OLDS, Alta. – Cassidy Daley was barely out of diapers the first time she showed cattle at the Mountainview County Fair in Olds, Alta.
The 18 month old walked around the ring with grandpa Pete Van Tighem and has been participating in the junior beef show at Olds ever since.
“She combed the calf herself and set the feet,” said her mother, Tammi Van Tighem, who raises black and red Simmentals with her husband Ron Daley at Southpaw Cattle Co. near Carstairs, Alta.
This year the seven year old took first place in the peewee showmanship class in what is one of the largest open junior beef shows in Canada.
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A dedicated stockperson, she is too young for 4-H, yet has her own herd and loves to go head to head with her two older sisters.
“I own 10 heifers but I don’t show them all,” she said after winning champion showmanship.
The Mountainview County Fair has been offering a youth show since it started 106 years ago.
“The junior component has always been a part of the show,” said fair volunteer Rob Smith.
This year’s show had more than 200 entries for the first day of the fair on Aug. 11, traditionally reserved for the children and their families. Entry numbers are not restricted.
“We never reached a point where we got too big,” said Smith.
The children do the work and the showing as nervous parents and grandparents cluster around the ring barriers calling out words of encouragement.
“Hold up her head, honey,” calls out one mom.
“Look at the judge,” says a grandma.
“Scratch his belly. That’s right, that’ll settle him down,” advises a father.
The fair organizers welcome that kind of family participation, said Smith.
“An awful lot of adults got their start as juniors here,” he said.
Junior shows are offered in the beef, dairy, sheep and heavy horse categories with a full lineup each year. All breeds are welcome.
This youth show includes a peewee division for children under eight years, juniors are nine to 11, intermediate 12-14 and seniors 15 and up.
The cattle may also be entered in the main shows where children may compete against the adults.
The shows take as long as necessary and if a child needs help with a feisty heifer or stubborn calf, someone always steps forward.
