Show Ring Bling????

[wowcows]

I agree fully with rtmcc on all this. Not sure what all this is about comparing horse people to cattle people. If we are going to do that, maybe go watch a high profile dog show someday. There you go, get a lap dog and you can show it for several years!
Anyway, here it goes. As just an older fella who has helped and drug out a lot of kids in the past, here's my thoughts for what they are worth. Some of the older teen females out there are getting to look more like hookers than future cattlepersons. Of course their little sisters are wanting to look like big sis. Don't get me wrong here, I like the bling to a point but after a while, enough is enough. This is a faze that too will pass.
While I am at it and this continues off of Ron's post. What is it with these t-shirts that some of these smaller breeds give to the kids and then require them to be show day shirts. It's long sleeve button down shirts. Of course the starch! I mean there is a Scotch Cleaners around almost every corner anymore! And then there are those riped up jeans, I guess I am really a fashion statement around home. The only diff is I have wore them that way not went out and paid good money for wore out jeans. Leave them home and wear your wranglers.

 

[KCK]

Judged a showmanship contest. Decent showman with bling on her harness, halter, boots, belt, neck, hair, hands and maybe even showstick. I am sure she was upset about not winning, but a bit more time in the barn and less time searching for sparkles might have helped her. Harsh, yes. Honest, yes. Dead on, yes. In my opinion, subtly is a lost art in the show ring. We used to dress pretty much the same and depend on our quality of cattle to get us the banner.

 

[DLD]

Agree with KCK.  I saw a girl at the OYE that had completely covered her showstick and comb, and a good portion of her show halter with shiny beads (I would say jewels, but if they cost much at all she'd just spent at least the cost of a couple years of college) - she said she couldn't count the hours it had taken her to do all of that, she'd worked on it all winter long.  Now her calves didn't look bad, but I'm sure they could've looked better if she'd spent that time on them.

A little bling is okay.  I don't know exactly where the line of too much is, but it appears to be pretty easy to cross.  I think maybe the key word to remember here is professionalism.  When you're in that ring it's your job to present your animal, and you need to be professional about it - try to look like you belong in the showring, not the fashion show.  Showing horses and showing dogs have next to nothing to do with showing cattle - should basketball players dress like golfers since they're both sports?

I think one thing to think about with the blingy halter is do I need to draw extra attention to this area of my animal?  Personally, I love the new blacked out halters that tend to kind of blend in and disappear (on black cattle anyway) out in the ring.  I don't mind the ones with the nicer silver buckles and trim, but I think you'd better use 'em on a pretty headed, pretty necked calf or you're prob'ly shooting yourself in the foot with them...

 

[LT]

Totally agree with Ron RTCC!  Those are great points.  Nothing looks better than clean, crisp and well presented.  Some bling is good.  We have been having this discussion for the past year or two watching and helping young exhibitors.  Our REAL observation is that if you dress like a winner, walk into the ring and present your animal like a winner,,,,,good chance you are a winner.  Good luck!

 

[SFASUshowman]

I am a guy, and I completely agree!  I judge a lot of shows  and I have used girls to win showmanship that were all blinged out, but those girls barely made a mistake in the show ring,their calves were presented well, set up quickly and smoothly, and they answered questions about the cattle industry and their cattle that I am pretty sure some of the major breeders out there couldnt answer!  And thats the thing if your gonna bling yourself out, its gonna draw the judges eye to you, so your showmanship skills and your calf had better be good enough to withstand that judge looking at you constantly. (As someone who as also spent quite a bit of time in the horse show arena, I can also tell you that this is why all the sparkles and bling became so big there! When you get to the level of say the All American Quarter Horse Congress or AQHA Worlds or APHA Worlds, pretty much every horse in the ring is good and most of them are really good. So if you want to win you have to do something to keep that judges attention, especially when there are 20 horses in the ring constantly going in circles and they are almost all sorrels and bays.  The bling started as a way to keep the judges attention, and it eventually just trickled all the way down and became the style.  But watch the professional horse show people, if they have a horse that is always spot on and just next to never makes a mistake, they will go with loud colors on them so they really standout, if the horses head is ugly they will tone down the bling on bridles and halters, if their leg movement isnt great they will let white markings get a little dingy and dirty, and they will choose muted colors that blend with the horse and dont stand out, But if the horse is a standout mover, they bright lights and clip the crap out of white markings to get your attention, if the horse has a beautiful head and head carriage they are gonna put as much silver on that halter or bridle as possible)

We do the same thing in that cattle world but since all we use is a halter, we do it with a set of clippers and hair, you just dont reallise you do it because we call it part of grooming. I myself am against blinging up show halters.  I am not against the rhinestoned belts and some rhinestones on their jeans or shirts, but thats more because that is what fashion is for girls right now and thats what they are gonna wear naturally.  Not just in the show ring

 

[rtmcc]

Hmm  ...  if I didn't know better I'd say wowcows and KCK and I all went to the same showmanship school.  Imagine that! 

