Should You Show a Cow?
This is a big question and one you should ask yourself when you decide to show a cow or any type of livestock. Let me break down this big question into several smaller ones for you.
1. Are you prepared to work? This is the most obvious question. Your animal cannot train itself and if you're not willing to put in the effort you will absolutely regret it when you get in the ring and they won't listen to you.
2. Are you self-disciplined? This goes with the working question because there will be a lot of days when you really don't want to go wash your animal, but guess what. You have to make yourself get up and go do what's necessary.
3. Do you have the money? Some parents help their kids pay for feed and I think that's great, but it's not always the case. I have had to pay for all of my own feed and let me tell you that it is expensive. I put in a lot of hours just to pay for high end cattle feed.
4. Are you perseverant? Working with animals is one of the most frustrating things I've ever done. I'm going to tell you right now that there will be days when you want to give up, but there will also be days when you can't imagine ever doing anything else. You have to take the good with the bad.
5. Are you prepared to lose? This one really sucks. You won't win them all. There will be judges that love your cow and judges that have a long list of improvements. Of the four years I've been showing I've never made it to our county fair's premium sale. On the other hand, both of my sisters made it their first years. Despite that I won't quit because I am determined that this will be the year I make it. Be determined.
The bottom line is that you have to be ready to work like crazy and take the bad days in stride. I hope that these questions will help you make your decision. Happy showing!
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