Today we are taking a look at the show cattle world. Show cattle are one of the harder animals to master simply due to their size. My favorite reminder is to master those basic showmanship steps and to train hard at home.

#1 Come in with and maintain good eye contact. You must enter the ring with your eye contact already on and at its best. Your first impression is always on the move unless the judge is watching you before you enter. So begin with your eye contact and focus on the judge before you enter. That first impression is one of the simplest tips, but it is probably the most impactful. Don’t miss this huge oportunity to shine as you enter the show ring with your show calf. Once in the ring, maintain that eye contact throughout.

#2 Keep a steady pace. This one can be harder to master with these big show animals. Steers and heifers are no small creature. You want to master your show walk at home. With cattle you need extra hands. Practice with help and multiple people around to come behind you and keep your calf moving. Your steer needs to know that if you are asking him to walk – he needs to keep going with you. The only way to convince him he needs to move is practice at home with someone there.

#3 Keep the steer’s head up as you move. If your steer is moving well you can encourage him to keep that head up. As simple as it sounds, this one can be hard to master. Steady pulling up on the lead doesn’t neccessarily encourage a steer to lift his head. It is often more effective to jiggle your lead or lift up and release on the show chain to cause him to lift his own head for you. His head is heavy and if you are holding up the weight on your own that isn’t going to last long or be a good look. Try to startle him (not harshly) into lifting his own head up by an ‘up and release’ motion.

#4 Hold your show stick out in front of you. I prefer showmen to hold that show stick out in front of them with a loose ‘no effort’ style. Don’t have a death grip on your stick or hug it in tight to your body. Hold your show stick out in front of you as you move in a relaxed fashion. Use your fingers alone, instead of your fist, to hold the show stick out in front of you in a gentle soft style. This can help your overall look and cause you to look more in control and relaxed.

#5 Keep your eyes on the judge or forward – not at your steer. This tip is for keeping your steer on the move. Because our show cattle are watching out body language, you want to control what your are saying with your body. If you are looking back at your steer it is a signal to slow or to stop. It is important to keep your eyes on where you are going so that your steer knows you are going somewhere. His mind will be on moving steady and not on when you want him to stop. Your eyes are a great indicator for him and you can effect the move by keeping your eyes on the judge or glancing forward to where you are going. This also makes you look more confident and sure of yourself to the judge.

So there you are. As always, to master showmanship you don’t need some secret tips, you just need the basics down really well. You need to know what those basics are. They are not really glamerous, but they are easy to miss. Many showmen who mean well, forget to teach the simple important steps they do automatically. You can master beef cattle and heifer showmanship by getting the right information and with lots of practice and time.

If you are interested in soaking up as much information as possible, check out my book series: show your way to the top at mastershowmanship.com/shop