 

[Cattle7]

Bling doesnt hurt at all! If its not EXCESSIVE! I never go into the show ring without my sparkly belt, belt buckle, necklace, & earrings. I have a few jewels on my exhibitor harness but refuse to use a bling show halter! I hate them. I will not put anything sparkly on my cattle, just myself! My theory is...i work my a** off on my heifer to make her look good so I should also look presentable!

 

[gobigorgohome]

i am a 17 year old girl so i im not speaking for anyone and i am the showman.
I do not own a belt that isnt a kippy or B.B. simon.
I do not go over board. i would love for the judge not to get blinded my my bling and actually see my heifer.
as far as the major bling goes i DO NOT wear the large head bands nor do i wear outrageous shirts,
i keep it simple with a nice startched shirt
i do own one pair of bedazzled pants but 90% of the time i stick to plain jane pants.
but nothing is wrong with feeling pretty by having a big nice necklace i dont wear earrings and my hair is out of my face no curls and no large up do
my show stick is black and my halter and harness are plain.
ill leave it to the jr.showman to have zebra showsticks bedazzled harnesses and halters.
its not cute. this is not a beauty pageant for the showman leave it to the cattle. i try to keep it professional.
now at the large shows where the lights are extremely bright cut it down alot but i dont think at your small county show the lights dont hurt you as much and it never hurt to doll up. A LITTLE (thumbsup)
JMO

 

[Cattle7]

& I definitely dont wear blinged jeans and shirts. I wear just my dark jeans and a button down long sleeve shirt. Hair straight but pinned back out of my face.

 

[Aussie]

Bling doesnt hurt at all! If its not EXCESSIVE! I never go into the show ring without my sparkly belt, belt buckle, necklace, & earrings.

I have dressed like this to but the judge was not impressed. Said it was distracting from the cattle.

Maybe it does not work on a 44 year old male.  

;D Sorry I could not resist
Seriously though. Bing has never worried me when judging showmanship one way or the other. What I do find disappointing is ,usually comes from some girls with a lot of bling, they forget it is about showing the animal. To me the handler should show from the time they enter the ring to that leave front row or not. To to be nearly invisible and make the animal stand out not how far they can make their chest/clothes stand out. Good handlers come in all shapes and sizes, dress codes and are male or female it is about confidence and knowledge with the cattle and the situation. We are different over here with the competition maybe not as strong so JMO

 

[GONEWEST]

I agree fully with rtmcc on all this. Not sure what all this is about comparing horse people to cattle people. If we are going to do that, maybe go watch a high profile dog show someday. There you go, get a lap dog and you can show it for several years!  by wowcows

Another totally irresponsible asinine steer planet statement, comparing a horse show to a dog show.

I certainly don't disagree with rtmcc. However,  the sad thing about the majority of the posters idea on the subject is that your only reason you are against this is "tradition."  David even went a step further in the opposite direction by stating his affinity for the blackout halter, which I like, too. But even that is trendy as evidenced by the new flat colored football, baseball and motorcycle helmets, belt buckles, etc. You want to do it the way is has been just because it has always been done that way, plain. I too believe in tradition. However, as the number of show cattle projects for young people is on the decline, I believe there are things that have to change. If one of those things involves something that makes it more fun for some little girl, what is the harm in that? Why should they be discounted, or gain an advantage for that matter, because they have a bling halter or fancy show stick? It's like saying those pretty ribbons in her hair are ok as long as there are no rhinestones on them. I am certain that this influence comes from the horse show ring as well as current western fashion.

I agree mostly with what sfasu said about the how and why of glitter in the horse show ring. Except for the part about why they do it at all. According the primary task of the glitter is to keep the judge focused on your animal. While in fact it might help to do that, its not the reason. Why does the rose parade require a certain amount of silver be placed on each horse in the parade? Not to keep a judges attention there. Its because its a freakin' SHOW. You don't ride in your barn saddle at a horse show. You don't wear your barn clothes and use your barn tack. You wear show clothes and use show tack because its a SHOW. It's a beauty contest. What is it that makes a cow show different? Is it because they are more noble animals? PULEASE.

My point of view is that the show cattle project should be made to be as much fun as it possibly can be. It's to the benefit of the industry. I honestly have no thoughts one way or another on rhinestones. This topic is a microcosm of many topics concerning the cattle industry. Some people decide to raise whatever their pleasure and to heck with what everyone else says. Some listen to what their customers want to buy and design their breeding programs around it. Guess which one  is most successful? The customers above, Cattle7 and gobigorgohomegave her thoughts on the topic. You should listen. If you don't think it really means much to these young people, google Kippy and BB Simon and see what they pay for one of those belts.

 

[SEA]

Male, father of four children, 2 boys, 2 girls, all showed cattle.  All done now, except breed shows.

I was always taught, that when you are in the showring in a cattle showmanship class, you are showing both the calf and yourself.  Both need to be presented WELL, and APPROPRIATELY!!  The show person has to show off his/her animal, himself/herself and be kn owedgable in their project.

