🐑Lambs: learning to show

Showing a lamb is a team sport, and your teammate has four legs and no idea what a judge is. Your job is to make your lamb look its very best every second it is in the ring, and to look like you belong there. That takes practice, and it starts the week your lamb comes home.

Rule: Every market exhibitor must show in showmanship. If you want to sell your lamb at the auction, you have to show at least one lamb in the lamb showmanship class. Once you start showmanship with a lamb, you must use that same lamb through all showmanship classes.

Equipment you will need

• Rope or nylon halter for training and tying (lambs are shown without one, but you train with it).
• Lamb blanket or tube to keep the lamb clean after it is sheared.
• Brush and wool card for daily grooming.
• Clippers (sheep heads) for slick shearing, or plan to have an experienced person shear for you.
• Spray bottle with water for smoothing the coat.
• Hoof trimmers.
• Small blocking or fitting stand (optional, but very helpful for teaching the lamb to stand still and set up).
• Halter and lead for the trailer, a bucket, and your show clothes.

Training timeline (counting back from check-in, September 14, 2027)

When	Goal
First week home (May/June)	Let the lamb settle. Sit in the pen. Hand feed so it learns you mean food. Start brushing.
Weeks 2–4	Halter break. Put the halter on daily. Tie the lamb short to a fence for 15–20 minutes while you stay close. Lead it a few steps at a time with treats and patience.
June–July	Lead without the halter. Walk on the lamb’s left side, right hand cupped under the jaw, left hand resting on the dock (top of the tail). Practice walking, stopping, and turning. Daily 15–20 minute sessions.
July	Set the feet. Teach the lamb to stand square with a leg on each corner. Move one foot at a time, praise, repeat. Start using a stand if you have one.
Late July–August	Brace. With the lamb set up, gently push on its chest so it pushes back into you and tightens its top and leg. Hold 10–20 seconds, relax, repeat.
Early August	Go to a pre-fair show. Our fair requires every project animal to be shown at least one bona fide show before the fair (a SAILA show, jackpot, livestock camp, or similar). Get verification for the NCJLC.
Late August / early September	Slick shear about 1–2 weeks before fair. Practice in show clothes. Rehearse the whole routine with a friend playing judge.
Sept 14, 2027	Check-in and weigh-in. Lambs weigh 6–7 PM.

Tip: Short and often beats long and rarely. A tired, frustrated lamb (or kid) learns nothing. Quit while it is going well.

Ring technique: how to show a lamb

Market lambs are shown without a halter. It looks hard, but it is mostly practice.

Position

• Stand on the lamb’s left side, slightly in front of its shoulder.
• Right hand under the jaw (not on the throat) to steer. Never grab wool or ears.
• Left hand on the dock or resting lightly on the back near the hip, to steady the lamb and help it drive forward.
• Keep the lamb between you and the judge at all times. If the judge moves, you move.

Setting up

1. Walk into your spot and stop.
2. Set the back legs first: one foot on each corner, square under the hips. You can lift a leg and place it, or push a hip gently so the lamb steps.
3. Then set the front legs square under the shoulders.
4. Head up, level with the back, looking forward.
5. Check the judge. Adjust if a foot is out of place. Keep your own posture straight, knees slightly bent.

Bracing

When the judge walks toward your lamb to handle it:

• Step in front of the lamb, keep your hand under the jaw, and press gently into its chest with your knee or leg.
• The lamb should push back into you, which tightens the loin and leg and makes the muscle feel harder.
• Hold steady while the judge feels the loin, rack, and leg.
• Don’t over-brace. If you shove too hard, the lamb’s front feet come off the ground or its back drops and it looks weak. Firm and steady is the goal.

Moving and switching sides

• When the judge asks you to walk, lead the lamb smoothly with a long stride so it drives off its hind legs. Let the judge see a side view.
• To switch sides, step around the front of the lamb, keeping your hand under the jaw the whole time. Never cross behind the lamb, and never put yourself between the judge and your lamb.
• Re-set the feet every time you stop. Judges notice.

Eyes and attitude

• Watch the judge, but glance at your lamb’s feet often.
• Smile. Look confident even when your lamb is not cooperating. Everyone’s lamb misbehaves sometimes.
• Do not talk to friends in the ring. Do not crowd the exhibitor next to you.
• When the judge gives directions, nod, say “yes sir” or “yes ma’am,” and do it.

