How to judge a shorthorn plus class?

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aj

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Jul 5, 2006
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western kansas
To me this would be the hardest thing in the world. Is there any guidance from the association? You can have such a wide variance of entries......from cattle all over the spectrum.......bred for different purposes. What few shows I have seen or shown in.......the judge usually leans toward the clubby cattle or away from them. I guess that you could mix and match placings. Just seems like say the"balancers" or Simmy appendix shows have more of a phenotypic goal.......color and everything.
 

oakview

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Joined
May 29, 2008
Messages
1,346
Other than national shows, I doubt if the ASA has much or any say in who judges shows.  Breeders, college types, and show folks are usually the judges.  They will pick what they like, all other things being equal.  Sometimes they pick what I like, sometimes not.  Some like them a little shorter necked, squarer headed, and with more set to their back legs than I like.  Some like them a little more clubby than I like.  I can usually follow the judging and agree more with the placings at Louisville than at some other places.  Smaller shows, though, very often have 1 to 4 in a class which lends itself to a little more give and take.  The biggest class at the Iowa State Fair the other day I believe was 5.  In some of the classes, you could throw the numbers in a barrel, roll them out, and talk the class accordingly.  It's been a few years since I judged cattle shows, but in my experience, it is much easier to find what you like and follow type in larger classes than 2 or 3.  I would say the Plus classes generally follow the more clubby type especially considering the genetics of most of the cattle shown.
 

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