# Breeding Shows--



## Kaneel (Oct 7, 2012)

I have recently been in a few market shows, but I've been told they are quite different from breeding shows, which I will be showing my Boer doe in for one of the biggest shows in the state. I've never never seen a breeding show, only market, so any advice in this area will be _greatly_ appreciated. What they look for, how the show is run, what i need to do(bracing?set up?), how to prepare for it, how to shine up horns the best way, can i do anything to enhance her udder, etc. Basically anything I need to know for the breeding ring in general.

I also need a little help with handling her, she walks decently and braces well, but the judge can't feel past her flanks without her jumping around, and I've heard in the breeding show that they feel _everywhere._ Any advice on how to get her comfortable with anyone touching her anywhere? (I've even considered slipping the tops of socks onto her thigh area so she has something constantly touching her there, and will get used to it, so anything is good advice lol!)

What I know:
-Feed her as much as she wants
-Keep her horns nice and shiny

*Any advice on anything related to this subject will be very much appreciated!*


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

I cant help you with boer shows but I know with dairy -- bumping this up so maybe a boer breeder/show person can give you some advice in that area


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## BCG (Jun 30, 2012)

Breeding classes are different, from the way you clip to the way you show. The judges in the shows we've showed in are also looking for different body type then in a market show. You need some good hair growth on her so you can clip her in a way the makes her look fuller, thicker, wider, etc. Have you ever noticed how a steer is clipped? Long hair where needed and shorter where needed to give the illusion that the body is the correct shape. Look at some pics on Hummel Livestock's website or on Facebook. The does they have clipped out are a perfect example of what I'm trying to explain. 

As for showing....only brace when being handled. Other wise, square her up and keep her head up high. Make sure you place her feet correctly so that she looks her best. And as for the touching her all over...works best for us if when practicing at home, a second person acts like a judge and approaches and handles the goat over and over until they stand still.

Good luck!


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## Tenacross (May 26, 2011)

The best way to learn is by osmosis. Figure out where the shows are and go to them. Talk to people. If one person doesn't talk much, try another. Most Boer people are pretty cool. Enter a goat if you want. You will learn even faster. You look at your own goat all the time and then hearing about your goat through the eyes of a judge will teach you a ton. You can show a goat that hasn't been fitted. Unless you have a friend or mentor with fitting experience, I'd suggest you just gave your goat a really good bath with bug killing shampoo. You might find someone at the show that can smooth the edges out a little for you. No one will want to mess with a dirty goat.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

It'll take time to learn, but I think it's probably easier than market goats? To me, watching the kids show market vs. breeding it just looks like breeding does are a little easier.
You don't brace a breeding doe, you square them up.
My kids learned by going to shows, and watching other kids.

Eye contact with the judge, and general showing is the same - keeping the goat between you and the judge, etc.

You want the judge to see your doe from as much angle as possible, so don't stand over the top of her/stand too close, if you can put any kind of space between you and your doe, that would be good. I've noticed kids doing this at the shows we've gone too and it looked good.
Here's a pic of what I mean, my son and a 3mo doe:









This is how he used to stand 









Then again, after he started watching some of the other kids who have been doing it a while and were placing well:









My observations on it: Keep your feet evenly spaced, don't look sluggish lol If your doe will stand without needing a hand on the chin, only on the collar that would be much more preferable.
Don't bend over too much! You can't help it if your doe is short/young.

I'm lousy at clipping haha...I have no real advice, except don't shave them short, especially right before a show, they may not place as well. As someone else said, the longer hair makes them look thicker.
Honestly, at the county fairs we've gone too, most people just seemed to trim very little on their does, just cleaning up any long/wild looking hair on the body, cleaning up the hair on the feet, and making sure the face was nice and clean of any wild/stray hairs.

The udder just needs to have the hair shaved short around the teats so the teats stand out/judge can see them easily when he checks the udder.
If she has a mature udder with milk, I'm not sure, but I'd think just trimming wild hair and making it smooth & even would be good.

I'm no pro, but this is what I've learned in trying to help my kids show.


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## Dani-1995 (Mar 11, 2011)

Usually you don't brace a doe. Bracing enhances muscle which isn't the 1st things a judge looks for in does. They judge structural soundness (feet, legs, hip, teats, mouth), volume and capacity (baby carrying ability. Remember 3D, length, width and depth), feminity (how girly, usually head neck and shoulder) and then muscle. Just set her up square. 

If you have a doe with crazy hair you trim the wild.ones off but wash, dry (blow hair straight.back) . Make sure.hooves are trimmed and they look neat. Chance Imhoff has a DVD on clipping... it is.supposed to be really good


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## Dani-1995 (Mar 11, 2011)

You can spray pink oil on the horns and rub it in good. It makes them really shiny. 

Shows are broken up into classes based on age. At the end of all the classes the class winners.will return for grand and.reserve placing. Sometimes 2nd place will return tpo


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## Kaneel (Oct 7, 2012)

Thank you for all of the advice! I learned quite a lot from it! 

My goat is half Angora...so I don't think a bath and trim will do her any good ._. Her coat is extremely thick and at some parts curly, so I think I'm not sure what we'll do with her exactly lol. I would try brushing it out daily, but she's been recently clipped so that would be fairly useless. I'm not sure if I will be able to use different lengths while clipping...my ag teacher owns the clippers and usually just wants the clip-job done 1-2-3 as she has a few other goats to get done, so I'm not keen on asking her to do any special/extra work. 

However she's been doing very well with touching, a huge improvement from her jumping around like a bronco, the other day she seemed to suddenly decide she didn't care where we touched her and has calmed down quite a bit. We still work with her though, setting her up and touching her everywhere.

Her horns are going to be fine sanded and well oiled that's for sure! They look SO beautiful when all pampered up, almost amber in color!

And there aren't any shows to go to lol! There is only the big one coming up, so there are no shows to get advice at on the way. I only have my ag teachers at the moment, and they know goats pretty well (but i think sometimes they sugarcoat their opinions of her a little bit, only one has seemed slightly impressed with her, even though the other two helped me pick her out lol)

I'm also not expecting any blue ribbons at the next show, she isn't a traditionally colored Boer (as seen in my avatar, I've noticed, however, that the judges that don't like non-traditional colors, will still place her well enough, even though the other odd-colors were always placed in last), and is a percentage, so most likely she won't even place because of those factors, but I'm enthusiastic that she'll be a great structured doe and will produce great babies! I've been told she's wide and has depth, so I'm hoping she'll be great and big in time for the show.

PS: Aside from free-feeding her, is there any way to jump start her growth without anything artificial like hormones?


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