For a group of young 4-H’ers, the goat showmanship contest was a test of how well they could keep a fidgety collection of animals, which often had a mind of their own, still enough for a judge to inspect them.
Lots of preparation and time spent with her goat, Charlotte, was key to doing well in the competition, 10-year-old Madison Luse said. This is the second year she’s been involved in 4-H, she said.
Luse and Charlotte won the goat showmanship competition for her age class on Monday.
The key to helping Charlotte stay calm and not fidgety was the bond they were able to build right away, she said.
Luse got to watch when Charlotte, an American Alpine goat, was born in March, something she was really looking forward to.
“I was hoping for a girl,” Luse said.
Since then, she has cared for the goat, including playing with her, she said. The weather this spring got so cold that she had to puts boots on Charlotte to keep her warm, Luse said.
Before coming to the fair, Luse made sure to do practice runs with Charlotte, going through all that they would do in the showmanship competition.
