Informative Essay On Tulsa State Fair

The Fair
When the Tulsa State Fair is taking over the city people go to ride rides, play games, and see what new weird food they have introduced this year. There is a part of the fair many people don't notice and if they do it's the smell the barns put off which often overpowers the smell of funnel cake, what I am talking about is the stock show. The stock show is where people from any age can come and show off their best animal, this ranges from your most fluffy rabbit to your fastest steer. The people who participate in these events spend countless hours training and preparing their animal for their ten minutes in the ring to see if the judges like their animal as much as they do. I personally showed beef cattle and I'm going to walk you through the steps of preparing one of these animals to show.
The first step is picking out a calf. There are many things to consider when doing this. You want a calf that is big boned and has the ability to cover its tracks this means that when it walks the back foot lands where the front foot just was, so when it weighs 2000 lbs it
will be able to carry its weight and look presentable while doing it. another thing you want is a small head, this helps the calf look youthful which helps the calf look more mature and larger framed for its age. When looking for a calf there are qualities that you look for in heifers and steer but, big ribs, big butt and long loan, the area from the last rib to the hip, is something you look for in both.
The second thing you do after you find your calf you need to do is figure out what type of feed and how much feed to feed per feeding and start halter breaking.
personally, I usually start at about 10lbs a feeding and all the hay and grass they can eat. the process of halter breaking can be rather interesting because you are putting your trust in an animal 2 to 3 times your weight. During halter breaking the calves are usually nervous between getting used to being on a halter and having humans that close to them often they pull back and run in the other direction. this being said I have found if you put a halter on them for about a week before you plan on starting trying to lead them if you put the halter on and let them drag it around they will get used to having the halter on them. also, if you put plastic sacks around the pen the calf is in they tend to be calmer when they are in loud
areas.
Third you start hair work and setting up their feet. Almost every state shows what's called "hair cattle," these cattle need a certain type of care to help their hair grow. This care is things such as training their hair to all do in a forward direction, this helps the calf look fuller and bigger boned. When training hair you rinse the hair, when doing this you not only cool your calf down but you also help train hair. An important thing your calf needs to be comfortable with you moving its feet with a show stick, these 4-5 foot pieces of usually aluminum. sometimes wood, two small pointed pieces of aluminum one of which is curved, this s used to pull the foot forward into place and to rub the belly or brisket area for comfort, at her very end there is a pointed end this is used to push the foot backward into place, and in downtime used to poke fellow showman.
By now it should be getting close to show day, the days before you move in are spent making sure you have enough feed, buckets, bedding, hay, and everything in the show box. When you get to the barn you will feel calm somewhere in all the caucus. You will meet so many amazing people. Showing is how I've met some of my best friends, even if we don't talk all the time there is a special bond in a showman friendship. Because it doesn't matter if you went head to head to head in the grand drive or you placed last in your class, you both know the time and sacrifice the other had to face. There are many times that you had to prioritize your time, do I want to go hang out with friends at noon or stay here and work hard so I have a chance to win at the next show, not all the choices are that easy though I've watched people have to make a decision to play that game or stay and show. The truth is stock showing is hard, competitive, and now matter how much you when that calf isn't ever going to completely pay for itself but it will teach you some very important life lessons, and that my friend is more valuable than anything else.