Things We Learned at the Fair

We learned that Yanni liked the hay that was all around her, but none of it that was in front of her.  She stole from her new friends on the right and from her new friends behind her, but she refused her own hay after her taste testing!  Lucky for her, her new pals liked her hay and their owners were kind enough to share with her...  one of those literal "the grass is always greener" things!

We learned that the arena is much bigger than we imagined - much bigger!  It even had a big screen TV....not that we noticed once we were in the ring. 

We learned that you can hurt someone with the show stick (should have practiced lots more walking with it).  You can poke someone's eye out with those things.  Yanni did well despite my poor handling.

We learned that we won first place in the Late Heifer class and Young Heifer Reserve Champion!

And again, most importantly, we learned that we were surrounded by awesome Dexters and Dexter breeders who share of their time, expertise and hay (thanks to you all!).  Our sincerest thanks to all our Dexter friends who helped us before, during and after the Fair.  It was the perfect learning experience and we can't wait to do it again - regardless of the outcome.

Dexters in the Mist

When we first got up this morning, our entire world was gray.  We could barely see past the edge of our deck.  It's getting lighter now - a little.  Stepping outside, we could hear the gentle calling of Dexters trying to find one another.......like a game of Marco Polo. 

A Great Dexter Day

Labor Day was spent with new and old Dexter friends learning more grooming/clipping skills for showing.  The beauty parlor was open for business!  We set up the cow wash (aka the grooming chute) in as much shade as we could find.  Pete and Kristie trailered two of their show prospects as our "show and tell" subjects.  Jim and Peggy made a return visit to teach/remind us how to prepare Dexters for showing.  After showers and blow drys, hair was flying as the clippers (and kids) performed magic! 

We can't show at the N.I.L.E. this year due to other commitments, but there will be lots of beautifully groomed Dexters in Billings - no question about that!

Dexter burgers, peaches and Dexter cream, and banana <dexter>cream pie were on the menu as we all relaxed after our most enjoyable learning experience!  Thanks so much to Jim and Peggy for driving down from South Dakota.  Not only do we love our Dexters, but we also feel so fortunate that Dexter breeders are so generous with both time and knowledge!

Weaning is Loud!

We separated the last three calves yesterday for weaning.  Oh! the noise.  It was very cool last night and very loud with the windows open.  Bawling babies and crying mommas make for a long night for all of us.

Fenceline weaning is our way of trying to keep the stress levels down for both moms and kids, but it doesn't lower the decibel level at all.

The kids got fitted for halters today.  They get tied off to the fence post for a while to help them figure out that they can't get away.  Yellowstone figured it all out quickly and was really calm.

Daddy 'Dance came over to tell him that it would be okay......

Harper was so relaxed that he didn't even run away after he'd been untied.  He wasn't too interested in his feed though.  We know that will change soon enough!

Results

More about showing at the Nebraska State Fair in another post.  Suffice it to say that we were thrilled with Yanni's performance and our results.  The real result, though, was a wonderful few days with other Dexter owners who unselfishly shared their time and expertise throughout our entire "first timer" experience.  We say thanks to all of you!