1) Consult a Veterinarian – Before any animal arrives at your farm, make sure you have a veterinarian provides a full health check and the appropriate vaccinations for your animal. Ask the prior owner for a full list of the animal’s previous health history so that you have all of the animal’s health information on hand.
2) Establish a Feeding Routine – This is an essential element to an animal’s growth and development plan. Proper nutrition helps build up an animal’s immune system and muscles while keeping them at the proper weight in order to compete at livestock shows. Also, be sure to monitor your animal’s feed intake. Clean out old feed immediately to avoid confusion as to how much you are serving your animal; if you don’t clean out the old feed, it is easy to think you are serving your animal 10 pounds of feed, when in actuality you are feeding your animal 12 pounds of feed.
3) Building a Relationship with the Animal – The animal you are showing and working with on a frequent basis must trust you. This is established by working and bonding with the animal on a daily basis. It may be a long or slow process, depending on the animal, but it’s a process that is essential to form an active partnership with your project animal.
4) Ensure Water Availability and Quality – Animals must have access to clean, cool water at all times. It’s important to provide your animals with fresh water that’s free of any impurities or harmful bacteria. This basic animal care tip is sometimes overlooked, but helps keep your animal drinking and eating during the hot summer months when consumption usually drops off.
5) Grooming and Appearance – It’s obvious that no matter what animal you are showing, it is extremely important to have them looking polished on the day of the show. This is accomplished through learning how quickly your animal’s hair grows and establishing a standard grooming routine all the way up until the day of the showing. Once this step is completed, you will be able to properly trim and brush the animal to the proper standards.
6) Practice, Practice, Practice – Practice helps boost your muscle memory so that when you tense up on show day, your muscles will actually remember what they are supposed to do. Whether showing horses, cattle, pigs, or rabbits, it’s crucial to have your routine down before the day of the show. It’s especially important to practice and train for horse shows where jumps and other obstacles come into play. Also, practice is highly critical to establishing a relationship and building trust between the handler and the animal.
7) Breathe and Smile – On show day be confident in yourself. With the proper preparation, you have nothing to worry about. Relax, take a deep breath and show off all of the hard work and dedication you put into preparing for the show.
Horse Show
Get your horse feed, saddlery, horse brushes, hoof picks, horse shampoos, and other products at your local Blain’s Farm & Fleet. We have everything from horse care products to horse riding equipment and supplies in order to get you ready for your big day! Also, feel free to check out additional Blain’s Farm & Fleet blogs about horses to find out more information in regards to nutrition plans, how to properly use certain horse accessories, and much more!
Cow Show
Head over to your local Blain’s Farm & Fleet and get all the supplies you need for your next cow show. We have everything from cow halters, show sticks, cow feed, and livestock feeding equipment. Please check out our additional blog posts and learn more about caring for your cattle.
Rabbit & Swine Show
Find your rabbit cages, rabbit food, and water bottles at Blain’s Farm & Fleet. We have all of the essentials you need to prepare your rabbit or small animal for the next fair/show. Also, find swine food and other swine feeding equipment at Blain’s Farm & Fleet. We have all of the essentials you need to prepare your rabbit, small animal, or pig for the next fair/showing.