When all of us are fitting our cattle for a show, we do many steps in preparing them to show, " Dye their hair, glue and build their legs, add powders, paint their hooves, fluff their hair, and hold it in place with adhesive, paint many spots, and spray different types of oil all over their bodies.  This is not only approved practices, but expected.  If you want to "show well".  The art and techniques of "fitting" cattle before a show, certainly has changed and evolved.  Most new trends are all excepted.

I guess, with this in mind, is why I do not understand all this hype, disdain, and attention given to the exhibitors apparel and style.  My feeling is this is a cattle show, you are not back home in the barn.  Do you wear the same clothes and "bling", when you go out on a Saturday night for dinner that you do at home doing chores?  More over does everyone, or why should everyone, wear the same clothes out to dinner, as everyone else.  This is not a Dairy Cattle Show where style at some shows dictates black pants, white button-up shirts, and a black bow ties.

Dress and act the part.   I do not like T-Shirts, to me that is NOT dressing the part, or appropriately.  However, bling should be an individual thing, just like what breed of cattle you show, or brand boots you wear, to wear a cowboy hat or not.  It is the decision of the individual exhibitor (and his or her parents), and the type of show they are attending.

I think sometimes we need to be a little more open minded and receptive to change.

For years I was much to serious about showing, and by serious I mean stern, and tough on my kids.  Lets all remember, these are our children  These should be good times, and make good memories for the rest of their lives, win or lose the show.


I now agree with GONEWEST.

LET THEM HAVE SOME FUN!!​

 

[american honey]

it makes me wonder!!

 

[mooch]

GONEWEST AND SEA , You get karma.

 

[wowcows]

I know better than chime in on this anymore but! You know RTMCC, if Bodie would come into the ring with me judging, or Caroline as far as that goes and had some scuff on his freshly starched jeans and a little grime on him, it would give him more points with me than some of these blinged up girls. At the least I know then that he has at least done some of his own work. I guess since it is still a junior project, right.
I can't tell you how many times I have seen those blinged up showpersons just standing around texting and what have you when Daddy, brothers or the fitters are getting there cattle ready. Barely aware of what is going on with "their" project, just waiting for someone to hand them a halter. Not even trying to scrath that animal so it will stand still.
I don't want though to see these kids come out in front of me looking like they just crawled out from the floor of a chute either. Not that tough to slip off those flyboy pants and clipping jacket and be half presentable.
Yeah, yeah it is a show. A major production is made of it but is what we as adults are to be teaching these kids about life and what they are fixin' to get into.
Ron, there were no showmanship schools when we were growing up. Remember? Our school was learn it or get beat! Before long you will just be the truck driver and bill payer. KCK, you are not that far behind us.
By the way, for some of ya'll. I'm a single white male, 54 and kidless except for those who have taken hold of the purebred cattle thing and wanted to show. No help here for those that just want to go and sit on the box.

 

[KCK]

Whoa wowcows.... no offense.... but if you are 54, I am really far behind you <rock>
I just happened to have parents that made work manditory to go to a show. Things are different these days, but I still think understated and educated are better than bling and nothing.

 

[gobigorgohome]

wowcow you can not possibly state that "blinged up" jr.showman are irresponsible spoiled brats that just walk their heifer in the show ring. you must not be so judgemental just because someone spends money on themselves to look nice at a SHOW. i wear gaudy jewelry and you assume i dont touch my heifer you assume i dont feed her scratch her wake up at 4am to wash her? do you think that i dont do it myself? so some girls you see do that you think all do?

i dont mean to get offended by this post by no means am i but you cant totally judge someone by what they wear. i know a girl who doesnt look anything but plain and SHE is the one texting on the phone 24/7 uses more muscles in her thumbs than anywhere else on her body. everyones different. to me its all about passion not the clothes on your back put me bottom of the line up because i look nice and assume i have no passion and i gaurentee you will leave guilty knowing i stuck better than anyone out here.

i feel like this post should be for people who judge and would like to reach out to their showman or showman wanting to speak out to their judges and the judgementals. whats overboard and whats accepted. and as far as judgement goes charlie sheen wears bowling shirts does that mean he bowls?

 

[Cattle7]

Agreed with gobigorgohome. I do all the work on my heifer expect fit her but you can bet my butt is there scratching her while my fitters are working on her. A girl can work her butt off and go change like twenty minutes before she shows & it may make it look like she doesnt do anything..but trust me, we do!

 

[wowcows]

ME BAD! I guess I will be a man about this and say I am sorry. I guess I have piled all the blinged up ones into one pile. SORRY, Yes, I realize there are those of you out there that do work and have all it takes, maybe it is those that have the strong thumb muscles that have given me that impression. Again, SORRY and I pray for your forgiviness.

 

[gobigorgohome]

apologies accepted. judgement shall be reviewed on those who hold the phones not of those who are gaudy. but like most of you i agree that there are boundaries in "bling" but should keep it fun.  (clapping)