Southern Oregon Clinic Packet

Fundamentals of Raising a Market Goat

Presented By Alyse Armstrong

Southern Oregon Livestock Show Field Day

Selection:  For those of you with experience showing other livestock, selecting market goats is somewhat similar to other species. Priorities such as structure, muscle, design, growth potential and bone remain the same when selecting a market goat. Evaluating for muscle is similar to evaluating lambs- you handle the rack, loin, and touch the ribs to check for fat cover. 

Exercise Programs: Once you have purchased a goat, selected a feed, and have the proper facilities, you need to begin considering different exercise programs. First of all, you should consider when you want to start the program; the general rule of thumb is to begin after first weigh in.

Think of your project animal as an athlete, specifically a short distance runner. Short distance athletes tend to have shorter, closer together muscle fibers that bulge-which is type of muscle we want our wethers to have. So in order to make a goat look like a short distance runner, we have to train them like a short distance runner, therefore SPRINTING IS THE BEST FORM OF EXERCISE!!!!!!! 

However, it can be difficult for humans to run wethers fast enough for it to be considered a sprint; so these devices may be used to exercise wethers:

·         Treadmill especially with an incline

·         Track Dog and safe track

·         Four wheeler 

·         Stair stepper

·         Hot Walker 

About two months prior to show, goats should be exercised daily. Programs should be adjusted for your wether specifically, i.e. a wether with too much cover needs more exercise, and a wether with too little needs less exercise. For more info on how to exercise wethers visit http://www.nisd.net/oconnor/organizations/clubs/FFAweb/Goat%20Lamb%20Exercise%20AgreementS.pdf.  

Training: Prior to show, you need to work with your goat and teach it how to lead. Since many goats can be resistant to this, I suggest using a prong collar for initial training and then practicing with a choke chain.  

You will need to practice setting up and bracing your wether prior to showing. You want your wethers legs to make a rectangle when set up in a brace. Initially some goats may be foot shy; to get your wether used to his legs being touched try slowly running your hand down his thigh then onto the lower leg.

Teaching goats how to brace is similar to teaching lambs. If a goat doesn’t want to push into your leg, back them into a wall or off the edge of a trailer. When bracing be sure to hold the head high, and make a 90 degree angle with the head and neck.   

The best form of practice is being in a real show; but to prepare yourself you should practice like it’s a real show and get a parent or friend to play judge. To check if you are bracing correctly, have someone take pictures of you showing and evaluate your position. You may also use a mirror to make sure you are correctly placing the legs.  

Sample Showmanship Questions

Introduction/General Knowledge:  The type and number of questions that will be asked during a showmanship competition vary widely depending on the judge; some judges may ask a large amount of questions, and others may ask few to none. I have organized this packet in order of most commonly asked to least commonly asked questions. While this guide will give you some information on what may be asked in the case of a close competition, the most important thing to study is your own animal! 

Things you should know about your goat prior to show day:

·         Age /DOB

·         Gender (Doe or wether)

·         Breed (Boer, Percentage Boer, or other meat breed)

o   Know if it is a fullblood (100%), pureblood (88% Boer), or a percentage goat 

·         Know your feeding program-what you feed , how much, what supplements and how often

·         Be able to explain what fitting you have done to your wether

·         Weight and Daily average gain

 In the Boer goat industry, there are 3 registration associations; the International Boer Goat Association (IBGA), United States Boer Goat Association (USBGA), and the American Boer Goat Association. It may be helpful to research your judge beforehand and find out if they belong to one of these associations. While the ABGA is the largest association, through my experience in showmanship contests, I have found that USBGA judges are more prone to ask questions about their registration association, so if you know you have a USBGA judge you might want to research their scorecard which can be found at http://www.usbga.org/forms/USBGA_JUDGES_GUIDE_BOOK.pdf. 

Parts/Cuts of Meat: The second most frequently asked type of question in the show ring is parts of the goat. Many judges both ask for parts on a live animal and for cuts of meat. Below are pictures that illustrate parts and cuts you should know.

