For over 15 years, Emily Miller has been on the end of a microphone, evaluating and sorting livestock shows, showmanship being her specialty. Emily has evaluated showmanship across the country and in the last 18 months she has judged at NAILE, Colorado State Fair, State Fair of West Virginia and county fairs in multiple other states. However, as a new “show mom” to a young boy, she has really put her abilities to the test to teach him the basics and focus on the starting point of good showmanship. With a wealth of experience, knowledge and a newfound perspective brought on by teaching her own children, Emily shared her best advice on what makes great showmen great.

ASSESS… THE SITUATION AHEAD OF TIME.

Before the show even starts, or within in the first couple heats, evaluate the ring set up which includes holding pens, placing pens, size of the ring, who the judge is and where you’ll exit the ring. Even at a big show, ringmen are greatly outnumbered by showmen so it is a tremendous help if showmen know how the flow of the show will go that day. This also provides a good opportunity to assess WHO the judge is and WHAT he or she looks like, so you know who you should be directing your attention towards as you first step into the ring.

THE BASICS… THAT CAN’T BE OVERLOOKED.

Keep your eye on the judge. Maintaining good eye contact with the judge throughout the class will increase the opportunity for acknowledgement and reinforcing you know what is going on and where the judge might be moving. Eye contact is great, but for me when I’m judging, it shouldn’t come at a cost of neglecting your animal or running into tight spaces. Pay attention to your surroundings and notice where the gaps are forming. 

Keep the pig between you and the judge. “A PIG SANDWICH” is a great way to teach kids where the pig should be. For more experienced showmen, work on turning the pig and maintaining that order even when in a turn motion. Sometimes this can trip kids up, so it is best to practice at home with turning into the judge, turning away from the judge, turning to front view and turning off a rear view. 

Keep the pig moving. Show pigs are best evaluated on the move. Practice at home on a comfortable pace for you and your partner. More experienced showmen should also be able to vary their speeds - faster when they are trying to get to a spot, slower when you might be hanging back a little bit. Speed and endurance are important to ensure you can outlast your competitors. Work on walking them 30 minutes by target show date; you will need to work up to this at home start with 10, 15, 20 minutes, etc. 

GAME TIME. 

Holding pens = GO. Arrive to your class early. The show starts before you’re in the ring. It really depends on the holding pen situation - are you in separated pens or is it a group holding situation? Regardless, you will need to be paying attention to what is going on around you. Set up your partner to have their head toward the front of the pen so when your gate is open you are ready to go! 

Whip control. How much is too much? How much is too little? A quiet whip and an animal without too many marks on it shows the teamwork needed. Time and time again, the more the pig starts to act up, the louder a whip gets in the showman’s hands. Practice nice soft taps that are directing your project and maintaining control. 

Heads up. There are no shortage of tips and tricks to keep a pig’s head up, but the consensus of them all is that pigs look best when on the move and their head is up. This will start coming out of the holding pens strong and not letting your partner sniff around too much. Pigs are natural rooting animals, so we have to practice them wanting to defy instincts to check out their new surroundings. You’ll have to spend time at home developing trust with your show pig to achieve this to the fullest degree. 

Comfortable distance but stay in eyesight. This builds on top of when you assess your ring ahead of time. Is the ring small? Large? Narrow? Wide? You’ll have to do some diagnostic work to think about where you could get put in a tight space or too far away from the judge. For a lot of judges being too close is just as detrimental as being too far away, and vice versa. This is one of those personal preferences that can vary based on who is in the ring. One thing we all tend to agree on is we can’t judge you if you’re behind us! Make sure to stay in front of the judge at all times. If you do find yourself looking at their back, be quick to get in their eyesight and then in front of them. 

Have a plan. Showmanship is about you and your partner demonstrating the partnership you two have together that showcases control and presentation. Showing lots of angles and not turning too tight are two ways that you are judged on this in showmanship. Wide turns to keep the pig comfortable in the ring and showing the judge views of your pig is crucial. As a judge, I’m able to evaluate your project easily when I get a chest, side and rear view right out of the gate. Practice at home a system, or outline, of how to accomplish this so you can execute that in the ring. 

Adapt that plan if needed. There’s more than just you in a showmanship class. You’ll have to be able to maneuver around the ring, and other showmen with their animals, while still hitting marks of your own. The showmen that do this the smoothest with a quiet whip will come out on top for the day. 

Livestock shows are based on one person’s opinion on one given day. Our industry is blessed with qualified livestock evaluators who also have personal preferences of their own. Be true to yourself and your style of showing pigs. Most importantly, HAVE FUN! It is a privilege to show livestock and we should treat every trip to the ring as just that.