Help me understand showmanship?

[starhorse]

Hopefully using the right terms here… I have a toddler and have checked out some 4-H fairs because she loves seeing the animals. In watching the kids with their animals (I think it’s showmanship?), I see a lot of… intense stares at the judges? It’s like they don’t want to break eye contact.

I have a hunter/jumper background so can totally own there’s things we do that may not make sense to others, so this is asked with no judgment. But, what’s with the eye contact? What is it for/why do they do that?

[trubandloki]

@starhorse

Hopefully using the right terms here… I have a toddler and have checked out some 4-H fairs because she loves seeing the animals. In watching the kids with their animals (I think it’s showmanship?), I see a lot of… intense stares at the judges? It’s like they don’t want to break eye contact.

I have a hunter/jumper background so can totally own there’s things we do that may not make sense to others, so this is asked with no judgment. But, what’s with the eye contact? What is it for/why do they do that?

Are you talking about horse showmanship or something else?

Edit to add - You can ignore this question because the following post describes it all so well.

[Bay_Toby]

Livestock showmanship is intense! That aggressive staring at the judge is expected and is just part of the game. It’s not quite as weird with cattle because the exhibitor is standing up straight, but with shorter animals (pigs, goats), the kids end up bending over the animal, with their necks craned up to make that eye contact.

Even in the breed and weight classes, the kids will do the showmanship “thing”. For kids how are serious about showmanship, those classes are another chance to get in front of the judge.

My daughter showed dairy steers and calves for all 10 years of 4-H and was pretty good at staring aggressively into a stranger’s face with steer spit dripping down her arm. Glamorous moments in cattle showing!

[endlessclimb]

Videos of this girl show up on my FB feed a lot. She’s INTENSE.

[LCDR]

Wow. That looks like the Trump arrest photo stare!

[endlessclimb]

https://www.tiktok.com/@dadsonfarms/video/7272153637634247979?lang=en

https://www.tiktok.com/@dadsonfarms/video/7298013222865571115

[LaurieB]

@endlessclimb

Videos of this girl show up on my FB feed a lot. She’s INTENSE.

Yikes! That girl would scare the bejeesus out of me if I were judging.

It’s been a while since I was showing dogs, but in canine junior showmanship, the handler’s focus is (was?) supposed to be on their own dog, with lesser attention then paid to both surrounding dogs/other competitors and the judge.

[starhorse]

Sorry, I meant with non-horses! Pigs, livestock, etc.

What is the purpose of the intense staring/no eye contact? Is it just a norm/tradition, or is it supposed to demonstrate something (like confidence, control of the animal without looking, something else)?

Thanks

[starhorse]

Boo, I can’t get this to open because I don’t have tiktok! Does this explain it?

[endlessclimb]

I don’t have a tiktok either, but I can see them. And no, it’s just videos of VERY INTENSE girl.

[KBC]

Mmmmm

[trubandloki]

Cough - this is not Current Events - Cough.

[KBC]

Well, you’re not wrong, but the likeness was mentioned here, so made sense to build it here. It’s only current events if someone chooses to make it so, just agreeing there is a likeness does not do that.

[Bay_Toby]

Nah, that girl is working hard and getting stuff accomplished! Trump, on the other hand…

[Bay_Toby]

Just like with horse showing, there may have been a point at one time, but now it’s just a thing. With hogs who can and will do whatever they want, it’s a good idea to know where the judge is so your hog doesn’t run over them. You also always want to make sure the judge has an unobstructed view, so there’s a lot of maneuvering around other hogs and kids going on too. The kids have to watch the whole pen at once. There’s an art to it, even if it does look weird to outsiders!

[Djones]

Showmanship with livestock (NOT DOGS) is about the handler demonstrating the ability to pay attention to their body’s placement relative to the judge and the horse’s ability to execute the pattern with crisp precision.

SHOWMANSHIP.pdf

This score sheet gives you an idea of what’s asked.

Along the way it’s gone from pretty and smooth to clenched and weird (sometimes, not all exhibitors) at the highest levels, but it’s a great way for a youth to learn and develop patience, focus, and learn patterns and rules. There are specific places to position yourself relative to both the horse and where the judge is. The best make it look easy and it’s not.

I like this girl’s pattern:

2023 Showmanship 14-18 -- AQHYA World Championship Show

[LaurieB]

@Djones

I like this girl’s pattern:

A question from someone who knows nothing about what I’m watching:

The mare is certainly obedient. But she performs the routine with a dull (sour?) look on her face and her ears mostly back. Does that not matter in the judging?

[JBCool]

That was pretty slick.

[Djones]

They won the class at the QH Youth World. It’s not important to the score.

this is a nice, educational video:

A Judge's Perspective: 2015 AQHYA Showmanship World Champion

the good horses are so much fun to do this with. They know the difference between just being led somewhere and ‘doing the work’- when the handler gets into show mode, so does the horse.

[jvanrens]

@endlessclimb

Videos of this girl show up on my FB feed a lot. She’s INTENSE.

If you’ve ever shown pigs you would understand that look! Give me a steer any day if you’re talking about doing showmanship with a non-equine. I wanted to use the cane to tenderize that porcine’s bacon in my attempt.