For over a year now I have been contemplating entering a sheep or two in the Midwest Stud Ram Sale in Sedalia, Missouri. The show takes place every summer in June. One day it feels right to enter the show; the next day it seems laughable. Rowdy Mountain Farm has a nice line of Katahdins that I am proud of, so when April rolls around I decide to go for it. Time to enter. Time to show sheep. That means it’s time to begin halter training.
I have shown dogs for over twenty years at American Kennel Club events. Therefore, I have some experience showing animals. I was also a 4-H show mom as my daughter grew up showing a variety of animals (horses, dogs, chickens, and even a pigeon) at county and state fairs for what seemed like a million years. Even with all this animal showing experience under my belt, I still feel naive about sheep showmanship. I really know little to nothing about the art of showing sheep.
Research Galore
I feel possessed with the desire to learn. I gather books off my shelf that might be helpful in my quest. Showing Sheep For Pleasure or Profit; Showing Sheep: A Selecting, Raising, Fitting and Showing Guide and Your Sheep: A Kid’s Guide to Raising and Showing are the books that I eagerly skim through. I open the kid’s book first, since I figure it is in language that would be simple enough for me to understand, I thumb through the pages to gain expertise.
Then I move on to an internet search. Google: halter training. Google: leading sheep. Next, Google: washing a sheep. And then, Google: bracing, fitting, tools, etiquette, grooming……Google, Google, Google.
It’s important to realize that the videos make the training process look quite simple. First, put the halter on the lamb and tie it to a place that it won’t get hurt. Do this for several days and presto, you have a halter broke lamb. Second, take one step at a time. Walk slowly. Praise the lamb for each step, for each positive achievement. Feed it treats. Easy peasy! Third, pick up the lamb’s legs above the hocks to set them in the correct position. Up and down. Stick it! Then the lamb walks onto the livestock stand and the washing is instantaneously complete. No problem. At last, the lamb is ready to be shown. I am prepared.
According to my research, training a lamb is effortless. Well, did I mention that i am training a yearling ram? Furthermore, a yearling ram plus three. Yes siree bob. One, two, three, four yearling rams that range from one hundred seventy pounds to two hundred twenty pounds to train for the Midwest Stud Ram Sale. That’s slightly different than handling a 60-pound baby lamb.
LAMBS VS. RAMS? Which would you prefer to train?
Halter Training – The Catch
In the beginning I think halter training shouldn’t be too intimidating. Put the halter on and let the ram stand. That’s the vision I have in my head.
Red B (RB) waits patiently in his pen until I enter.
Then off we go. Round and round we go as I chase the massive monster to a standstill. His head bucks up. His head swings around. He spins on his hooves like he’s a versatile receiver at the Super Bowl. His changing directions throws me off balance. I grab at the air. Wherever RB moves I’m right behind him. He can’t outsmart me.
Suddenly, bonk! He crashes into the side of the pen. Finally, I pin Red Boy between my body and the wall. The nylon halter slips over the ram’s nose and behind his ears. I let out a sigh of relief. Got you! I take a peak at my master work only to giggle. Backwards. Of course. Off goes the halter and RB is on the loose again.
The next time I trap him he bleats as I shove the halter chin strap into his mouth instead of under his chin.
Oops! Human error. I meticulously adjust the halter to the correct position. I’m ready to tie the enormous rascal to the fence to give him the feel of the new facial restraint.
All tied up
Despite the complications I encounter with the training, I continue with the halter breaking process. Here we go!
I keep reading about being patient. Use a quick release knot. Make sure not to tie the lamb too tight or too loose. Don’t leave the lamb unattended. A tight halter could cut off the air supply. A long length of the lead is dangerous as a lamb could tangle up in the rope restraint if it fights. How will Red Boy act?
Clearly this yearling is not obedient. He has absolutely no intention of behaving. Coming up on fifteen minutes, the reccomended practice time, RB is still bucking around. Throwing his head to the right and to the left. What energy! I refuse untie him until he is calm. I figure we’ll be here all night. At least I have the chores to keep me busy.
As I feed the other rams, they calmly eat their grain. That’s it! Of course grain can be a calming agent. I shove a handful into Red Boy’s face. At last the dispute between the young yearling ram and the halter stop. He focuses on the grain in my hand. For a moment he is tranquil. I unhalter him, pick up a bucket, and RB follows me back to his pen.
With one ram on his way to becoming a “halter trained,” three others are waiting in the wings to be educated in the art of wearing a halter. Impossible or attainable?
Check out Showing Sheep 101: Walking On.
