4-H Goat Show draws a large crowd

COSHOCTON – The bleachers were full as family and friends gathered to cheer on the many participants in the 4-H Goat Show. The event was held Saturday, Oct. 1 at the Coshocton County Fair. Many of the youth had shown goats before and were comfortable showing their animals. At times, the goats seemed to want more attention than they were getting and jumped around their handlers.

McKenna Collins is 13 and this is her fifth year showing goats. When asked why she chose to show goats, she said her grandpa had experience with goats and she thought that this would help her do better competing. She enjoys working with her goats and said it is fun to walk around the arena with her goats. Collins has become more knowledgeable about goats every year that she shows them. She had to learn the name of every body part of her goat and be ready to answer any questions the judges may have. Her least favorite part of showing goats is selling them, but says she tries not to get too attached. The money she receives from the sale of her projects is put into a savings account for college or a car. Collins said she loves being in 4-H and brings sewing and art projects to the fair, in addition to her goats.

Her mom, Tiffany Arden, said she is really proud of all of the hard work her daughter has put into all of her 4-H projects.  Collins had a huge group of family cheering for her as she showed her goat in several classes. Her grandparents, Mike and Lisa Cutshall, also shared how proud they are of Collins and they are excited to see how much she grows and learns through 4-H.

Another participant in the goat show was Lindsey Ashcraft. She is 14 and this is her seventh year showing goats. She chose to follow in her brother, Michael’s, footsteps and show goats at the fair. Her family also has a goat farm. She said the hardest part of showing goats is finding enough time to work with them. Goats take a lot more dedication than some of the other animal projects. Ashcraft said the best part of showing goats is watching her goats grow and mature throughout the year and see how much progress they make.

Ashcraft also said that it’s fun to show goats because she has so many friends that show goats, too. Part of showing animals is a skill-a-thon and she thinks this gets easier for her each year because of her experience. This year, she got a perfect score at her skill-a-thon.

Angie Ashcraft, Lindsey’s mom, said 4-H has helped her daughter learn leadership skills and that she has progressed through many of the offices in her 4-H club. She also thinks that 4-H encourages youth to learn social skills and that these are both skills her daughter will need throughout her life.

Before the goat show began, participants could invite a child who was too small for 4-H to “show” their goat. Collins helped Emma Bechtol, 4, show her goat Clover. Bechtol was proud to show off the medal she got and said that walking the goat through the cones was the best part.

As each class left the arena, the judge took the microphone to share why she picked the goats as she did. She offered tips for the participants so they could improve their handling of their goats and how to show – off the animal to catch a judge’s attention.

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