arrrggg!!!bad first expeirience at the county fair

I did a quick search on Google the National Pygmy Goat Association at http://www.npga-pygmy.com/services/shows.asp has some good articles on showmanship and conformation on there. I have shown some dairy goats and learned from going to the shows, reading ADGA publications, talking to show people, and even showing there goats(whenever things get hectic they'll grab anybody to show a goat LOL) before I ever entered my first show.

My daughter does both county and state fairs. 4h and open class. By far the competiveness is 4h. It is more difficult to work with the unexperiences judges as they are not sacntioned shows, whareas ,state fairs have nat'l judges for the open class, that is.The parents and showers are more layed back in open class also. You can allow others to help show your goats and we have a ton more fun at the shows. 4h is stress strss stress.

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Robin
My life won't be complete until I am a full time stay at home goat mommy.

It is discouraging and I am so sorry that you had to go through it. I take my goats to goat shows and every single time there is a place on the form where you mark to RESERVE a pen and you PAY for that reserved pen. BUT..when you get there, No pen available. I had to put my goats way at the back of the barn in an area where they wash the animals and one of my goats came down with the most horrible mastitis you have ever seen, squirting pure blood. If they are going to have shows and allow you to reserve pens, then by gosh the pens need to be reserved, not just take your money and let you root hog or die after you get there. I believe this would be handled under the Deceptive Trade Practices Act if it were a legal matter. When I voiced my opinion about it... I was told "That is the way it has always been done." One of my friends even tried to put our names on pens that we paid for and reserved and when we got there the names had been ripped off the pens and thrown in the trash can. probably by someone who reserved pens and when they got there found none available. Don't give up... maybe things will get better.

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Christine Edwards
New Waverly, Texas
www.freewebs.com/cottoneyeddoes
www.freewebs.com/texstarboers

If you are in a 4H of FFA show than who should be embarassed is your leader, not you. But all shows have entries with the rules...for us it's simple because ADGA rules prevail, so we get our info from them. No pens here either, although you send in how many pens you are going to need, it's only for numbers, they count them to make sure there are enough pen space, but no reservations ever, not in 20 years If your part of the club who puts the show on and come help set up, than yep you can reserve your pen

Shaving is handled by the fitting rules of the show, always ask about them if it is not written, you don't want to show up with unfitted goats to a fitted show, because they would have to be spectacular for a judge to use them in the line up!

No judge or show secretary anywhere can tell you "you have to remove wattles", unless you are talking about a purebred registery that does not allow wattles for registration or for showing....like ADGA with dairy goats...you can have horns and register your goats with horns, but you can not show them. A club can not make up rules that they are going to have a show with horns, it's ADGA rules or the sanction is lost, and nobody will come to your show without sanction.

Sorry you had a bad time, you need to find a local mentor to help you with the maze of rules for showing your goat you have! Vicki

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Vicki McGaugh
Nubian Soaps
North of Houston TX
www.etsy.com/shop/nubiansoaps

A 3 decade dairy goat farm homestead that is now a retail/wholesale soap company and construction business.

Sorry that you are having a bad experience. We showed our goats last year & this year(last week) at our county's 4 H fair. We show in the showmanship classes and other breed class, and trail class (obstacle course). Our pygmies are too tall - have some alpine relatives. Last year I felt a little lost at fair. We were the first family in our club to show goats. This year DD and her doe placed 2nd in showmanship. We studied the 4 H bulletions, talked to lots of goat people, I attended the small animal committee meetings(gives me a chance to network & ask questions). Our 4-H goat people have been extremly helpful. Your local extension office could send you information.

We have to take our own pens to 4-H, make and take them!
Always get there early for set-up so you don't get squeezed out of your space.

Don't give up!

You poor dear! You held your tongue a lot better than I would have!!! I am never rude to people, even if I'm in the middle of trying to get an animal ready to go be in front of the judge. Everyone has to remember that everyone had to start out somewhere! I don't know what it is about this week. I have run into more rude people this week! In fact, I had a guy darn near run over me with his big truck because I didn't get out of his way as fast as he thought I should. Jerk!
Just consider the source and make that a driving force to do better next year and teach them a thing or two and always keep this incident in mind when a beginner comes up and asks you questions when you're in the middle of trying to get your goat ready to show!

We Did Great And Did Find Help The Day Of The Show From Two Other Open Class Shower And The Judge No Less, We Werent As Bad Off As We Thought And We Place Well In Every Class We Entered Even Though We And Our Goats Were Not Prepared, Another Goat Shower Who I Will Now Consider A Frien Said She Believed Some Of The More Stuck Up Breeders Thier Were Jealouse As Our Stock Even Not Perpared Produced Heavy Competion To Thiers Wich Doesnt Look Good Since We Are I Tiny Family Farm And At This Time We Are Not Affiliated With Any Clubs, All Of My Kids Are Joining 4-h And Have Talked Me Into Volenteering, I Think It Will Be Good For Us All, I Am Very Happy, See Post We Wer Victoriouse.