Youth wranglers have dedication

By Jessica Coleman -- Daily Staff Writer

FRONT ROYAL — Sheep showmanship. Try saying that five times fast.

As hard as it is to say, it's even harder to do. Just ask the participants in the 4-H sheep competitions Thursday.

"It's a lot of hard work," said Dani Murphy, 18, of Front Royal.

"A lot of time," concurred Alayna McEathron, 12, of Front Royal.

Some were white, some were black, but all the sheep at the Warren County Fair this year were sheared because it helps the judges to see the muscle tone and the build of the animal, Murphy said.

When asked what it takes to successfully show sheep, Heather Vaught, 16, of Front Royal, replied, "a lot of muscle". But as she wrangled her lamb into submission, it was hard to tell if she was describing the requirements for herself or the animal.

All of the youth that showed their lambs worked to keep the animals' heads high and present them to the judge the best way possible. Keeping the animals still, while holding their heads and positioning their legs, is a big job, and the kids who handled them said they work at it a lot.

Melissa Lloyd, 17, of Front Royal, said the most important thing when raising sheep is to give them lots of exercise. Most of the children said they walk their animals at least once a day to keep them in good condition.

"You want to exercise them a lot because lambs have a tendency to gain more fat than muscle," she explained.

As for the steps to becoming a winning sheep showman, Will Richards, 12, of Bentonville, said the beginning is easy.

"First you've got to get one," he said, pragmatically.

Shearing, worming, feeding and watering the animals also come with the territory when raising these animals, Alayna said, after wiping off her pink cowboy boots and waiting to go in the show ring.

Winning is important, Murphy said, because it shows who the best is, and she and Alayna said they watch the other youths that show to pick up tips.

"Winning tells you you did good this year," Alayna said. "Whatever you did this year you should do again."

During the showmanship competition, Judge Robert Herr asked the participants in the senior class to switch sheep, so that he could judge them with an animal they weren't used to. He also asked them questions to make sure they were a part of raising the animals. Herr said it is important for the children to be hands-on handlers.

"All you kids trained your lambs very well," he announced toward the end of the competition.

But Lloyd said the journey from raising a sheep, training it, and showing it in the ring is a long one, fraught with hard work.

"I consider this a full-time job," she said. "It's like being a full-time mom."

Lloyd took first place in Overall Sheep Showmanship. Chris Atkins showed the Grand Champion Market Lamb. Alayna McEathron's ewe took home the title of Grand Champion Breeding Lamb.

* Contact Jessica Coleman at jcoleman@nvdaily.com