“Did you really have a cow named Goofy when you were little?” I heard that young girl inquire politely as she reflected on our tale.
“Sure did!” I told her, “and she was my best non-human friend.”
She was a purebred Holstein heifer, one that was hand-picked for me to show at the County Fair. We practiced and practiced before it was decided that she’d be my choice for the Showmanship Class. Showmanship isn’t as much about the animal as it is about her leader; judges look for attributes like preparation, poise and posture, appearance, behavior and use of show-ring skills.
This is how a regular show ring looks, with animals parading around the ring and a judge observing and evaluating from the middle.
When the judge decides which animals make the cut, typically the top 10, he pulls those into the middle for a closer look. Normally, Goofy knew just what to do when I was showing her; follow me and we’ll do just fine. But that day in the ring, as I was showing Goofy off, she decided, right then and there, to show off her napping skills. Yep, that’s right; she laid right down for a nap.
Friends, don’t get me wrong; I’m a huge fan of a good nap. But not at the County Fair and for sure not when it’s show time! For a few panicked moments, I was sure we’d lost. You can’t just do that, you know, even IF your nickname is Goofy. Who was showing whom?
But then my heart and my head synced and helped me switch from panic to purpose, the reason I was in that ring. I needed my friend to get back up and keep going. So I started to talk to her while gently coaxing her into resuming the show. Win or lose, she needed to get up and I was her fearless leader, the only one who could make that happen.
I think I may have even started singing to her, though that memory is kind of foggy. What I do know is that after what seemed like an eternity but probably wasn’t really all that long, she did get back up and join the herd.
Pretty sure we’d not be called into the judge’s circle, I braced myself but kept my gaze back and forth between the judge and my calf. As he started to call the first round of finalists into the ring, I was shocked to see him motion to Goofy and me. Like, come into the circle. Unbelievable!
Then, and you may have guessed this by now, Goofy and I were moved into blue-ribbon position. We were chosen first in our Showmanship Class that day. The judge went on to say that he chose us because of how I kept my composure even when my heifer didn’t seem to want to cooperate. He liked the relationship that my best friend, Goofy, and I had. And he thought we deserved to win even though she had laid down on the job.
Goofy taught me about showing grace under fire and I’m grateful for the gumption and the grit that I developed from that wildly unpredictable heifer who showed me all about Showmanship (and life!) that day.
Barbara Gruener 