I never showed, I grew up in the city and couldn't have told you anything about a cow.
I'm going to brag a little bit (sorry), Logan started showing pigs at 1, he had the champion open gilt at our fair every year until he was 6 then he started in 4-H.
He started showing cattle when he was 6, I have enclosed a picture of his 2nd show, he took 3 head of cattle all bred and owned and they were ones we hadn't gotten sold and were just on a self feeder, we decided that Springfield was too close to pass up and pulled them up in April and started working with them. That was his best show ever and we thought we should have retired him at that show, that won't ever happen again, he had a great show.
Grady started showing at 7, he showed the Champion open heifer at the county fair and the Kansas Beef Expo will be his first big show, we are all very excited.
I have heard all kinds of theories on when kids should start and how old they should be and I'll be the first to tell you that my kids have needed help along the way, but I feel these kids are a dying breed, if you don't encourage them to show when they are young, by the time the are 10-12 you have lost them, there are too many other things going on for them to be involved in. JMO