Was wondering if anyone has any advice or knowledge on the best show for a newbie. My kids are starting to show poultry in 4h but I thought it would be interesting to try my hand at a goat show as a adult, do people do this? I am from Michigan and cannot do the only show I see for Michigan so will have to travel. I have no idea how to attend a goat show, and don't want to do a super big one for fear of embarrassing myself. Thanks alot
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I think that showing juniors is a great way to start. We started with two juniors and a doe in milk -- and it never occurred to us to bring a milk stand! :( Thank goodness we had a wonderful doe that just stood in the middle of the barn like an angel and let us milk her!
I decided to just bite the bullet and we are signing up for our first show in June. Probably just showing my two jrs, but I am very excited. Thanks for all the words of encouragement.
First things first... don't feel embarrassed. We're relatively new ourselves, last year was our first year to show and we always had a blast. Almost everyone we've met so far have gone out of their way to be helpful and kind to us. We've even had neighbors offer to watch our girls while we went to bed (because they slept in with their goats). We've made some very good friends at shows. Deborah is right, you'll fit right in. I have met a few kids that show for their parents, but most people that do sanctioned shows are adults. I had the same fear at first too. Showing is something I wish I'd had the opportunity to do as a youngster and I was afraid I'd be the only "grown up". It turned out that I actually was in the minority, but not in the way I'd thought. David and I were youngsters compared to most folks that were showing there. I just paid close attention to what others were doing, and eventually got over my fears and just started asking everyone questions. Even at shows where we were competing against the same folks repeatedly, they were always there willing to answer questions and even hold a goat for me if I had to use the restroom! haha. You'll like the goat show atmosphere. My biggest recommendation would be to attend one without showing first. Find someone who has a handful of goats and ask if they need help. Usually they are relieved to have help, and you'll be surprised what you pick up in experience by just watching! We did just that thing at the NDGA National show in 2011, and ended up getting to show a couple of Rusty's goats (Little Tots Estate). We loved his girls so much we ended up having to go to walmart and buy a crate, because we bought one of his little girls to bring back to Arkansas with us. Now she's fresh and she's wonderful of course. So happy with the experience. It REALLY turned us on to showing and taught us a lot. Good luck, hope you have the same great experiences we've had showing.
You can check the ADGA and AGS websites for upcoming shows. Most are good for newbies. Everyone was new once! Almost all goats shown in sanctioned shows are shown by adults, so you'll fit right in.
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I think that showing juniors is a great way to start. We started with two juniors and a doe in milk -- and it never occurred to us to bring a milk stand! :( Thank goodness we had a wonderful doe that just stood in the middle of the barn like an angel and let us milk her!
First things first... don't feel embarrassed. We're relatively new ourselves, last year was our first year to show and we always had a blast. Almost everyone we've met so far have gone out of their way to be helpful and kind to us. We've even had neighbors offer to watch our girls while we went to bed (because they slept in with their goats). We've made some very good friends at shows. Deborah is right, you'll fit right in. I have met a few kids that show for their parents, but most people that do sanctioned shows are adults. I had the same fear at first too. Showing is something I wish I'd had the opportunity to do as a youngster and I was afraid I'd be the only "grown up". It turned out that I actually was in the minority, but not in the way I'd thought. David and I were youngsters compared to most folks that were showing there. I just paid close attention to what others were doing, and eventually got over my fears and just started asking everyone questions. Even at shows where we were competing against the same folks repeatedly, they were always there willing to answer questions and even hold a goat for me if I had to use the restroom! haha. You'll like the goat show atmosphere. My biggest recommendation would be to attend one without showing first. Find someone who has a handful of goats and ask if they need help. Usually they are relieved to have help, and you'll be surprised what you pick up in experience by just watching! We did just that thing at the NDGA National show in 2011, and ended up getting to show a couple of Rusty's goats (Little Tots Estate). We loved his girls so much we ended up having to go to walmart and buy a crate, because we bought one of his little girls to bring back to Arkansas with us. Now she's fresh and she's wonderful of course. So happy with the experience. It REALLY turned us on to showing and taught us a lot. Good luck, hope you have the same great experiences we've had showing.
You can check the ADGA and AGS websites for upcoming shows. Most are good for newbies. Everyone was new once! Almost all goats shown in sanctioned shows are shown by adults, so you'll fit right in.