Sheep: Rosie and Smoky

I wanted to start a blog to share my experiences with livestock with anyone who may be interested. Hopefully, this can be useful to someone! To start, I wanted to share my experiences with sheep so far.

2021 was my first year showing sheep in 4-H, and it was a great experience! I had been saving my own money from working at my dad’s farm market, and in March I bought a ewe and ram lamb, who I named Rosie and Smoky. I planned to take Smoky to the fair as a market lamb, and Rosie as an open class breeding sheep. I started off by halter training them by walking them daily. This not only made them more tame, but it also helped them build muscle.

When school was over, I started training them to show. Unlike most livestock, sheep show without halters. This means that you have to guide them by putting your hand under their chin. You also have to brace them so the judge can get a good look at all of their traits. Rosie did great at this. Unfortunately, Smoky was tougher.

He was stubborn and very spooky, so every time I touched his head he got scared and got away from me. I think that early in his life he must have had some sort of traumatic experience that made him more afraid of people than most sheep. It took a lot of hard work, but I did make some progress by bathing him daily to make him used to being touched. He wasn‘t the greatest first lamb, but he was great to learn from.

Eventually, it was time for the fair. Rosie’s show was first, and it was pretty uneventful. She was well-behaved and she won Reserve Champion, which I was very proud of. The 4-H show started after. We did showmanship first. I did some last minute practice, but it didn’t go well. Smoky’s normal misbehavior was amplified by the chaotic fairgrounds. I wasn’t too hopeful for showmanship in the first place, but I knew we didn’t stand a chance.

I decided to give it a try anyway just in case Smoky somehow calmed down and listened. Unfortunately, he didn’t. I tried my best, but Smoky got away from me a few times during the short class. We placed last. Honestly, it was expected, but a little disappointing.

I had another hour until the next class I was in, so I used the time to walk Smoky in an attempt to wear him out. It didn’t work well. When the class started, I walked into the ring with Smoky praying that he would stand still long enough for the judge to get a good look at him. He didn‘t. Despite my efforts, he got away multiple times in this class too. When we finally lined up for placing, my name was said first. Smoky didn’t stand still long enough for the judge to get a good look at him, so we were placed last. I tried to hold Smoky but he got away again. Chasing after him, I fell down and ripped my jeans.

With some help, I finally caught him and took him back to his pen, where my mom met up with me. To be honest, I was miserable. I had spent a lot of my hard earned money and even more time, but it had all gotten me last place. I went and changed my jeans, and when I came back the breeder I got my lambs off, who I’ll call M, told me it was time for the County Born and Raised class. In my panic, I completely forgot I entered.

I went and got Smoky out again. I was cheered up a little by the possibility of another chance, but I didn‘t want to get too excited in case it went wrong again. I entered the ring for the third time.

Smoky’s laps around the show ring must have finally worn him out. Miraculously, he didn’t get away from me once! I clung onto him when the judge came around and he stayed in a nice brace for the whole time. When we lined up, the judge didn’t say my name first, and I was thrilled that I at least wasn‘t in last place. As we got higher on the list, I started wondering if maybe I was wrong, and we actually did score last.

Finally, the judge got to first place, and my name was called! I was so excited that I had not only not placed last, but I actually won! I couldn’t believe it. As I walked out, I wondered if maybe the judge had taken pity on me, but fortunately, that wasn’t the case. Smoky had just finally stood still well enough that the judge could see that he was a pretty nice lamb. Plus, the main class I was in before was the largest and most competitive.

My friends and family congratulated me, and I was so happy. After the earlier disappointments, winning something felt even better. I was proud to display the Grand Champion County Born and Raised banner on top of Smoky’s pen.

Although Smoky was kind of a brat, I was sad to see him go. He taught me a lot, and it will be much easier this year now that I have more experience.