Working the hair on an Angus show heifer begins the day she arrives in her new home.
Brushing your heifer daily will pay off not only in the short term (keeping her healthy), but will also make a huge difference in her appearance come show day.
Brush your heifer at least once a day.
Move the brush gently but firmly over her body and then use your hands to further loosen the dead hair.
Go over her again with the brush to remove the dead hair and expose the new, softer hair underneath.
Wash her once a month with a mild soap or detergent.
The goal on show day is to have your heifer looking sharp! Every exhibitor (you) should learn the art of fitting from an experienced individual.
Watch and learn and then practice the techniques yourself until you are confident and skilled to do the entire process on your own.
There is a real art involved with trimming and clipping your heifer in order to show off her best physical features.
The last thing any exhibitor wants to do is to clip too much or too little, drawing attention to those areas that would otherwise be camouflaged by a good fitting job.
Three Weeks Prior to Show Day · Body clip all areas on your heifer that won't be clipped close on the day of the show, excluding the topline.
· Clip against the lay (grain) of the hair for the best results.
· Clip the underline.
Two or Three Days Prior to Show Day Working the hair on an Angus show heifer is a bit different than other breeds.
· Clip the face back to the point of her jaw.
· Don't clip the eyelashes, ears, or the hairs on her nose.
· Do clip over the poll to the point of the halter.
· Clip the break in the twist (tail) to the heifer's tailhead.
Ultimately, the tail should blend seamlessly with the rest of the heifer's body.
· If the tailhead is too low, don't clip it at all.
However, if the tailhead is too high, clip until it is level with the heifer's topline.
· Clip the hind legs inside and out.
· The topline requires special attention and should only be done by an experienced fitter or by the exhibitor after seeing it done several times.
Show Day · Give your heifer a good scrub and rinse (twice).
Allow plenty of time for her to dry completely prior to her arrival in the show ring.
Take special care not to get any water in her ears or she may tilt her head to one side during the show.
· Clean wax from her ears with a damp, soft rag.
· Clean her hooves using a wire brush.
· Brush her hair down with a soft bristle brush.
Using a brush and a hair dryer, brush the topline hair up and then secure it into place with hair spray.
You many need a second set of hands for this part.
· Is the topline straight? If not, clip it until it is.
· If there are any scuffed areas (knees), apply talcum powder lightly to cover those imperfections.
· Make your heifer's coat shine with a light misting of a mixture of rubbing alcohol and mineral oil.
Enjoy how beautiful your heifer looks and do your best to keep her looking sharp until she enters the show ring.