My name is Tara Jayne Schnetz and I am the author of a series of books on livestock showmanship! Three of my passions are working with livestock, writing books, and teaching youth. I grew up with ten brothers and one sister. I am a Christian and was homeschooled in California. With livestock, I spent my first several years learning and winning one blue ribbon here and there. 2010 was my breakthrough year! I won first place in Rally Obedience with my dog, first place in Intermediate Showmanship with my chicken, Supreme Champion Market Lamb, and first place Intermediate and Senior Sheep Showmanship. From there I won four more years in sheep showmanship, three more in dog showmanship, three in swine showmanship, and two in horse showmanship. Poultry and market goat, I showed in the county and at state shows winning a total of three market goat showmanship classes and six poultry showmanship classes. I have also shown in Master Showmanship where I have won twice at the county level in small animal masters and twice in large animal masters. Which adds up to an exciting total of 27 showmanship wins, not including any of my market or breed shows. I enjoyed showing and couldn’t have done any of it without the grace of God and am grateful for every success I have accomplished. Because I showed so many times at so many levels, I have actually lost many more competitions than I have won. I could have started out with the information you have and done much better, but of course I didn’t have a book to read. I want to encourage you to take advantage of the knowledge I have shared and to share it with others. I would be thrilled if more people started sharing their knowledge with others and strengthening the foundation for their success. My goal is to give showmen a foundation of how to do things correctly at a county level so they can focus on learning the next level when they get out and go to shows. My hope is also that anyone who learned something from my knowledge and research will move on to always show with humility and with integrity.
Have you wondered how some showmen keep their bird’s so clean?
Housing your birds is important for showmanship because judges are always looking at how well you care for your birds.
Watch today’s video to learn some great tips today.
Housing your birds well and feeding them right can improve everything about your bird’s appearance. This means more eyes on your bird and greater possibility of consideration for awards.
Does your new show pig never calm down enough for you to catch up to him?
If so, you probably skipped a step or two. The first week you need to spend as much time with your pigs as possible. However, you must realize that you can’t move on to each new step until your pig is ready for it.
Today you will learn the importance of each step the first several weeks and how to do them right.
Have you ever tried to shear your own lamb, but just couldn’t get it right?
Clipping your lamb can look easy, but once you start it always seems harder than you thought.
Today you can watch a lamb shear job from the main body to the face and even the very basics of blending the legs.
In this video, you will learn the basics of holding your clippers and getting the lambs main body looking great.
You can enter to win a free showmanship book!
I’m giving away four books to start the year off right. One for each species; sheep, swine, market goat, and beef.
Contest ends January 6th 2021!
Are you unsure of how to begin tying your club calf?
Training a show calf begins with the very simple step of tying your calf. It is key to get your calf used to you and to standing still. Just for this video, we will assume the calf has already been halter trained.
In this video, you will learn what equipment you need, the many benefits to tying your calf, and how to do it well!
Have you ever struggled with catching your show sheep?
You might be surprised at how stress free, for both you and your lamb, catching can be. Catching your lamb should get easier as you train, but this video will help you do it well from the very beginning.
In this video, you can learn two great options for safely catching your lamb. Watch the video to see exactly how top showmen catch their lambs!
Are you struggling to get your pig to listen to your show stick cues?
To get the best possible results with your show stick, you want to use it just right. Learning exactly where to tap your pig will drastically change the way your pig reacts.
In this video we will cover turning, getting the pig moving, and getting the head up like a top notch show pig. Watch the video to see exactly how to use your show stick and show your way to the top!
Are you struggling to find the best dairy goat collar?
In today’s video, I am discussing some of the different collars used on goats and which one is the best one for the show ring.
You can use all kinds of chains or collars, but choosing the one judges prefer most is a great way to stand out on show day.
Do you raise your own lambs, but have no idea how early to start your training?
Training with newborn lambs can be started as soon as a week or so after they are born. You can jump start your training program by getting lambs used to being around you from day one.
Training is all about keeping them calm and getting them comfortable with you at this stage. Watch the video to see exactly how to work with your young lambs!
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