It is show day with your steer or heifer and your anticipation is high to get in the show ring. When getting your animal ready for the ring, it is important you get your animal presented to the best of your ability, so your animal can look its very best for the judge. Once your clean and dry animal is in the chute, it is time to start fitting. One piece of advice that Sullivan Supply recommends is that you lay out all the products you will be using before you start fitting, so you can just grab them from around your chute versus having to go back and forth to your show box—along with making sure your power source is working for clipper, blowers, etc.  One of the first things that you need to do when your animal gets in the chute is to blow your animal out and work the leg hair with a Sullivan’s Roto Brush or Sullivan’s Scrub Brush. This will help lift your animal’s leg hair follicle, making it easier to fit. Before you start fitting, it is recommended to put on the animal’s show halter first, so you are not rushed at the end to put the halter on. Once you have the show halter on with your rope halter over it, you can start fitting the legs. (This is just a reminder that you should only be fitting with metal combs, as we recommend the Sullivan’s Teflon Comb line. Plastic smart combs are only to be used during daily care routines.) You may also put a tail bag over your animal’s tail to ensure that no adhesive gets in the tail while you are fitting the legs or the flank.  After the legs, you can start fitting the tailhead, topline, belly line and flank, and then last but not least—the tail. You want to make sure to fit the tail last, as your animal might get antsy in the chute and start switching their tail during fitting. After everything is fit and the adhesive is dry, it is now time to apply the touch-up paint. After your animal is fit, take some time at the end to work the animal’s body hair with a blower, plastic smart comb, and a Sullivan Supply’s show sheen or oil.

For more tips and video tutorials from Stock Show University®, visit https://www.sullivansupply.com/stock-show-u/online/