We caught up with Ms. Kathryn Black after she judged goat showmanship at the 2024 American Royal. Check out her thoughts below and please continue to check back often for our next edition of “The Recap – Showmanship Edition.”
What division was the toughest for you to sort? Why?
Honestly, the intermediate division was the toughest for me to sort 2nd on down. The young lady that I used to win the division did so fairly handedly for me but her contemporaries were just exceptional as well. The intermediate and junior aged kids are being asked to compete and hang with these older kids. You can tell they are putting in the work at home. They have the fire and drive to want to win- it was impressive. They exhibited their stock well beyond their years and answered the questions I threw at them seamlessly.
Where do you see room for improvement for the future of our showman?
I sorted each division predominantly on how well their goats walked, as far as holding their neck at the correct angle, and not fighting the halter/chain. I made my initial sort as well on the exhibitor’s body position and their goat’s head caricature while being in a brace or free standing. I feel both of these are things exhibitors can work on to stay consistently at the top. Many of these exhibitors I know are exemplary in their own region or state but when competing on a national level, where they are all the best where they come from- it’s fun to see how they stack up as well as it gives them things to work on or fine tune for the next show.
Going forward in your judging career, what is one thing you will put more emphasis on?
Looking back I wish I would have talked to more of the exhibitors to give them my reasons on why they weren’t towards the top or things I felt they could work on to improve at home.
Thoughts on switching showman to other animals?
I don’t see much benefit to doing this in a showmanship class. Each animal has been worked to show well for that exhibitor. We are at the point in competition where things can be very delicate and tedious where we don’t want someone else exhibiting our animals. Not being able to show another showman’s goat to perfection doesn’t make you an incapable showman in my opinion.
What did your champions/champion do that helped you make your mind up on them?
The young ladies who each won their respective divisions simply showed their goats flawlessly. The young lady who I used to win overall is one of the best showmen I have witnessed. She executed getting her goat showed to near perfection. She had a nice goat as well but the way she elevated his quality to another level- that’s what being a great showmen is all about.
If you could judge with one person who would it be? Why?
That is a very difficult question. There are countless livestock evaluators whom I have encountered over the years who I greatly love listening to their insight and opinions. We have livestock judging teams frequently visit and work sets at the house. Coltin and I just sit back and listen and we always learn something. I think the next generation is going to have some very knowledgeable and influential livestock minds because they are being taught by some of the best.
Do you have a “style” of showman? Or what do you lean towards?
Showing lambs and goats to compete at a national level is extremely difficult. I don’t think some in the industry realize how hard it is. My personal style I guess is having your animal look as good and natural on a brace as they do free standing. Moving well is also very important. I feel in the coming years many judges are going to have you walk your animal in their judging classes A LOT. Livestock, as a whole, are getting very good but you can still sort them fairly easily on the move. Having that animal just walk and hold itself correctly is going to be very important. Also, I have been doing this a long time and have worked with countless showmen and there is just a look that some of them have. It’s an intensity that isn’t a mean stare, but a look of passion and they HAVE to win. You can’t teach that. It comes from within.
