The Garfield County Fair offers a wide range of fun family activities that suit both youth and adults. In addition, the fair allows each of them the chance to showcase various talents and abilities with the opportunity to be judged and credited for their work with prizes.
One event that seems to draw a large amount of people each year is the Livestock Show — an event that not only takes bringing your best show animal, but also an immeasurable amount of hard work, dedication, patience, effort, and of course, time. Though in the end, it is undoubtedly rewarding in more ways than one.
Ryley Veater, a senior at Panguitch High School, saw the great rewards of her efforts as she participated.
Ryley became interested in the Livestock Show in 2012 when her older brother, Daltyn, was given a sheep as a gift. As she watched him bond with his animal, she realized that she too wanted this same bond. Quickly she realized the benefits of her participation and stated this:
“Being a part of this fantastic organization has blessed me with responsibility, knowledge, skills, leadership and personal development.”
As one who is not extremely familiar with event, I learned from Ryley what exactly the judges are looking for in an animal, specifically a sheep:
- structure
- the balance between the body length
- depth
- width
- wool quality
- overall finish
In order to achieve each of these qualities in her animals, Ryley sets aside time each week that she dedicates to each of them — teaching them the necessities of perfect showmanship, which include:
- halter breaking (the animal learns to be comfortable wearing a halter & allows both of you to gain a respect and trust in the other)
- leading (using gentle pressure in the halter to teach your animal to respond)
- show-ring preparation (teaching them the basics of the show ring & getting comfortable with any tools that will be used — for example, a show stick)
- grooming (doing what you can to ensure that your animals looks it’s very best — a shiny and healthy coat is valuable to the judges eyes)
Clearly Ryley has worked extremely hard and gives us this insight of the benefits of participation in the Livestock Show:
“Preparing and showing your animals can be an enriching and educational experience for youth. While preparing your animals, you must also prepare yourself as a showman.”
Ryley continued, “One of the simple things you can do is set goals for yourself and your animals. You have something to work toward when you place a high goal, which can be a motivating factor.
“Once you have put in the hard work of training your animals and perfecting your handling techniques, you show the animal and display your skills. Yes, to win the belt buckles and ribbons is always the ultimate goal, but the amount of life lessons you learn in a week is more valuable than the money and awards. This is simply an opportunity that provides youth developing attributes that will serve them throughout their lifetime and allow them an opportunity to bless the lives of others.
“I will forever be grateful for my family, the Garfield County Livestock Board, the buyers that have shown generosity, the fantastic youth I get to grow with, the memories made, and experiences that will last a lifetime,” Ryley said.
As you can see there are so many benefits of raising your own animals, building a bond and seeing the success that both you and your animal achieve together. Along with many other youth, Ryley was able to find this success and reap the rewards of her dedication and effort.
The Garfield County Fair, the Livestock Show, and all other activities and events associated with it are a key part of our community — teaching lessons that can not be learned anywhere else as it allows youth to be and showcase their own unique and talented self.
– by Hailee Eyre (18) Panguitch
Feature image caption: Ryley Veater shares a special bond with her show cow. Courtesy Ryley Veater.
Hailee Eyre – Panguitch
Hailee Eyre is a journalist at The Byway. She attended Southern Utah University in the fall and is pursuing a career in the medical field. Her favorite topics to write about are those that intend to inspire others, providing motivation as means to better yourself or the world around you. In her free time, Hailee loves to be outdoors, whether it be hunting, fishing, boating or hiking.
Hailee is currently serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Pennsylvania and New York Church History Sites Mission.