Rescue, California
Age 9, 1973, was my first year in 4-H and my project was Dairy Goats. Even though Mandy and Surita were well past the one year age mark of maturity for breeding, we had not yet found a suitable buck. We were looking forward to having our own goat milk. We bought Candy, a big reddish-brown Nubian, from a lovely goat lady named Oma who lived on the outskirts of Sacramento. Candy gave birth to triplet does on 3/3/73: Bo Peep, Tinker Bell, and Desert Honey. Overnight, our dairy goat herd had doubled.
Bo Peep was my kid. Our 4-H project lead spent a great deal of time with the students to learn proper showmanship etiquette. In June at the El Dorado County Fair, the novice showmanship class was enormous. In the final round of exercises, the class was lined up. I was first in line; Bo Peep perfectly positioned. When the goats would stand perfectly still and start to chew their cud, it was a nice indicator that your goat was relaxed.
Just before the judge was about to declared the winners. Bo Peep playfully butted me. I lost my balance, ending up on my butt. I quickly resumed my place next to my kid. When the judge gave her placement review—I was the 1st place Novice Showmanship winner—the judge said something about my performance was clearly exceptional… “Oh, except the moment of inattention that landed her in the sawdust.” I was embarrassed to have my flaw mentioned over the loud speaker. Even with the call out, I’ve never forgotten the pride I felt, accomplishing something all on my own.
Age 14, 1978, I was a 4-H junior leader for dairy goats project and I taught the younger kids how to handle their animals in the show ring.
A student, a 9 year old girl, won 1st place in novice showmanship the same year that I won 1st place in senior showmanship. I was competing against the multi-year veteran winner, a recent high school graduate. A nice bookend to my 4-H career showing Dairy Goats. I enjoyed the joy I saw radiating from my student. I didn’t know my kids had been listening.