Pacific Showcase Print vs. Online

Media Blog Project Post #2

Introduction:

The Pacific Showcase magazine (home page http://www.pacificshowcase.com/ ) is a publication that is directed towards youth west of the Rockies who are involved in the livestock showing industry. The magazine is comprised of articles that provide tips for animal management, health, fitting, and showing. One section of the publication that I think sets Pacific Showcase apart is it’s “spot light” on champions from large shows or fairs on the West Coast.  Another important element of the publication is advertisements for specific producers and sales that includes pictures of the ranches best stock in a posed position with a catch phrase and in some cases the breed or bloodlines of the prized animal. These types of advertisements are found in almost all livestock related magazines; in fact many people say that these ads are their favorite part of Pacific Showcase because they enjoy evaluating the livestock and studying the statistics. For example, my livestock judging teammates and I would bring these types of magazines on long trips, put together classes from the pictures, place them, and discuss why we put them in the order that we did. During these exercises, if there was a tie or major disagreement on how the class should be placed, we would have our coach evaluate the pictures and end the dispute.

This publication is given away for free at livestock shows, events, and clinics. Some youth and families also order yearly subscriptions. I began reading Pacific Showcase because I won a yearlong subscription, and became hooked!  

Description:

The primary focus of Pacific Showcase is to give youth involved in showing livestock on the west coast a central publication for information, and a place to give recognition to their achievements. Most of the stories are about animal health, changes in industry policies, and/or articles that offer guidance on how to be a better fitter and showman. Like a recent story titled “Supreme Fill Means Supreme Stock”, which gives instructions on how to get the right amount of fill (also known as fat cover in the flank region). Another example of the types of articles ran in Pacific Showcase is one entitled “Show Your Appreciation”, which gives youth suggestions on how to properly thank parents, advisors, producers, and award sponsors for their help throughout the year.  

This publication is organized around the vast amount of advertisements in it. For example the cover is always a large ad for a upcoming sale, the issue I will be focusing on features the James Bright and Leo Brothers Show Steers upcoming sale. The front cover includes six pictures, and lists some of the awards won by youth who purchased steers from previous sales.  The next six pages are also advertisements, either for other sales, or clipping products. Next is the table of contents which features pictures of youth exhibiting livestock; on the page next to the table of contents, there is yet another advertisement. After that is the letter from the editor, in the issue that I am analyzing the publishing and managing editor discusses how fortunate we are to have so many producers, companies, and other individuals on the west coast that support the livestock show industry. To the left of the “From the Editor” piece is a brief article that explains the cover more in depth. The next six pages are ads, the seventh page is a feature story called “Planning for Success” which gives advice on how to organize your tack, livestock, and yourself prior to a show. The next article (which is prefaced by seven pages of ads) is part of a series entitled “Sittin’ Round the Showbox” by Celeste Settrini, in the article that I am examining she reminds youth to “always remember who brought you to the dance” and to thank those individuals who help young people get started in the livestock industry.  This story is followed by several more pages of ads, and then it features two pages detailing important news in the California Junior Livestock Association (CJLA), as well as giving recognition to members who have accumulated the most points through the CJLA show circuit. The next portion of the magazine is called “Hot Shots”, this is a page dedicated solely to exciting pictures of youth showing. I personally enjoy this section because it shows junior livestock enthusiasts like myself in action, and it’s always fun to see a few familiar faces featured in the “Hot Shots” section!  The next ten pages of Pacific Showcase are dedicated to highlighting the results of junior shows on the west coast; for each major show there are pictures of each division winner along with youth’s name and the name of the judge. The final article featured in this particular issue is called “Showmanship-Getting the Most out of Your Goat” by Judy Kaye; which describes the most efficient way to train and show your goat. The rest of the publication is advertisements for shows, sales, and fitting products.  

Analyze:

The difference between Pacific Showcase and other livestock oriented publications because it is geared towards youth who live west of the Rockies; this is somewhat of a niche market.  

There are a few differences between the print and online version of the publication, including:

1.     The informational articles are blank pages online

2.    The only parts of the magazine that you can view online are the advertisements and CJLA news.

3.    Some ads that are in color in print are black and white online.

Interpret:

As discussed earlier, Pacific Showcase is targeted towards junior livestock showmen whom reside on the west coast.  

The ads in Pacific Showcase are well suited for the type of stories featured; all advertisements are directly related to the livestock industry. The advertisements definitely fit the stories online and in print, in fact most of the ads are exactly the same in both versions.  

This magazine doesn’t include any stereotypes or offensive messages, it is very kid-friendly which is good since the target age is 21 and under. 

Evaluate:

Two of the strengths in the print version include:

1.     The article titled “Showmanship-Getting the Most out of Your Goat” is definitely a strength of this issue. It is a strong point because it does an excellent job of highlighting the steps you need to take to prepare yourself for shows, as well as tips to succeed in the show ring.

