By Jeremiah Barnert,
reprinted with permission from Gelbvieh Guide, Fall 2007

Showing cattle is a form of Art. Everyone has different ways and techniques that allow for the creation of a masterpiece. If everything is performed meticulously creating a masterpiece such as the Mona Lisa, is possible. The art works of Leonardo De Vinci are an excellent example of how basic principles can create a masterpiece that is admired and respected by many people.

The equivalent to a Mona Lisa in the show ring is a Supreme Champion title. To reach this point takes a great deal of time, effort and luck. However, through education and communication one will hopefully create a masterpiece that an individual will be proud of that may or may not lead to a Championship Banner.

The art of showing cattle is not as much of a secret as one may think. A few breeders in the Gelbvieh breed have reached this title before and with the quality of cattle that we as a breed are producing this should be occurring more often.

The first area that needs to be examined is the selection of cattle. The selection of cattle is the easel or the painting surface. This is the base of your masterpiece and is similar to what you have in mind. This relates to the size and shape of the animal that you decide to show. Now as a breeder you want to select cattle that best represent what your breeding program has to offer as showing should be about marketing and promotion. If you are unsure about which cattle you think you should take to show ask another breeder who has successfully shown cattle. Also select earlier rather then later, because if you need to make a switch it is easier and less stressful to do so before the entry deadline. Also communication with other breeders right from the get go will hopefully make your experience more enjoyable and eliminate some of the stress often associated with showing cattle.

The next point to showing cattle and creating a masterpiece after you have your easel is your paints. Think of paints as everything that needs to go into the animal to be prepared for show. In particular this is the feeding program that your show cattle are on. Now different programs require different feeds to accomplish different tasks. This is why it is important to educate yourself as to the nutritional needs of your animals so that you are able to put on the right amount of condition for show day. This can be done in a number of ways: you can contact a nutrition specialist and/or another breeder in your area. Figuring out the nutritional requirements for your show cattle is difficult until you find the right combination for your program. Feed companies such as the Feed Rite or Master Feeds have representatives that have rations pre-made and they are capable of creating a ration that will suit you. Educating yourself will help to create a feeding program that will allow you to reach your goals.

Following the selection of your paints you need your brushes. Think of the brushes as the preparation that you need for showing. Along with feeding your animal you need to develop the best possible appearance. This preparation should be done at home as soon as you select your cattle. Grooming is an important aspect of getting your show cattle ready and it does not just occur at the show. By training the hair it will make your job a lot easier come show day. This comes from washing and combing your animal as often as possible. Training the hair to go in the direction that you want, you can hide faults of your particular animal. Halter breaking is another important aspect and should be done as soon as possible. Early halter breaking alleviates a majority of the stress on the animal and should ensure that the animal will not go off feed. Remember that if an animal goes off feed that means less weight gain and could mean the difference between first and third in a challenging class.

The finishing touches to a masterpiece is done on show day. This is the final grooming that is required just prior to the show. The majority of the clipping should be done two weeks prior to the show; this includes clipping the head. This ensures that some of the hair grows back and looks more natural. Show day clipping is the final clipping that is required with gluing. This is very subtle clipping and can make a huge difference if done correctly.

If all of these things come together you may be able to create a masterpiece that is worthy of a championship banner, however, it is not just this simple - it takes time and effort to be able to reach such high rankings. If you educate yourself and communicate with other breeders who have accomplished these feats, it may be possible that you too will own a champion. Although I have only briefly touched on the aspects of showing cattle the major point that I wanted to get across was to educate yourself and communicate with other breeders. Gelbvieh is an excellent breed of cattle, with members that are willing to help each other out. Use this to your advantage as you never know who may be the buyer to a prized bull calf.