i miss my market steer!!!!!!!!!

I remember all the steers I had and that was 20+ years ago that I showed . I remember the good ones and the bad ones, Hy first steer tried to kill me every time I got in the pen, he turned into a red Angus cow and calf (trade). My last steer is the one I was probably most attached to, broke 3 halters before we got him tamed down, by the fair he would hide his head in my back if he got spooked. He would even eat snowcones out of your hand. I had to haul him to the killers for my buyer, still remember that empty feeling when I left the yard. It must not have been to bad, we had both the boys do steers. I got attached to a few, but once they were gone, they were gone.
As Jenny pointed out he had a god life, he could have been in a feed lot where he would have not received special attention. It is like your first break up, it hurts and you feel like you will never get over the feeling, you will.
I always wondered how the families that do the guide dogs (wait that's service dogs now) could manage what they do, a dog becomes part of the family and then you have to let it go. I think that would be the hardest myself.
The last steer:

vc said:

I remember all the steers I had and that was 20+ years ago that I showed . I remember the good ones and the bad ones, Hy first steer tried to kill me every time I got in the pen, he turned into a red Angus cow and calf (trade). My last steer is the one I was probably most attached to, broke 3 halters before we got him tamed down, by the fair he would hide his head in my back if he got spooked. He would even eat snowcones out of your hand. I had to haul him to the killers for my buyer, still remember that empty feeling when I left the yard. It must not have been to bad, we had both the boys do steers. I got attached to a few, but once they were gone, they were gone.
As Jenny pointed out he had a god life, he could have been in a feed lot where he would have not received special attention. It is like your first break up, it hurts and you feel like you will never get over the feeling, you will.
I always wondered how the families that do the guide dogs (wait that's service dogs now) could manage what they do, a dog becomes part of the family and then you have to let it go. I think that would be the hardest myself.
The last steer:

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These are really could picture

box6rranch said:

I feel for you. I'm the mother of a 4-H kid and we've shown steers for eight years now. I have honestly loved each one of them.
I was born and raised in the city. Moved to the country when I was 41 years old.
This is how I rationalize things. Cows are put on the earth as a food source. Our show steers were lucky enough to be able to spend their time on earth getting the best of everything. Good food, hay, sleeping quarters, baths, lots of love and attention etc. They have had the best life on earth for the time they had. I always love each one before they have to go and tell them thank you and that I loved them. I always say a prayer that they will go quickly and have green pastures for eternity and that their meat is being used to nourish and strengthen bodies.
I know you all probably think I'm a loon but it's taken me a while to get to this point and it works for me. Remembering them never goes away. They always hold a special place in your heart.

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I agree with you!

I only showed a steer one year. He acted goofy the entire week and I was looking forward until the end of the fair to get rid of him. But after I loaded him on the trailer and saw them driving him away with him looking at me with his big ol' eyes, I cried... A lot. But he had a great life. He got to eat all the food an animal would ever want, he got washed and brushed, and he was just plain spoiled. He had a better life than most people! lol

I prefer to show heifers. It's nice have a bunch of friendly cows!

I think that you just need to at least just show a steer but u will miss him, but he did good so that u are proud of him.  Also since u sold butch, tank came in and u are doing really good.  then after tank there is another one,

I think you need to forget about showing market steers and find an intrest in the heifer division ! Then you can keep them forever if your attached !

ALTSIMMY 79 said:

I think you need to forget about showing market steers and find an intrest in the heifer division ! Then you can keep them forever if your attached !

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I think that you can do steers, but u just have to remember the reason that they were born

I was never allowed to do a steer growing up.  Mom said it was too hard when she did them and didn't want us to do them or go through that.  But my son did his first one this year and my 6 year old daughter can't wait.  And there were no tears this year for our steer.  But part of that I think is we have 1 rule at our house - we don't name cows.  I know that may seem stupid and most people won't agree.  But how I have told my kids, cows are to be eaten and we don't name things we are going to eat.  So for example, this year, our steer was called 18 when we had to put a name down.  That was his ear tag number.  In addition, I talked with both kids (9 and 6) throughout the year about the fact that he would be sold etc at fair time.  Both were okay. 

I'm hoping I have the key to help my kids cope as we go on.  This year we had a really mean steer that never did really become a pet and I know that was partly why it wasn't a big deal when it came time to load him up.  But I think part of it is to remember all year that they aren't pets, they are business projects. 

One thing I will say about our fair - they don't make the kids have to have anything to do with the after sale loading.  A bunch of the older men leaders and ranchers in the area come in and get the animals and load them up.  Even brought the halters back to the pens this year.  And I guess in past years they try and get all the loading before 6 Sunday morning.  Didn't happen this year.

My boys went with the ear tag in the steers as well, they would give them a name for the posters at the fair, but called them by the ear tag, or a name that I can't post depends on how the calf was behaving.
Pigs went by the ear notch, we bred and raised the hogs so the numbers weren't complicated, with 2 sows the numbers do not get way out of hand.

My girls(age 6 and 8) each just sold their 3rd show steer, we have had regular talks about what the steers are for and what is going to happen to them.  This year the both came with me to the carcass appraisal event we have so they could see the final result.  We have some tears on occasion and they do miss the steers.  I tell them it is ok to miss them as they were pets and they did spend a lot of time with them.  Moving on to the next steer always seems to help as well.

Saturday night at our fair always has lots of tears as we load up the cattle and it is not always the kids that are shedding them.  Alot of the parents myself included get very attached to the animals.

It does get a bit easier as the years go by, but if you care enough about the animals to pamper them the way we do you will always get emotional attached.

Shorthorn Girl said:

ok so i did my first market steer showing this past year and he was the sweetest little hereford boy. his name was butch. he hurt me so many times. running my off on fences and stepping on me. im a tough girl and i dont like showing emotion so when it came time to ship him off in the bug trailer and they had me climb in there and take his halter off. i acted like i was happy because i was so hurt, but i didnt want to show it. but now i feel horrible and have been feeling that way for the last like 3 months.  he was so sweet when i was in the feild with him he would come up and nudge me to make me pet him. i could do anything to him i could even sit on him. he was a 1 in a million kind of animal and u just sent him off to be slaughtered.

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I have showed for 4 years now, this year being my 5th yr. i have sold my steer for the last 2 yrs, each of which i cried for 3 hrs straight. i try to think "get attachd to your heifers, not steers" but it seems steers r easier.. but i feel your pain sorry to hear that (cow)

go buy a new one and start working with him the next day, its a never ending cycle

i know how you all feel i showed pigs, sheep ,goats and  now i am raisng cattle when i got my first steer 2 years his name was nermal i got him when i was 6 months old and he was like a dog he would follow everyone around the farm and he was soo easy to handle and when sunday night came to take my cow/calf home i was in tears for  weeks and i still get tears thinking about him  but i kept pictures of him and i also have his ear tag i am saying if it makes you feel better look at pictures and start thinking of all the great times you had together that always helped me when i get sad