2.    The second strength of Pacific Showcase in print is the “Hot Shots” section. This part is a stand out because of the large vivid pictures that draw your attention. It is also highly relatable because many of the photos shown are of situations that many junior livestock enthusiasts have been in.   

Two of the weaknesses in the print version:

1.     I think that having the cover as an advertisement is a weakness. I believe this because while I enjoy looking at some of the ads, seeing one on the cover tells me that every inch of this magazine has been sold-there is no sacred place that hasn’t been infested with advertisements.

2.    The second weakness that I found was on the upcoming events page. The majority of events listed in this column are in California. There are very few shows listed for Arizona, Washington, Idaho, and Utah. This may be attributed to the fact that there are generally more events in California than the other states, but I think this could be combated by reporters doing more research on shows going on.

Two strengths of the online version include-

1.     All of the attractive advertisements that catch people’s attention are still featured in the same form online as they are in print. I think this is strength because quite frankly many people read Pacific Showcase specifically to look at the pictorial advertisements. For example, the pages that include an ads for Kirk Stierwalt’s fitting products and the Mother Lode Club Calf Sale appear exactly the same in print as online, see for yourself at http://issuu.com/pacificshowcase/docs/psaugsept11/1  

2.    Also one of my favorite sections-“Hot Shots” is featured in exactly the same format online as in print. The pictures are still relatively clear, even when you zoom in on the image take a look at http://issuu.com/pacificshowcase/docs/psaugsept11/1

Two of the weaknesses of the online version are-

1.     The informational articles are not featured on the website. Without a subscription, you can’t even view part of one article! I feel this is a very large weakness because stories are the heart of any magazine.

2.    The second weakness I found was that the inserts for registering for CJLA and subscribing to Pacific Showcase become blurry when you read the full sized version. They are almost unreadable which is unfortunate because subscriptions are the main source of income for the magazine and making the registration inserts indistinguishable will hurt business. 

The print version better serves Pacific Showcase’s audience. It includes articles and stories that are relatable and informational for junior livestock showmen. It is also something tangible that youth can pass around at shows or other livestock related events. 

Engage:

Outside of receiving and reading this publication, I am also a fan of Pacific Showcase on facebook. However news from the magazine rarely shows up on my news feed. 

Conclusions:

Through this assignment, I learned that while technology has some advantages, there are some publications that still benefit from traditional media sources.

 To see examples of other online livestock related publications take a look at these links: 

Show Circuit Magazine http://theshowcircuit.com/ 

Purple Circle http://purplecircle.com/ 

The Boer Goat http://www.abga.org/page.php?pageid=28 

Media Blog Project Post 1

It may sound absurd to those unfamiliar with the practice of showing livestock, but a great amount of money is spent on grooming supplies to prepare animals for show.
For my the first part of my assignment, I have decided to stick with the livestock theme my blog currently has. So I will be analyzing an advertisement for Kirk Stierwalt’s Pro-Fit Show Supplies. For those of you who are not familiar with the livestock industry, certain equipment is required for raising animals; from hoof trimmers, and vaccinations that are needed for animal health to combs, stanchions (restraining devices), and adhesives (hair spray for livestock) that are needed to competitively exhibit livestock at a fairs or other types of shows. There are several retailers of this type of equipment, for the past twenty years the most popular has been Sullivan’s Supply (commonly reffered to as Sullivan's), to find out more info check out their website http://www.sullivansupply.com/ .The brand that has consistently come second to Sullivan’s in terms of use is Weaver Leather Livestock; in order to change their popularity ranking, Weaver recently launched a new line of products called Kirk Stierwalt’s Pro-Fit Show Supplies. The new strand of equipment is endorsed by Kirk Stierwalt; who is famous in the livestock show industry due to his experience as a professional cattle fitter and the numerous clinics he teaches across the United States that teach young adults how to fit like a pro.  

Description:The campaign I will be discussing for my media blog project will be the ad for Stierwalt’s Pro Aerosols and Liquids. I found this ad on the Weaver website at ://pro-fitsupply.com/adhesives.html . At the top of the web page, it lists the name of the product line in yellow and black text, the background appears to be wood panelling such as what would be on the outside of a barn, except it is tinted a deep blue. The advertisement features a picture of Kirk Stierwalt using an aerosol adhesive on the tail of steer, next to the picture there is a dialogue bubble that states,
“This new line of adhesives provides novice, intermediate, and experienced fitters a great selection to choose from. With three degrees of adhesive strength, they also do a great job on stiff, fine, or unmanagable hair.. At my clinics, I tell everyone the two general rules that I live by when working with adhesives:
1)the stiffer the hair, the stronger the adhesive needs to be and
2)spray a little, comb a lot.” beneath that it has Kirk Steirwalt’s signature and then a list of 
products and prices.

