4-H members were busy prepping their steers today for the upcoming shows at the Big Sky Country State Fair.
18-year-old Cora Baeth has been involved with 4-H for 10 years. Her steer named Roger is getting prepped for these fun shows.
"Today's the market show, so you'll notice a lot of stuff going out in the ring over there. They'll be judging and how the animal looks, how well you lead them out, and they'll get graded on that," Baeth said. "Tomorrow is showmanship and that's graded on the person and how they present and show their steer."
There is a lot that goes into getting a steer like Roger ready for the judges.
"We'll go to the wash racks and scrub as much as you can off, get him nice and clean. Then you blow dry them," Baeth said. "And then you take them back and you want to brush all this hair forward. We're just starting on that."
Baeths friend, 15-year-old Charlotte Steele is also hard at work getting her steer named Cletus ready for the show.
"To prepare him, I practice leading him many, many months in advance, and then once it starts getting hot out, I wash him, get him used to being bathed in blow dried, and then I clip him so he gets trimmed up and looks a lot cleaner," Steele said.
Steele has high hopes for her steer this year.
"This year, I'm really confident with him," Steele said. "He's been my best year physically. He's been my best-tempered steer and he's had a lot more practice showing. So, I think he'll do really, really well."
For Baeth, spending her final fair with fellow 4H kids is bittersweet.
I am really excited for the fair this year. This is my last fair here," Baeth said. "It’s a little surreal like everything's kind of my last time doing it."
You can find the 4H fair schedule at https://gallatincountyfairgrounds.com/events/event-63.
