd in her class. They were 1^st in Cow/Calf and 2^nd in Best Pair of Females.  With Shorthorns being the premier breed at this year’s fair, they earned $340 in premiums.

The calf fit up great, handled really well, and the girls were able to do good with her in showmanship. We found out last minute that there were two groups of the junior showmen, so Andrew could have shown in it with Quizz. But, he is more intimidated with showing in front of a crowd for his first time. He wants to do it, but as competitive as he is, he also always wants to win so he isn’t realizing that the experience he gains now will help him to possibly win later. He said he will show in the junior show showmanship at state fair. The girls both won the same Reserve Champion showmanship rosette in their respective divisions.

 It was Catherine’s first time showing. Jess went with her as a handler to help which is common for Pee Wee Showmanship. There were 6 kids in the class {age 8 and under}. Catherine, at 6, was one of the youngest showmen. She did a good job and is definitely confident in the show ring.  She got the judge’s shake and a taste of winning her first time out.

Jess got to come back in for a championship round in her division of junior youth showmanship, ages 9-13. Jess, at 11, got the judge’s shake right behind an older girl after she had trouble keeping the calf in line at the end. The judge liked how she always had her calf looking good, feet set and head up. I noticed Jess really does have that intensity and style that a good showman has that stands out to a judge. She ought to do really well at her county fair in 4-H showmanship. She really wants to win a buckle one of these days.

It was fun for me, as I got to get out and show again for the first time since high school/college. I showed Jazz, who didn’t handle well and would have been difficult for the kids to show. She did hold still and set up fortunately, but she really fights and pulls with her head and neck when leading out. It was especially fun to be out there in the ring showing cattle with my daughter for the pairs classes.

I am really glad this fair turned out to be so good, so that Jim was happy about us entering this one. I get ambitious to do shows, but he ends up helping a lot. I would have a tough time doing it without him. But, we all had fun. Even Andrew, who is all about sports, was excited to dress up in his jeans, belt and boots each morning and eager to clean stalls, sweep and empty wheelbarrows. He handled the calf by himself more than he ever has and is really learning a lot about everything. It was good to see him really interested in showing cattle. The kids worked well together, took ownership of the tasks, did the work on their own, and were happy doing it.

This fair was a good warm-up for next week when Jess shows 4-H and parents can’t do the work. She is going to really get wiped out with 3 animals to handle on her own her second year, and going independent, she doesn’t have club members to work with. Andrew will be able to help a lot, and hopefully Morgan will be able to come and can help Jess, too.

There are many things that made this Washington fair good, and I wish our fair could model after Clark. Entry fees were only $10. We never paid for parking or entrance to the fair, as they provided free passes to exhibitors. We got into the rodeo and other shows for free. We were able to buy all-day ride bracelets for the kids ahead of time and saved $9. The bracelets were $22 each and the kids used them on Monday when we were there all day, but done showing. The rides there were good and a lot like state fair, so it was a good time to let them do the rides. The superintendents really took care of us, desiring to make everything as accommodating as possible. They treat us like we are an important part of the fair and want us to be happy so we will come back. They were nice to organize a showmanship competition for open class youth and adults that was a lot of fun. They asked Jess to pass out ribbons for the Sunday shows, so she was happy about that. They were relaxed about requirements for out-of-state paper work, etc. that would have been expensive and time consuming to get ready. The fair provides our hay and bedding, delivered to us each morning, and even bags of ice for the ice chest. The fair also hires many people to sweep and clean up in the barn areas. They are there all day and at night in their bright orange shirts. I even saw them scooping poop out of stalls and emptying wheelbarrows. Rushers 4R Ranch was at the show, as well. We stalled next to them and the kids had a good time together. Kylee and Preston Rusher go to school with and are in the same grades as Andrew and Catherine.

The show was Friday AM-Tuesday PM, but we were released by the show vet Tuesday morning to come home as Quizz was running a temp of 104 and watery stools. The change in feed (the fairs in WA provide the hay and it was really green, rich, eastern OR grass hay versus our valley grass hay that we fed), chlorinated water, and stress messed with her system. She got a sulfa bolus Tuesday and has been getting doses of L.A.B. paste probiotics to refresh her gut. It is now Friday, and she is better so we slowly started her back on grain. We are just hoping she will keep growing and stay in good condition for county and state fair the rest of the month.