Appreciate advice for next weekend’s Louisville (NAILE) Junior Heifer show

This will be our first time going and showing and appreciate advice relative to health papers, arrival, check in, stall verse tie-out, chute area, etc. Goal is make this a great educational experience for our children.

if your going to tie out to your trailer...arrive early...otherwise good luck finding a place to park it....it was a mad house last year...

bedding is very expensive...that was an added cost i wasnt prepared for my first year...figure $200-300 for just a couple head...and place your order for it as soon as you get there...because you may have to wait a couple hours for it to get delivered...

I will also be showing for the first time down there and i was wondering if you have to buy there bedding or can you bring your own mulch. Also, we were planning on getting there thursday morning to set up and stuff. I was planing on tie out at the trailer should we get there earlier or would we be fine? thank you for your help.

AL Show Cattle said:

I will also be showing for the first time down there and i was wondering if you have to buy there bedding or can you bring your own mulch. Also, we were planning on getting there thursday morning to set up and stuff. I was planing on tie out at the trailer should we get there earlier or would we be fine? thank you for your help.

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Bring your own bedding.  Get there early, but they won't let you in the barn until a certain time. Can't remember what time it is.  Bring a cart of flat wagon to haul your stuff in if you have one.

Get your health papers checked by the vets before you bring your cattle in, otherwise you might have a mess on your hands.

Depending on where you stall, you might have room for your chutes at your stalls, or just outside.

Like everyone else said, get there early and put your bedding oder in as soon as you can once you get there.  If you are bringiing junior cattle only you probably won't have enough room for a chute in the barn much less all of your tack.  The junior cattle barn is always overflowing with cattle.  You do not have to tie in the junior barn.  I know lots of people who stay in tie outs the entire time. 

Bedding is expensive, but its much easier to buy it there.  I've brought my own bedding before and it usually involves a second trip or trailer so all of your savings by bringing your own is lost with the extra fuel and time.  Not to mention its much easier to let the Feeder Supply people bring your bedding to you. 

PM me if you have any other questions about the NAILE or Louisville in general.  I live about thrity miles from the expo center and know the area pretty well.  I've been showing there since I was about two years old so I know my way arpund pretty well.

Just make sure, if you are bringing a chute, to get the sticker and all of the paperwork and anything else you need to check in with at the office when you get there, me and my mom usually split up, one of us gets the paperwork and stuff done and the other starts to unload the trailer. Its a great show to go to and the shopping area is good too so i recomend bringing some cash for shopping as well because they great stuff there.

Thanks to those that provided respose to our questions as were able to make it to the show and already made a list of items to make next year better. The kids also seem more motivate to be better prepared for our next show after seeing some excellent cattle and what time in the barn with the animals an mean this time if year.