The National Livestock Show at Tullamore will be thronged with young cattle enthusiasts from all corners of the country on 9 August. They are really spoilt for choice, with no less than 18 young handler classes scheduled to take place on the one day.

A platform such as this gives children and teenagers a superb opportunity to showcase their skills in showing, handling and presenting an animal in the ring.

Some will have participated in young handler classes at their local shows or workshops already this year and will be eager to raise the bar a little further at Tullamore. For others, it might be their first time to compete in a young handlers’ class and they might feel a little apprehensive about what lies ahead. But the only way to get experience in handling and to keep learning is to compete in the ring with your peers. You will learn more by participating inside the ring than from standing outside and looking on.

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Through no fault of your own, things can go wrong but, when they do, you will be a little wiser on how to handle and rectify a situation, if it were to happen again on a different day. That’s how you gather experience.

Enter the show ring with a mentality of excellence – look your best, perform to your best and graciously accept the outcome. If you do all three, you shouldn’t go away disappointed regardless of the result. Hopefully, you will walk away having really enjoyed yourself and gained some invaluable experience.

Apart from participation and competing, it is so important to enjoy yourself and even smile. The virtue of sportsmanship is something that should be grasped at a young age.

With regard to the animal, the key is to have your calf well trained. Undoubtedly, it does make life a lot easier, particularly if it’s your first day out and you might be a little nervous. If your calf is a little flighty in the ring, try and keep your composure. Tighten up the halter and let him know you are in charge.

Some young handlers’ classes specify that the animal has to be under 12 months old. So there is no point turning up to the ring with your in-calf heifer or 15-month-old bull.

Schedule

Check the show schedule at www. tullamoreshow.com to familiarise yourself with the requirements of the young handler class that you are going to enter. Some classes specify what you will be judged on, and award a certain number of points to each element of the scoring sheet. For example, 10 pints might be awarded to presentation of the handler (dress code); 30 points to general knowledge of the breed and your animal; 30 points for nutritional requirements of a show animal and 30 points for animal presentation and handling ability in the ring.

Don’t come to the ring without knowing the sire, age and characteristics of the breed or the breed cross in the case of a commercial animal. But if you are slightly older, be ready for any question that relates to agriculture.

Above all, don’t forget to bring your spotlessly clean white coat, your shirt and tie and, of course, your stick on the morning of the show. Put them in the car or jeep the night before.

The timing of the young handler classes at Tullamore Show varies throughout the day. For those who might be participating in more than one class, it might be worth checking in with the ring stewards or even the breed societies when you arrive on site. There is so much going on at the same time that it can be easy to lose focus, particularly if the handling class is taking place in a ring that is a distance away from your base.

Many of the breeds will stage their own young handler classes at Tullamore on 9 August. These include one in the Jersey section, two in Shorthorns (under 14 years and 14 to 18 years), three in Holsteins (under 14 years; 15 to 19 years and 20 to 26 years); one in Herefords (12 to 18 years); two in Simmentals (12 to 15 years and 16 to 21 years); two in Charolais (12 to 16 years and 17 to 25 years); two in the Belgian Blue ring (under 12 years and 12 to 16 years); one in Beef Shorthorn (12 to 18 years); two in the commercials (12 to 16 years and 17 to 26 years) and one in the sheep section (16 years or under). There is also a pedigree young stockperson class (under 16 years) scheduled for 10am.