The products shown above are in Weaver's line of Kirk Stierwalt products

The subject of the ad is familiar to me, and others who are involved in the livestock show industry. I have seen adhesives in other advertisements, in barns, and even used them myself. The person in the picture (Kirk Stierwalt) is also familiar because I have seen him in several other advertisements, and attended one of his clinics. For the narrow audience this ad is directed at he is somewhat of a celebrity.

I originally saw this advertisement in my hard copy of the Pacific Showcase magazine, the website for the magazine is http://www.pacificshowcase.com/. It was a full page ad published in the August/September 2011 issue. It is part of a larger campaign of advertisements.


Analyze: The obvious technique that I see is the famous person testimonial. While the general public may not be familiar with Kirk Stierwalt, he is famous to agriculturalists. In a sense, the ad also plays into the hidden fear effect, from my experience with showing livestock I know that there is nothing more embarrassing than walking into the show ring with an animal that hasn’t been properly fit. The line that says “This line provides novice, intermediate, and experienced fitters with the proper adhesives,” uses the hidden fear effect because it insinuates that only Stierwalt’s line of products can be suitable for any level of expertise, since using a product that is too advanced for your level can be disastrous.

It incorporates the association principle because the name of the line itself is Pro-Fit which suggests that if you use the product you will be able to fit like a professional. Another way it uses the association principle is that Kirk Stierwalt has been extremely successful in showing cattle, so the ad implies that if you use his product you can also be a champion.

The campaign does effectively use the medium of the ad. The entire page is filled and catches your attention as you flip through the magazine.


Interpret: Many ads for livestock supplies simply show the products they are marketing and a catch phrase, i.e. a typical Sullivan’s ad features pictures of their products, and they’re slogan “like no other”. So the Weaver ad with star appeal, a picture of someone using the product, and tips for using the item is definitely unique.

The broad target audience is obviously anyone who shows livestock, specifically I believe it is focused on young cattle showmen. I believe this because the picture of Stierwalt also shows a young lady assist him in fitting the leg of the steer.

In a very subtle way, the advertisement does include a stereotype. Among stock showmen, ladies who show cattle are categorized as being high maintenance. The girl in the ad seems to play into this stereotype, her hair and make up have been perfectly done. I personally do not find this offensive because it is simply suggested.

Evaluate: The strength of this commercial was the uniqueness of it. The ad does what few other livestock companies do in their advertisement, it offers tips on how to fit better. I found the weakness of the ad to be that it doesn’t address that many people have trusted Sullivan’s products for years and therefore think that they are better. A more efficient picture would feature a leg of a cow fitted with Weaver’s that looks much better than the second picture of a leg of a cow fitted with Sullivan’s.

What makes it memorable is that it features Kirk Stierwalt giving advice on how to fit cattle which is highly coveted by showmen.

I think that it does grab the attention of magazine readers because it is different than most other livestock show supply ads. However, it doesn’t totally meet the needs of the target audience because livestock enthusiasts want the best products to fit their animals with, regardless of who endorses what brand. The ad doesn’t even claim to be better than it’s contemporaries.

Engage: While I don’t find the advertisement offensive, I would like to say that my experience with the Kirk Stierwalt Pro-Fit Show Supply line of aerosol adhesives prevents me from giving a glowing endorsement of the products. They do sufficiently keep hair in place, but I am still loyal to the Sullivan’s brand because their products seem to be of higher quality, and actually improve the quality of the hair.

Conclusions: I learned that even if a famous person or professional endorses a product it isn’t necessarily more effective or of higher quality. Since it took me a while to realize that there was a stereotype featured in the ad, I also learned that stereotypes can be very subtly placed in advertisements, perhaps so they are less offensive.

Upper Rogue Independent Article on Showing Clinic

I found this on the Upper Rogue Independent's website, it highlights a clinic where I will be giving a presentation about showing market goats. Pass this along to any youth livestock showmen who may be interested!

