A day with sheep and new confidence

G. was invited to work at Ossipee Fair last weekend to help a farm with their sheep at the fairgrounds. After her experience at June Jamboree with her spirited cow Sparkles, G. was reluctant to walk back in to a show ring. I (as well as her 4-H leaders) thought this opportunity would be a good way to re-introduce her to working with animals at the fairgrounds without the pressure of showing an animal. Plus, she loves grooming and caring for any sort of animal and was curious about sheep so decided to give it a whirl.

I'm really glad she did because she ended up getting coaxed in to the show ring to help with the Sheep Open Show because the farm needed a couple of extra hands.

G. worked with the 4-H kids from Breezy Knoll Farm and she really enjoyed her time in the sheep barn.
The farm had a bunch of sheep slated for the open show so it took a couple of people to get them gathered outside the show ring. G. was part of that wrangling and that's how she was coaxed in to the ring to help show a couple of them.
G. didn't have a chance to change out of her barn clothes for the open show but it didn't matter because this sort of show is all about the animal and has nothing to do with the person showing it (at June Jamboree G. was in the show ring with her cow to be judged on her showmanship of her animal, which included how she handled it, her grooming skills and showing it to it's best advantage).

G. was pleased as punch that one of the sheep she brought in to the open show ring won a blue ribbon. And even though this show did not consider her showmanship skills, she had a good handle on the sheep (who, truth be told, was even-tempered anyhow) walking and moving it around for the judge.

Even though G. was well-aware that this show was about the sheep and not her, she was still quite excited about handling the sheep that won a blue ribbon. And it was a sweet gesture that the farm let her keep the sheep's ribbon after showing her enthusiasm for it.
She was feeling so good after this show that she willingly took a cow for a walk around the fairgrounds. That was another milestone since G. was sure she didn't ever want to walk a cow around a fairgrounds again after Jamboree. She and this mellow cow had a nice walk about and the boost in confidence by the end of her day at the fair was great.

Now G. is thinking that showing animals at the fair isn't quite such a nerve-racking experience but she's not sure she and Sparkles are up for a repeat performance in the show ring together this fair season. But she is at least reconsidering the option open for the possibility at Cumberland Fair in late-September.

And no, G. has no plans to change her beef project to sheep next year. She still loves the cows she works with at Wenwood Farm and has every intention of continuing with her beef project next year, with one caveat. She wants a new calf in the fall. She's even more certain now that Sparkles is just not wired for the fairgrounds ... but she believes she might be with the right animal partner.

It's always an interesting journey to watch how your children learn and gain confidence with the things they enjoy.



And I want to do a shout-out for David Smith who gave G. a nice pep talk about the fun of showing and helping her learn the ropes at the fair -- and for encouraging her to get in to the open show ring with the sheep and have fun with it. Thanks!