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My Review of the New Barn

The Good

The problems with 12 hour long waits to get steers in seem to be a thing of the past.  Some people think the weather in north Texas, that required anybody north of Austin to get in early to beat the ice, helped with spreading the rush out.

The ring setup works like a well-oiled machine.  I’ll have to check the actual rules but I’m fairly sure the Brahman show this year doesn’t even count as an official Brahman steer show since nothing got loose.

I know the heifer guys were pissed about room (and it was a LOT more cramped for that show) but there aren’t any serious space issues for the steer show.  In fact, it felt roomy in most parts of the barn.  If the heifer guys don’t like being overcrowded at a show where kids are allowed to bring two animals it would only take deleting a “two” and replacing it with a “one” in the rule book to address their concerns.

One out of three people will have issues with any judge but I like the way Mark Hoge judges, a lot.  It’s not the specific cattle he chooses, although I don’t really disagree with him on that either.  It’s the way he manages the ring.  Every kid gets 3+ solid looks before leaving the ring, he pulls calves liberally, and his reasons throw just enough colloquialisms in to keep them interesting even if you don’t really care about the class being shown.

Some think taking time to publicly point out the strengths of calves that get the gate will only piss people off.  Bull.  If you don’t understand that it’s possible to have a good calf that a judge couldn’t pull because of a glaring weakness you aren’t mature enough to be showing steers.

The Bad

The indented traction bumps on the mats fill up with dirt pretty quickly and they effectively become slick mats.  There are traction issues in numerous locations, especially around the wash racks.

The no tie out thing is unfortunate but understandable considering the space limitations.  Finding a way to provide a spot with sure footing for an exercise pen would help quite a bit.

The Ugly

The new barn evidently demolished the old spot where they sold ice.  I’m not sure who forgot about finding a new location for that but without a handy spot to buy ice on the grounds, where does San Antonio expect people to get ice for the contraband beer that they sneak into the show?

Casher commented 3/4/2015 2:45:10 PM
My kid was one that got some comments on his way out the gate. We appreciated them!
And as far as barn goes, If there was a beer stand IN the barn, I wouldn't be looking for the old ice hut...Like you.
Well, not as much.