Livestock judges and other experts to hold free outfitting, showing animal field day

Local News

Monday, 30 January 2012 14:23

Take note if you are one of the young people who display animal projects. Rainey's Corner Feed is sponsoring the Southern Oregon Show Feed Field Day Feb. 25. The actual event will be held at the Rogue River Ranch show barn at 10725 Table Rock Road beginning at 9 a.m. The event features Clay Weber, judging team coach at LBCC, explaining the selection, fitting and showing of lambs beginning at 9 a. m. sharp. At 11 a. m. Kirk Stierwalt of Stierwalt Show Cattle School will demonstrate the selection, fitting and showing of cattle. Following a $5 lunch to benefit the Sam's Valley Elementary School, Ryan Wajie, shows how to select, fit and show market hogs. And not to be left out, Alyse Armstrong of Dash Acres Farm will demonstrate the showing and fitting of market goats. Running concurrently, Dr. Kevin Burgoon will speak on show lamb nutrition and feed management. That talk will begin at 9 a. m. Following that, show hog nutrition and feed management will be the subject of a talk with Dr. Kevin Burgoon who will be assisted by Ryan Wajie. Beginning at 1:30 p. m. show cattle nutrition and feed management will be the subject of a talk by Dr. Burgoon who will be assisted by Kirk Stierwalt. Dr. Burgoon who will speak on Show cattle nutrition and management again beginning at 3 p. m. The event will end the day at 4:30 p. m. And the best part is that the entire day is free to all participants. Rainey's does ask that you call (541 830-4600) to let them know you are coming so they can plan for the mid-day meal. For this event, Rainey's has brought together some of the best show animal experts in the Industry. The following two days, February 26 & 27, Rainey's hosts the Kirk Stierwalt Clinic, a great educational opportunity for young people who show livestock. For this event, there is a fee of $100 per person or $200 for those who bring their own steer or heifer. This will also be held at the Rogue River Ranch on Table Rock Road. Registration is at Rainey's Feed and Hardware, 4865 Hwy 234, White City. You can call for further information at 541-830-4600. By Ralph McKechnie for the Independent

A Look Inside LBCC's Livestock Judging Team-Second Commuter Article

Alyse Armstrong | Contributing Writer

Contest Day Time-line

• 5:30 a.m. Wake up and get ready
• 6:30 a.m. Leave hotel
• 7:00 a.m. Arrive at Fairgrounds, receive pep-talk from coach
• 7:30 a.m. Get seated in arena, get cards and contestant number
• 7:45 a.m. Get organized into groups
• 8:00 a.m. Begin judging first rotation (6 classes)
• 9:00 a.m. End of first rotation
• 9:30 am Begin judging second rotation (6 classes)
• 10:30 a.m. End of second rotation, be transported to hotel for reasons
• 11:00 a.m. Lunch and begin preparing reasons
• 12:00- 5:30 p.m. Reasons rotation (6 sets)
• 5:45 p.m. Find coach and discuss classes
• 6:30 p.m. Listen to critique and figure out points dropped
• 7:45 p.m. Leave Fairgrounds go to dinner
• 9:15 p.m. Return to hotel, post contest team meeting
• 10:30 p.m. Bed time

    For the past year and a half myself and five other students who participated on LBCC’s Livestock Judging Team have endured many days like the time-line above.

For those of you whom have never heard of livestock judging, it is a competition in which students from schools across the country individually evaluate classes of livestock, that have been judged by a committee of professionals who decide the official placing and decide how many points students should be docked for not placing the class as the officials did.

    There are four animals in each class and contestants rank the animals from best to worst. Species that are evaluated in livestock judging include beef cattle, sheep, swine, and occasionally goats. Certain classes at each contest are designated as ‘reasons classes;’ this means that students must create and give an oral presentation to one of the officials that describes the animals in the class and then explains why they were placed in the class the way they did.

     An entire livestock judging contest normally takes about eight hours and is mentally grueling. Awards are given both to individuals and teams who excel in individual species, and oral reasons.

Students begin training as freshman, and work diligently to improve their skills for a full year before they begin to compete in contests as sophomores. To prepare for livestock judging contests, teams must practice evaluating livestock and giving oral reasons several times a week and must sacrifice several weekends to improving their skills.

    Most competitions are held thousands of miles away from Oregon and require the team to spend quite a bit of time missing school in order to travel and compete. With a significant amount of practice and traveling across the country to several different competitions, team members are extremely busy and have little time for homework.

    The Linn-Benton Livestock Judging Team began their season this year before Fall term began by attending a competition in Wichita, Kansas; where they won the beef cattle division and placed fourth overall.

    Excited about their success and wanting to maintain their competitive edge the team practiced relentlessly and pushed one another to be the better. One of the larger competitions LBCC’s team participates in is the North American International Livestock Exposition which is hosted in Louisville, Kentucky.

