From Pasture to Parade: the 4-H Training Journey

Back for another post on The Halter and the Heart!

As I write this I am five days away from going to the biggest 4-H show in all of Ontario, the Royal Winter Fair. I have spent the last few weeks honing in on training to prepare for this specific show. So, how does one begin the training process? Well that’s the question I want to answer today. 

The first step is to halter break your calf. I would say this is the easiest step in training but it is also a crucial point where you need to bond with your calf, get to know how their brain works and that will be really important later on. 

The second step is beginning to brush. This begins by simply walking up to your calf and brushing. Now this does change for some calves, some will buck while others might just back away. If they are bucking just take a step back and get them used to your presence for a few days before attempting to brush again. If they are simply backing away just continue brushing, they will soon learn there is nothing to fear. 

The third step is my personal favorite, walking. It is also the hardest step, and you will most likely experience some setbacks. This step works best with beginning in a small pen. Begin by holding the rope tightly and slowly back up, gently tugging on the rope. All calves will have a different response, I’ve had some walk perfect the first day and then go downhill before getting the hang of it, some have bucked, and even a few have gone for a run (dragging me behind through the dirt). The most important thing to remember during this is that just like you are learning, so are they. Usually the calves realize pretty fast that we aren't strong enough to walk them and that's when the fourth step begins, the tractor. 

Now, you are probably curious, how does a tractor help a calf walk? Well, the first thing we do is hook up a trailer to the tractor (this keeps the calves from hitting the tractors wheels and injuring themselves) and then we simply tie the calves to the trailer. Driving slowly, the calves are forced to walk. We don't do this all year, just for about 2 weeks and only for short increments, but it really is the only way to teach a 2,000 pound heifer to walk nicely on a halter. 

By this time we will also being rinsing down our animals, we rinse them down with cold water (which helps their hair grow) and then brush their hair forward towards their head. 

So if my calf is already trained what am I training before a big show? 

Well, I am practicing setting up her feet (walking into the specific way the calf is required to stand in the show ring) and I am also spending a lot of time working with her hair, rinsing and blowing it forward with a blower (which is like a massive hair dryer for cows).

Okay, I’ve gotta go pack for the Royal! See you all next month!

Email me any questions at; everythinginbetween55@gmail.com