# Kids first show



## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

My kids had their first show today. Whew, what a tiring day, but it was fun. It was a district goat show for market goats. It was probably one of the bigger shows we've been to, there were a LOT of kids and goats there.

I think there were nearly 20 kids in my son's showmanship class! He did really well, the judge told him he needed to make sure when she comes around in showmanship that he braces his goat. 
He is still trying to understand 'how' to get his goat to brace <he's 12>, and I think it helped seeing the other kids doing it. 
He finished in the top 10 in his class  
He didn't tell the judge one reason he wasn't bracing much is because his goat has a cut on the inside of his mouth, it's swollen and very ouchy and he didn't want to make it uncomfortable. Long story short...Thursday the goofball managed to get an 's' hook on the end of a trailer chain stuck in the side of his mouth IN the skin, thankfully it didn't pierce the outside of his mouth. He was stuck like a fish on a hook!  









A large group in my daughters Showmanship class too. She didn't finish as well, but she did really well considering the shyness and struggles she has <ADHD>, she had a great time 

My youngest daughter showed in Novice Showmanship and had a blast, the judge picked her for 2nd place 

In the market classes, there were A LOT of goats. Jess and James both finished 8th place in their classes, and they are very proud considering this is their first year doing a market goat, their boys did well 

They didn't pick past 1st place in Novice Market goat class there were just soooo many little kids.

All in all it was a great experience. Hopefully the kids learned something from it and they can practice more tomorrow.

On top of all that, my lens wouldn't work properly on my camera! It's jammed and won't zoom in/out. I've just had the lousiest luck with my cameras this spring <my newer camera is going to the shop, now this lens  >. 
I did manage to get some pics on FB, they aren't real great since I couldn't zoom in closer.



















Not sure if you can see the swelling at the edge of his mouth? Poor baby. He acts fine, eats fine, etc. thank goodness, but it's still pretty ouchy 














































Neddy seemed fascinated with the cattle panels lol


























































































The kids show their wethers and the rest of their goats in some county fairs in about 3 weeks. I'm hoping to get more weight on these boys if we can so they fill out more.


----------



## Kaneel (Oct 7, 2012)

Oh didn't you have a post about your wether getting the hook in his mouth? Poor guy, goats always have to make us wonder just..._why???_ Too bad about it being difficult to show because of that, at least you have more shows to come to work on it  Also, your goats are beautiful! And I know the feeling of the fact that even if you didn't place, you did pretty darn well your first time around  My first show I practically had a choke hold on my goat, I'm so tiny and I was trying so hard to brace her best I could...I believe I placed lower in my class because of it. I didn't get last though, I was ecstatic just because my goat behaved though lol! All you can do is try your best, and if you aren't having fun, it's not worth doing!

PS: They look plenty filled out to me O.O , look at that muscle!


----------



## TrinityRanch (Mar 26, 2013)

Great job guys :thumbup: !! I get super nervous when showing in large classes too. But over the years, have really grown to enjoy just the _showing _part of it  When I'm showing, it seems like nothing else matters, and it is just me and my goat. We get really attached to these market animals, don't we?

Kaneel- I was thinking the same thing! Those wethers are really bulking up.


----------



## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Kaneel and Katelyn we appreciate it  It was a big step for the kids showing the boys.

Yep Rudy is the one that I posted about in the health section about getting his mouth caught on the chain. Never in a million years would I have thought he'd do that! I've tied goats there in the past when we graze them in the front yard, so I can trim feet, or do their cylence treatments, etc.

We are very proud of the boys behavior, they were so well behaved. I really thought they would freak out a little bit and act up. My oldest daughters wether, Dusty, hesitated going in the ring and tried to get out of his collar, then I think he realized the show ring was okay, and was just fine after that. Many other kids had fussy goats, and my kids boys were like 'what's the big deal?' lol

The biggest thing the kids need to do now is get more cover on their wethers. Now that they are out of school, they'll have more time with them and can add in an extra feeding so they get fed 3x a day. We put about 3lbs. of feed in the feeder morning & again in the evening, and they were getting 1lb. of Stamm 30 horse supplement divided into 2 feedings <they all eat together, we don't separate>. So we're starting to bump everything up. They get clover grass hay which they LOVE about 1-2x a day.

You definitely get attached to them.

The kids next show will most likely be on June 18th. So they have a few weeks. 
It may be a very LONG week. There are 4 county fairs nearby that week including our county fair. I wish they'd space them out more.


----------



## caprine crazy (Jun 12, 2012)

Nice job! Those are good placings for their first time doing wethers. I think the goats look good. OMG your youngest daughter and Neddy are so cute! Your son's goat braces pretty well for him. I wish we were allowed to brace here, but that's the rule. They say you are showing goats not sheep. Of course, there's not a whole lot of goat savvy people around here either. Your oldest daughter looked confident in the show ring. That's a big step for her I'm sure. I have a tendency to be shy and have some problems connecting with my peers, so I understand that.


----------



## Tenacross (May 26, 2011)

Great pictures.


----------



## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Great job! Glad they had a good time!


----------



## clearwtrbeach (May 10, 2012)

Nice job! The older kids seem to have it all together  The youngest one just has one of those infectious smiles.


----------



## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Thanks everyone I appreciate it, I know the kids do too  
My oldest really comes out of her shell when she shows. She's super shy and has a difficult time with eye contact - even with me. She has a learning disability too that kind of goes hand in hand with her shyness.
One of the reasons she didn't place as well in showmanship is, the judge asked her how old her goat was and she said she didn't know LOL!!! She knows his birthdate though LOL! 