    At the Louisville contest, the team was ninth in oral reasons, and sheep, and were tenth in beef and overall. Pleased with their success LBCC’s team spent two weeks over winter break practicing, and worked harder than ever to perfect their skills. During the first week of winter term, Linn-Benton’s Livestock Judging Team traveled to Denver, Colorado for the National Western Stock Show their final and toughest competition.

    The team had a great day in Denver, they were 9^th overall, 4^th in sheep and goats, and Cody Lacy was fifth in the car load contest.

    Over the course of the season, the team bonded and gained a sense of comradery both in and outside of practice. Drawn together by their busy schedules, competitive nature, sleep deprivation, and most importantly their love of the livestock industry the LBCC Livestock Judging Team began to view each other as family.

    While many of you may not know much about livestock judging, you should know this, it is an activity that challenges critical thinking skills, improves public speaking, teaches life skills, draws teams together, and has a practical application to real life in the agricultural industry.

I show

My roommate introduced me to this poem and I instantly fell in love with it. It perfectly describes what it means to have a passion for showing livestock, and I thought it might be useful for those of you who are not familiar with the livestock industry. I was not able to find the author of this poem.


I show.....
...and I am the definition of dedication.
...I have felt the despair of "the gate" and I know that I don't want that feeling again, and
...I have experienced the gratification of the handshake and I know that I want that feeling again, again, and again!
...I believe that fitters are actually artists in Wranglers and Rockports.
...I have been to the first pen and I am going back for more!
...I can see the beauty in a rock-solid "brace" and the grace in a "good drive."
...And my favorite color is PURPLE!
...If I have to, I'll sort through 1,000 head and drive as many miles unil I find "The One."
...There is magic in my step, skill in my hands, and electricity in my step.
...And while my classmates are watching TV and playing video games, I am feeding and weighing and exercising and planning and practicing.
...and if Mom's got the video camera and Dad's got a worried look it must be SHOWTIME!
...I know that if it's to be, it's up to me.
...I know the REAL value of groovy tops, jacked fronts, crisp loin edges, and sexy curves.
...I know the best place to watch Grand Drive from is in the Ring!
...I will avoid corners and "low spots" at all costs.
...I can talk the talk and walk the walk and I'm not stopping until I grab the banner!
...After God, my family, and my country, my stock comes next.
...And if you need to find me ... I will be in the barn!!!

I SHOW..... Therefore I AM!!!!

LBCC's Equestrain Club- First Commuter Article

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LBCC’s Equestrian Club

Published on January 23, 2012

By Alyse Armstrong/Contributing Writer

                Jenny Strooband has been the Equestrian Team Coach at Linn-Benton Community College, for the last ten years. For the last six of those ten she has coached students all the way to the national competition!  This year’s Equestrian Team Captain is Levi Comerford.

                LBCC’s Equestrian team competes through the Intercollegiate Horse Show Assocaition (IHSA). IHSA is comprised of several different regions that host shows for other teams in their region to attend. Linn-Benton is the only community college in the region, so they mostly compete against universities. The teams in their region are from Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. LBCC hosted a contest on November 21^st of this year; the competition is also the team’s fundraiser. Most of the shows are formatted exactly the same and Jenny said each show they attend is a lot of fun.

There are two kinds of equestrian teams; the first is Hunt Seat Equitation, which has eight levels based on experience. The most basic level is beginner for riders with little experience, and the most advanced level is open hunt seat.  LBCC has a smaller Hunt Seat Equitation Team this year with a total of six members .They have competed in a few shows and are looking forward to their two remaining competitions.

                The second team is Western Horsemanship, there are six levels the beginning level is walk/jog and the most advanced is open reigning. The Western Horsemanship Team competes in the fall, and is already done for the year. They were awarded third place out of the nine teams in the region.

                Being a member of the LBCC Equestrian Team is advantageous to students in several ways. First of all, it is a co-curricular team that encourages sportsmanship and teamwork. Team members also get a good amount of  free riding time, professional instruction, and access to well trained horses which is difficult for many college students due to lack of funds.

                Strooband informed me that while being on the Equestrian Team is an amazing opportunity, it can be difficult at times. Most shows are held on back to back weekends, each show generally means a sixteen hour day for contestants. Not only can this be very tiring but it also gives students little time to complete homework.

                For those of you who are interested in getting involved with Linn-Benton’s Equestrian Team try outs for the next competitive year will be the second week of classes for fall term 2012. Anyone is welcome to try out regardless of experience, in fact beginners are encouraged!