When did you or you child start showing?

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red

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Jan 20, 2007
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LaRue, Ohio
I noticed at the Lima Show that some of the best showman were kids that are not old enough to be in 4-h. Two families stood out in my mind that have excellant little showman in their kids. They must have put a lot of time & effort into working w/ them.
How old were you when you started showing? Or how ould were your kids when they started? any problems w/ a young showman? any funny stories?

Red
 

cattlejunky

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Jun 22, 2007
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indiana
I started at 10 in 1977.  My son started at 8.  Our rules state they can be 9 or in 3rd grade.  He was a young 3rd grader. Husband started at 9 in 1976.
It is amazing to see those little ones out there pulling a big calf around.  My 4 year old is bigger than some of the kids that are old enough to show.  I would let the little one show, but I get worried about the other calves in the class and him getting hurt.
 

DLD

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Apr 15, 2007
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sw Oklahoma
I first showed when I was 5, but never showed regularly 'til I was 11. Here there's no age limit on the junior show at the county and district fairs (just have to be in school, or graduated the same year), and Clay started there when he was 5 and showed at his first jackpot when he was 7.  Our twins didn't start 'til they were 8, which was just this past fall. Pretty much all of my nieces and nephews started between 7 and 9. It does take alot of time and work to get the calves and the kids ready, but we enjoy it, and the kids learn so much.
 

chambero

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Texas
I started showing pigs at ten and steers at 13 (1985).  My oldest son son started last year at 7 (just a couple of jackpot shows).
 

minimoo38

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May 18, 2007
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Courtney Hughes- Bagley, Iowa
i started when i was 11 cause we moved out to a farm.  (cow) (my parents started me showing, because they did when thay were younger.)  i wish that they had started before then, because now it's my last year  :'( , and showing is my life! i'm going to miss it so much when i go to college.
 

Ruchian

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Oct 3, 2007
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Oregon
Our rules are that you have to have finished fourth grade so I was 9 when I started.  Wish I could have started sooner.
 

shortyjock89

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Mar 6, 2007
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IL
I started showing with a family from my area when I was 9, and started showing my own cattle when I was 11.  I'm in college now, and I don't plan on stopping any time soon...I can still show in a lot of National and State shows until I'm 21, and then there's still all those fantastic open shows lol.
 

char

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Apr 3, 2007
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ohio
my stepdaughter started showing when she was 9 and that was 10 years ago....our 13 yo started showing when she was 7 and the middle daughter didn't want to show until she was 9 and she will be 11 in march and our boy, he started when he was 3 showing at our fair and open shows...he is 7 now....we will be dragging a heifer to some the best shows so he has something to do this year besides whine about not having an animal to show...

Char
 

showstick09

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Oct 18, 2007
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Texas
I started showing goats when i was like 10. I had always wanted to show cattle, but my daddy wouldn't let me until I got into high school. He didn't think that I could handle a calf at my age. So as soon as I was a freshman, I got my first calf. Almost three years of showing have gone by fast, and with only my senior year next year left, my daddy now wishes he would of let me started showing calves sooner.
 

farmboy

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south webster ohio
10  ??? started with a bottle heifer and a lamb, if you guys rember the steer i had that got reserve, that was his mommy  ;D ive still got her and a new little baby calf
 

Clubcalfshowgirl

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Mar 17, 2007
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I started showing horses at age 7  and i started cows at 11yo b/c u had to be 11yo and in the 7th grade and so i have been showing for 5 years with MANY diffrent calves, started with bottle calf and then went to steers and now do both steers and heifers. :eek: :)
 

Rocky Hill Simmental

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Aug 22, 2007
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Missouri
I'm probably an odd one but I started showing when I was 16, actually the day after my 16th birthday. My first 2 years I showed commercial but I've moved on to simmentals.  :D I lived on a farm my whole life but just never showed cattle before because my parents never have. I was going to show when I was 15 but I couldn't get into FFA because there weren't any ag classes available to freshmen that year.  :( I'm 19 now and might not be able to be in FFA next year (my advisor said she'd check in to it because other chapters let you show until your 21).

Anyway, I love showing cattle. I had my first champion heifer year. I break all of my cattle myself and have been since I started showing. At this years show I got many complients about how well I look care of and handled my cattle since I haven't shown as long as most people my age. :)

I don't have a problem with little kids showing but sometimes the real little ones make me nervous if there calf looks jumpy. At our prospect show this year one young kid who was showing for the first time got run over my her heifer but she was ok and her mom lead the heifer the rest of the time.

There were some young kids in peewee showmanship this year. One kid wasn't but 3 years old and was leading a little baby calf. The calf only looked 2 weeks old. 

Showing livestock is good for kids. It keeps them off the streets and it builds character. I would have loved to show calves when I was younger but I couldn't. but I got to learn most of the things I know by myself. Anyway, maybe if I ever have any kids they'll show cattle when they're young.  ;)
 

strawroanlova

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Oct 3, 2007
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florida
i started about a year and a half ago when i was 11,at the count fair you cant show heifers pigs or sheep until eight and steers until 12.we had a 4 year old at are state fair showing a 1700 pond bull
 

dutch pride

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Sep 17, 2007
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SW Michigan
Never showed myself altho I grew up on a livestock farm, Dad never had time for it. Kids started showing pigs at 9 and steers at 12 (minimum ages in out county)

DLZ
 

Jill

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Jan 20, 2007
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Gardner, KS
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
 

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SKF

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Apr 24, 2007
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My son started when he was 10 with a bottle fed heifer and my daughter started show cattle at 7 but she showed rabbits, chickens and horses at 5. My nephew started doing peewee showmanship with the steers this year at three.
 

OH Breeder

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Feb 14, 2007
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Ada, Ohio
Started at 8 with Chester White gilt. Did really well. Then another year of market hogs. Started with cattle when I was 10. Showed horses in my late teen years into college. Now, I run the blower and wash.
 

ZNT

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Apr 25, 2007
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Rhome, TX
My daughter hit her first show last month.  She is 4.  It was a little jackpot show that offered peewee showmanship, so we thought it was the perfect opportunity for Natalie and Jenna to make their show debut.  He's a pic of it.  The judge thought it was so awesome that we took a picture with his camera phone and sent it to his mom right in the middle of the showmanship.

 

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