The kids worked really well with their goats this morning. I think my son definitely has bracing down. Now he just needs to get his goat to brace on que every time 
My oldest daughter is having a little trouble understanding how to hold him for bracing, but she did really well this morning with me and her brother's help. Her goat tends to be super lazy though lol

My youngest daughter and Neddy are so much fun to watch  


Kayla - I have to admit I didn't care much for bracing. It looked 'mean' to me when I saw kids picking their goats front feet up off the ground. 
BUT, after doing it ourselves, and knowing we are not being rough or hurting them, I am okay with it, so long as the kids get their front feet back on the ground as soon as the judge comes to check them. Some judges don't allow front feet off the ground, and some do. I remember last summer there were a couple of shows we went too and I remember hearing the judge announce they would disqualify anyone that braced their goats with feet off the ground.
The goal now with my oldest 2 is to get the goat to brace without lifting, only lifting their head. This show was a big help to them, my son was paying attention to the older kids.


----------



## Dani-1995 (Mar 11, 2011)

Great pictures! The kids seem to be enjoying themselves!

When bracing you aren't supposed to lift the feet up. I do when I'm training them but each session lower them more and more until they do it with the their feet up. The only time I ever lift at a show is if he tries to back away or just doesn't want to brace (happens in our longer shows when the judge wont make a desicion lol.). Your son looks like he is a really good showman... All your kids do but him especially... I can tell he has the drive to succeed with his animals


----------



## TrinityRanch (Mar 26, 2013)

To compete at our fair, bracing the entire time is a must, like lambs. It is not the rule, but the judge will only pick the kids who brace constantly. He doesn't allow you to lift very high off the ground though. I have to pick my little guy up, then lower him to the ground, and he will brace. Don't get too discouraged, because this is my 1st wether who would actually brace at all, so they do get pretty angry when you try to train them.


----------



## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Thanks Dani! Yeah, I agree, he is very determined  I also agree about lifting the feet off the ground. Now that they <and myself> have a better idea of how to brace them, they can work on keeping their feet on the ground. They brace them better when they put the goats chest more between their legs, than against 1 leg like they were trying to do. The wethers weren't trying to push at all. My son started putting his wether between his legs, and his boy started to push back into him 

Katelyn - That's how it is here too unless a specific judge states no bracing. 
In showmanship my kids didn't know they had to brace, they thought they were just supposed to set them up, since the younger the age groups, the less the kids were bracing.

I think the biggest thing they need to work on in showmanship is smiling and not looking so serious lol Not looking distracted/spaced out when the judge is at the other end of the line. Biggest thing is becoming more knowledgeable.


----------



## Dani-1995 (Mar 11, 2011)

I've been told not to wear a fake smile.and watch the judge 24/7. One told.me.I would have won if I hadn't looked down at my goat while walking around the ring.


----------



## jddolan (Mar 31, 2013)

Good job guys


----------



## RPC (Nov 6, 2009)

They seem to be getting better ever show they go to. Jess sounds like she is getting a little more confident and not so shy so that is awesome. Congrats to all your kids and you things seem to be going as planed now maybe this next show they can take the tips from the last judge and kick some butt in showmanship. Just keep having fun that's what it's all about.


----------



## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

RPC said:


> They seem to be getting better ever show they go to. Jess sounds like she is getting a little more confident and not so shy so that is awesome. Congrats to all your kids and you things seem to be going as planed now maybe this next show they can take the tips from the last judge and kick some butt in showmanship. Just keep having fun that's what it's all about.


Thanks Roger! Great to see you on here! How are things going? I hope your having a great start to the summer  How is your niece doing with her goats?

I agree Jess is definitely coming out of her 'shell.' She needs to start studying more about the goats, I think the questions are what will hurt her in showmanship. 
James goat has been bracing really well the last couple of days, we're so proud of him. 
Jess's problem with her wether is he is super lazy, even when bracing he looks funny because he tries to do it 'half way.'
She doesn't realize he takes advantage of her -- if she gives an inch, he'll take 3 miles.
I'm trying to get her to be a little more firm with him, she firms up and shows him she means business, he'll respect her more IMO.
When I grab the collar and brace him, he automatically pushes me, because he knows that I mean business. But he knows he can get away with it with her. 
They did better this morning, so hopefully she'll be ready in a couple of weeks 

Yep it's all about fun. We still don't have big, fancy show goats lol I don't plan on buying any either  But they are good enough for the kids to have fun with, and they do improve a little each year 
They are showing their first homebred, fullblood babies this year too, so that'll be a big step for them


----------



## RPC (Nov 6, 2009)

I put a little thing up in the introduction section. I got some new does Sunday. I am back at it


----------



## Tenacross (May 26, 2011)

RPC said:


> I put a little thing up in the introduction section. I got some new does Sunday. I am back at it


Yay!


----------



## RPC (Nov 6, 2009)

Tenacross said:


> Yay!


Looks like you are doing pretty good with your herd. Good luck at the auction


----------



## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

RPC said:


> I put a little thing up in the introduction section. I got some new does Sunday. I am back at it


That is fantastic! I thought I saw on Facebook where you had posted about some so I will have to go over and take a look!  So glad your getting back into them, I know how much you loved the herd you had before, they were great goats! Can't wait to see your new herd come together!


----------

