1. LIVING B1
Wednesday, July 10, 2013The Oakdale Leader
By DAWN M. HENLEY
dhenley@oakdaleleader.com
M
any young
people in
Oakdale are
spending a lot
of time and effort in getting
their animals ready to ex-
hibit for a 10-day run at the
Stanislaus County Fair, July
12-21.
A lot is involved in getting
animals ready for the fair.
A proper feeding regimen
involves constant monitor-
ing and adjustments so the
animal is at the right weight
and readiness when it’s
time to enter the show ring.
There is special grooming,
and a lot of time spent in
making sure the animals
are gentled and prepared to
walk, stand still, and be co-
operative so the judges can
get a good look at them.
Sierra 4-H Club co-com-
munity leader Gina Mor-
gan reported that they have
15 members exhibiting 54
market and breeding sheep,
15 members exhibiting 45
meat and breeding rabbits,
and two members exhibit-
ing two market hogs. The
club also had exhibitors
who showed horses at the
fair.
“I think the quality of
our animals goes pretty
deep,” Morgan said of the
Sierra contingent. “As a
whole the group should do
well. They’re working their
animals and getting them
ready for the fair instead
of playing video games all
summer.”
Morgan has hosted nu-
merous species showman-
ship practices at her prop-
erty, assisting 4-H and FFA
members in learning more
skills to best show their
project animals. She said
it’s about helping the kids
learn.
“We’vegotagreatgroupof
kids. There’s a lot of unity,”
Morgan said. “They work
together as a group. Every-
body helps each other.”
Sierra 4-H member Hope
Kindred is showing a lamb
and rabbits at the fair. She
provided information about
caring for rabbits and also
showing them at the fair.
She explained that every
week they clean the rab-
bits’ cages and the barn, put
fresh sawdust in the cages,
and feed them grain and
hay. Rabbits are susceptible
to the heat, so keeping them
cool is a must.
“Some people freeze two-
liter bottles (of water) and
the rabbits lean against it,”
she said. “Lop rabbits will
dip their ears in water. Their
ears regulate their body
temperature. The barn is
cool. (We use) fans and oc-
casionally misters.”
She added that at the fair,
the rabbits are cooled by
water cooler type fans.
At the fair, Kindred said
the exhibitors handle the
rabbits for showmanship
but that the rabbits them-
selves are judged in their
own classes in a different
way.
Morgan added that rab-
bit judging is different than
that of livestock judging.
Rabbits are judged on a
table and the judges don’t
know who owns the rabbits,
as there is no identification
of who owns the rabbit. She
said that it’s a fairer system
and the judges use a book
of standards for the various
rabbit breeds.
Sierra 4-H swine exhibitor
Garrett Lang is in his fourth
year of 4-H and will show
his market hog “Trigger”
at the fair. He said that his
goals for his pig right now
are for it to keep cool, keep
eating, and keep growing.
“I hope to have fun and
have (Trigger) sell good and
make market,” he said of his
fair plans.
His younger sister Ka-
triece, exhibiting for the first
time this year, said she’s ex-
cited about showing in the
market and showmanship
classes with her pig “Paris.”
Sierra 4-H swine leader
Larry Winters said that the
Lang kids have learned
a lot about feeding their
hogs this year. He has some
hopes for the young exhibi-
tors and their hogs at the
fair.
“My goal is for Katriece to
Members from Sierra 4-H club
practice sheep showmanship to
polish their skills and present their
lambs to the judge to get ready for
the Stanislaus County Fair.
DAWN M. HENLEY/THE LEADER
YOUNG EXHIBITORS
Ready For Fair
Hope Kindred with her Magpie Black Harlequin, Naomi Ayala with her Black Dutch,
Savannah Larsen with her Broken Havana, and Mackenzie McDonald with her Black
Himalayan practice a showmanship technique with their breeding rabbits to get ready for
showmanship at the fair.
DAWN M. HENLEY/THE LEADER
2013 STANISLAUS COUNTY FAIR
Sierra 4-H member
Garrett Lang helps
his market hog
“Trigger” cool her
feet in a kiddie
pool on a hot day
before the fair.
DAWN M. HENLEY/
THE LEADER
Melissa Thompson practices posing her dairy heifer “Sarabi” for the show ring to show off
the udder for the judge. Thompson exhibits her heifer through Oakdale FFA.
PHOTO COURTESY OF JOLENE THOMPSON
In preparation for the county fair, Orange Blossom 4-H
member Melissa Thompson checks the beak, head, eyes, and
comb of her chicken as part of poultry showmanship practice.
PHOTO COURTESY OF JOLENE THOMPSON
FAIR, Page B2