Showmanship

[woodleighcreek]

Hello goat people! I need to know whatever yall can tell me about showmanship. My rabbit 4-H leader is going to make us do it (for fun, of course) and I no Idea what to do or anything about goats in general.

Thanks in advance!

 

[elevan]

I saw your name and the title and thought I was going to view a post that got put into the wrong section

Welcome to the dark side (goats)


Wish I could help, but I don't show.

 

[20kidsonhill]

ARe you referring to dairy goat? breeding stock? or a meat goat show?

Or just in general?

You tube has some videos, not all of them are very good, purina made some that are okay.

but essentially,

-always stand so the goat is betwee you and the judge, so your body isn't blocking the animal
-Goats are shown with chains(you don't want it to be too long of a chain, makes it harder to control the animal)
-you want to keep a nice distance between you and the animal in front of you, not so close that you looked jammed up, but not so far away that you look like you are behind.
-The goat should be trained to walk with their neck stretched up towards the ceiling at a perpindicular angle fromt he top-line, their neck and top-line should look like an L.
-When you stop you should always set-up their legs. Once set-up you keep checking them to make sure they are in position.
- when the judge is moving around the show ring, you will need to move around the front of The front of the animal to reposition yourself, so the judge can see as much of the goat as possible.
-Don't crowd you goat, or have them walking right on your legs, have them a little ways from you body,again you don't want to block the view.
-never walk behind the goat.
-when an another goat is pulled out of line-up the remaining goats should move up and fill the space.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aqkeyapy7uk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pj6E9U9QORo

 

[woodleighcreek]

Wait...there are different kinds of goats? I thought there were just big goats and pigmy goats and angora goats. we had goats at my kindergarden and there were only those three.


How do I set up a goat's legs?

 

[woodleighcreek]

I saw your name and the title and thought I was going to view a post that got put into the wrong section

Welcome to the dark side (goats)


Wish I could help, but I don't show.

Sadly, I don't think you will be seeing much more of me in this section after this...that is until I get my own farm. We have started looking, though.

 

[20kidsonhill]

This video show the girls, setting up their goats legs, the goats aren't real well trained yet, so at first you have to keep setting them up, once they practice more they will mover around less.

When setting up it is important to keep steady, easy tension on the collar/chain of the goat upwards towards the sky, when you let up and give them too much slack(loosness) they are more likely to move. Ofcourse you don't want to be pulling so hard on it that they are coughing and chocking. There is a trick to being able to bend over and set a leg and not let your hand drop that is holding the chain/collar. You have to imagine your hand is like a post and can not move and you have to move your arm at the shoulder and elbow to keep your hand in proper position. Children aren't very good at this. We have had to work hard with our children to teach them that their body can move and their hand holding the chain can stay in the same place.

THe collar/chain should be all the way up on the neck right under the bony check part of the goat in the crease, not sliding down half way down their neck.

The front legs should be perfectly even with each other.
And the back legs should be even with each other and slightly stretched out. It takes lots of daily practice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ls3P92Doyc0&feature=related


keeping eye contact with the judge and knowing where the judge is, even while you are trying to set up the animal is important, so if he gives instructions you notice it right away and can follow along.

 

[woodleighcreek]

I won 5/15! I am addicted and plotting to get a goat now.

 

[20kidsonhill]

congrats, glad you had a good time.