DD2 had to learn all of this too, just on the opposite end: how to catch and lead a sheep, how to pose them in show stance, how to get them to stand still while in show stance, how to move around them while being assessed by a judge, how to bathe and clip them, how to trim the hooves of her sheep. She also had to learn how to promote them and how to write and send out 'buyer letters', which are letters sent to local businesses and individuals asking them to please attend (and bid on her animals at) the livestock auction at the end of the county fair.
I learned alongside her, or rather, at her side as she first learned all this from her sheep mentors, then taught me how so that I could help her train for the Fair, which is the culmination of this sheep raising project. It has been a really cool experience for me, partially because I have learned new things, but mostly because I have seen my daughter take ownership of something no one else in our family has tried. At this little place here, she is the resident expert on sheep. To say she has really blossomed and matured in the last several months would be a vast understatement.
Walking in the big field.
Getting better at the proper stance.
Look Mom, no halter!
I'm a show sheep now!
(For her age bracket, DD2 must show her sheep without halters,
leading them only by a hand under their chin.)
Learning to stand without a halter.
Learning to get on the grooming stand.
Time for a pedicure!
Clipping off the overgrown part of the hoof.
Can't forget the back feet too!
Hot and wooly lamb, ready for a cooler haircut.
Wielding the electric clippers.
(A much larger version of what she's seen me cut DH's hair with all her life.)
Ahh, so much cooler!
Me walking one of DD2's lambs;
they need exposure to 'strange' things to ready them for Fair, LOL.
K3 helping to bomb-proof DD2's sheep.
So well trained, even a 3 year old can lead them!
Just about ready for the show!
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