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VAGMA Annual Show and CAGBA Annual Show, Lewisburg WV, June
2004
I took my two 2004 kids to the annual Virginia Angora Goat and Mohair
Association (VAGMA) meeting to see
what I could learn. The National Colored Angora Goat Breeders Association
show was co-hosted at this show, so there were plenty of national contenders for
me to meet and learn from.
At the time, the kids were just under three months old, so I took their moms
along too for support and nursing. I was so proud and silly, I rented a
separate pen for each doe-kid pair and hung laminated signs on each one saying
"Giant Cricket Farm Presents: " with their pictures and names. I took a
whole bale of hay and two bales of straw, which was serious overkill for four
goats at a three-day event. I did remember water buckets for each pen,
too.
The show judge, Joe David Ross, was fantastic. He spent time with each
owner explaining what he was looking for in the conformation, fleece, and
color. He always had something positive to say, even when explaining how
one goat was not quite as good as another.
The show was organized into colored and white days, with classes within each
color. The way Mr. Ross judged the animals, he would tell some
owners to take their goats "across the line," which was basically his first
cut. About half of any class was sent across the line for a closer
comparison and judging.
Loki competed in the "junior buck kid" class, for buck kids born after
February 1. There were over 20 entries in the baby buck class, so Mr. Ross
split the class again into "peewee" and "junior" by size. Loki was moved
into the peewee class, but did not make even the first cut. Because of how
Mr. Ross explained his judging, I wasn't all that unhappy even if Loki didn't
place because his fleece wasn't uniform from neck to side to britch. Mr.
Ross recommended I let my buckling grow up a little and see if his fleece evened
out a bit more, and complimented Loki's good ears and head.
Aerin competed in the "junior doe class" for female kids born after February
1. Aerin made the first cut, of which there were six doelings. The
other five were awarded ribbons. So while some people could say the glass
is half empty, I say that Aerin placed six and I'm happy enough with that.
The compliment from Mr. Ross was that she is a "fancy doe" with lots of curl and
good body profile.
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Above: Loki's neck fleece is being examined by Mr. Ross.
Note how Mr. Ross is holding his tie. He used his solid-color tie
for background contrast while looking at fleece fineness and
uniformity. He would compare three or four goats at a time on his
tie. We all noticed that the longer a goat's fleece stayed on Mr.
Ross's tie, the higher the animal placed in the competition.
There is another picture of Mr. Ross judging Loki on the CAGBA web
site. http://www.cagba.org/national.shtml |
Above: Mr. Ross is taking a look for kemp in the fleece on Aerin's
side. |