Questions the judge might ask

In showmanship the judge will talk to you. Know your lamb. Short, clear, polite answers win.

Question	Sample answer
What breed is your lamb?	“She’s a Hampshire-Suffolk cross wether.”
How much does he weigh?	“He weighed 132 pounds at check-in last night.”
What are you feeding?	“A 16 percent complete show lamb pellet, about a pound and three quarters twice a day, with a handful of grass hay.”
How old is your lamb?	“He was born in February, so about seven months.”
When did you buy him?	“May 15th, from a breeder near Snowflake.”
Where is the loin?	Point to the top of the back just in front of the hips.
Name the wholesale cuts of lamb.	“Leg, loin, rack, shoulder, and breast. Some people include the neck and shank.”
What is the ideal market weight?	“Most judges like a finished club lamb around 125 to 145 pounds.”
What is your lamb’s ear tag number?	Know both the Scrapie tag and NCJL tag numbers.

Also know the parts of a lamb: poll, muzzle, neck, brisket, shoulder, rack (ribs), loin, hip, dock, leg, stifle, hock, pastern, and hoof. If you do not know an answer, say “I’m not sure, but I’ll find out” instead of guessing.

Check-in and weigh-in day

• Animals can be penned at the fairgrounds after 1 PM on Tuesday, September 14, 2027.
• Unload lambs on the east side of the steer barn. You have 10 minutes to unload and move your vehicle.
• Bring your Seasonal Pass (you cannot check in without it), your current YQCA certificate, and your signed Terms & Agreement already uploaded to ShoWorks.
• The scale is open for an unofficial pre-weigh 3–5 PM. Official lamb weigh-in is 6–7 PM.
• Your lamb must be clean and DRY before it steps on the scale, and its ear tags must be clean and readable. Wet lambs will not be weighed.
• You get one official weigh and one immediate re-weigh if you ask before leaving the scale.
• Declare at the scale which lamb is your showmanship lamb (if you brought two) and which animal you are selling if you show more than one species.
• Mandatory exhibitor meeting at 6:45 PM at the sale ring bleachers.

Full details are on the fair week page and the packing list.

Fair week in the lamb barn

Time	Task
Before 9 AM every day	Feed, water, and clean the pen. Shavings must be fresh. This is a rule, and superintendents check.
Morning	Brush, spray, and card the lamb. Check that the blanket is clean.
Midday	Refill water. Keep the aisle clear of your gear.
Evening	Feed and water. Deep-clean the pen. Tidy your tack area.
Thursday, Sept 16	Market lamb judging at 10 AM, followed right away by Junior and Senior showmanship. Be dressed and ready an hour early.

Setting up your pen

The goat and lamb barn has new pens. You need to bring:

• A section of pig panel or cattle panel cut to size to hang your feeder and water bucket on.
• Zip ties and/or wire to attach it.
• A carabiner to secure the pen gate.
• Your own shavings beyond the one free bag (extra bags are $15 at the fair office before 9 AM).

Take locks off Saturday night. Animals are loaded out early Sunday morning, and locks left on will be cut.

Dress code

You are judged from the moment you walk in. Wear:

• Button-down or collared shirt, tucked in.
• Nice pants (jeans are fine) with no rips or holes, and a belt.
• Sturdy, closed-toe shoes or boots. No tennis shoes, no sandals.
• Hair combed and neat, out of your face.
• Your exhibitor number pinned on your back or in an exhibitor clip, matching the NCJL ear tag of the lamb you are showing. Change numbers if you switch lambs.
• A 4-H patch or jacket is welcome. Hats are off in the ring.

The Round Robin

On Friday morning, the top showmen from each species compete in the Round Robin, where you show every species: lambs, goats, pigs, and steers. If you win your showmanship division, you may be invited. Watch the other species’ shows during the week and ask friends to let you practice with their animals. It is a great honor and a lot of fun.

Sportsmanship

• Congratulate the winner. Thank the judge with a handshake after your class.
• Help a younger member set up a lamb or find the wash rack.
• Never argue with a judge. If there is a real problem, your parent or leader talks to the lamb superintendent, in writing, within one hour of the class.
• Clean up after yourself and your lamb. The public is watching, and how our barn looks reflects on every 4-H kid.

Win or lose, the ring is where all your summer work shows. Then it is on to the sale. Read the auction page so you know exactly what happens on Friday afternoon.