Top Tips
For the young show person
Stock Judging
Before you start, establish what has to be judged. Are you judging the animals for breeding or for slaughter?
First impressions are often the best. Don’t rush in, make judgement from a distance first before getting up close
and looking at the finer details.
Be methodical, have a system for looking over the animal so you don’t miss anything. Work from head-to-tail,
start at the feet and work up etc.
Use your time wisely. You will have 8 minutes to decide on your placings ; 2 minutes of the animals walking, 2
minutes standing, 2 minutes walking and a final 2 minutes standing .
Be smart, look the part! Always dress tidily.
If you get the chance to speak:
You will be assessed on accuracy of observation, ability to compare animals, speaking ability and
presentation and dress.
You are allowed 2 minutes to speak on your placings, going over this allocated time can result in penalties.
Always be positive when giving your reasons, use comparative words such as longer, cleaner, stronger,
wider. Make sure you are describing the animals in the class on their merits.
Again work systematically front-to-back or back-to-front when speaking on an animal. This means you are
less likely to get confused and allows the judge to follow your reasons more easily.
You don’t have to give a list of everything you liked about an animal, limit your comments to no more than
3-4 attributes and comparisons for each animal.
Paraders/Showmanship
While Paraders classes are very subjective in their judging, and each judge tends to look for different things/likes a
particular style of leading here ae some general tips to help you be on your way to placing in a Paraders class:
Presentation is important, make sure both you and your animal are clean and tidy. Halters and nose leads should
be clean, any muck from around your animals eyes or nose should be wiped away as best possible. You should
have clean boots and your shirt tucked in, males often wear a tie while ladies may wear a scarf.
Organise your leads tidily so that they are not too loose and you have good control of the animal. One of the
biggest mistakes people make is having their nose lead too lose so it swings about, the nose lead needs to be
only slightly looser than the lead chain. Also DO NOT LOOP YOU LEADS AROUND YOUR FINGERS! If your animal
gets spooked and takes off, your fingers might go too!
While the judge may be the one assessing your handling abilities and it is important to keep an eye on them,
remember to keep any eye on the steward, your own animal and the one in front of you. The steward is often
the person directing paraders around the ring. If you miss the instructions from the steward you may miss out
on a placing. Even after you have set your animal up to be judged they will often shift their weight and move a
leg without your noticing so it is important to check their set up every so often. Keep a adequate gap between
you and the animal in front, that way you have enough time to stop and not run into them.
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FUTURE BEEF NEW ZEALAND