DCSNZ Trophies

For a full listing of DCSNZ Trophies with their past winners, Entry Forms, and their respective criteria please click here.

North & South Island Dexter Cattle Breed Shows

Showing

Below are various topics concerning Showing, Judging and Training.

If you have further questions about any of these topics, please contact Betsy Smith as per the details on the
Contacts page.

Frequently Asked Questions


Q1. Who can judge Dexter cattle in the North Island?

Dexter Judges

North Island

Alec Meades
43 Waiairiki Road
RD 2
Hikurangi
Northland
PH 09 4339962

Nancy Edge
Takahiwai Rd
RD 1
Ruakaka
Northland
PH 09 4327079

Barry McAlley
423 Monument Rd
Clevedon
Auckland 2582
PH 09 2928652

Graeme Hosking
Branston
RD 2
Waiuku
South Auckland
PH 09 2359175

Anne Collumbell
3366 SH6
Thames 3576
PH 07 8628143
Email: a.collumbell [at] xtra.co.nz

Errol Clark
57 Trigg Rd South
Waihi 3681
Bay of Plenty
PH 07 8637748

Bruce Weir
PO Box 53
Matangi
Waikato
PH 07 8295816

Allan Hayward
Norwegian Rd
RD 3
Cambridge
PH 07 8271847

Derek Hayward
409 Fencourt Rd
Cambridge 3493
PH 07 8235608

John Hayward
187 Judge Rd
Puahue
Te Awamutu 3879
PH 07 8721995

Ian Blanchard
46 Victoria Rd
New Plymouth
Taranaki
Email: braco [at] xtra.co.nz
PH 06 7575054

Marty Crafar
PO Box 121
Taihape 4742
PH 06 3881998
 

Q2. Who can judge Dexter cattle in the South Island?

Dexter Judges

South Island

Roger & Susan Hayward
207 Mt Nessing Rd
Albury 7984
South Canterbury
PH 03 6855989

Neil & Rose Sanderson
RD 5C
Oamaru
Otago
PH 03 4324093

Bruce Robertson
Duncraigen Stud
RD 2
Wyndham
Southland
PH 03 2064894

Rob Hall
Halland Down
RD 5
Gore
Southland
PH 03 2073706

Barry MacDonald
Oreti
RD 3
Winton
Southland
PH 03 2362736

John Robins
Rydal Bush
RD 6
Invercargill
Southland
PH 03 2217150
 

Q3. How do I train and show Dexter cattle?

Hints for Training and Showing

There are 3 basic things you need to train your Dexter to do:
1. Tie up
2. Walk
3. Stand

There are different ways to achieve this, but here are some suggestions:

1. Tie up

Put a halter and lead on your Dexter. The halter shouldn’t be too loose or too tight (you should be able to fit a finger comfortably underneath it). Tie up for approx 15mins at a time to begin with. Make sure you tie the animal up where it can’t get its head stuck in a fence or hurt itself. The lead rope should be tied quite short.

Stay with the animal, rub your hands over it and talk to it so that it gets used to your voice. There’s no set age to begin training your Dexter, but the general rule is the younger the better. You can put the cow on the other side of the fence to reduce stress on mother and calf, if you wish. Your animal will resist being tied up to begin with but once it gets used to standing without pulling, it’s time to progress to the next stage.

2. Walk

Rule No 1: You are in charge! It’s very important the animal doesn’t get away from you.

You should stand on the left-hand side beside the shoulder, with a firm grip on the lead (don’t wind it around your hand and don’t hold onto the clasp as you may accidentally undo it). There are a number of strategies to encourage your animal to walk forward as it will probably be reluctant to do what you want at first.

Some suggestions:

Wrap a separate rope around behind the animal and hold both ends in your right hand, above it’s shoulder. While also holding the lead rope in your left hand, walk slowly forward pulling on the rope in your right hand. Pinch the base of the animal’s tail or hold the end of the tail in the right hand and the lead rope in the left and pull forward. A slap on the rump can work wonders too!
Avoid pulling the animal from in front as it will almost always pull in the opposite direction, which is not helpful!
Talk to your Dexter while you are training it. You can use a ‘walk’ command, if you wish.
Then…walk…..and walk….and walk….daily at least - preferably twice daily. Once the animal walks comfortably beside you, you are ready to teach it to stand.

3. Stand

It’s a good idea to purchase a proper stick to train your Dexter to stand. The aim is to have it standing with all 4 feet evenly spaced, but standing naturally. Press the end of the stick between the clove of the hoof to encourage the animal to move its foot; you can use commands at the same time or you can teach it just by the pressure of the stick. Most animals like a scratch behind the front leg when they’re standing. Your Dexter should have a straight back-line. You can stand beside or in front of your animal in the show ring.

Other hints

If you put a cover on your Dexter several weeks before a show, it will rub a lot of the loose hair out, thus reducing the amount of grooming required.

If you plan to show a calf on its own, it’s a good idea to separate it from the cow during the day for about a week before the show so that it gets used to being away from its mother and is less stressed on the day.

If you shampoo your Dexter 4-5 days before a show it allows the natural oils time to give the coat a sheen (it’s advisable to use animal shampoo). Alternatively you can do this the day before or the morning of the show. It’s important to put the cover back on the animal after washing if you decide to do this prior to show day. Leaving the cover on while in transit will help your Dexter to stay clean, so that there’s minimal last-minute grooming to do when you arrive at the show.

Just before entering the show-ring you can spray the animal’s coat with a ‘show shine’ product, then wipe it down with your hand or a dry cloth to give a final sheen to the coat.

Show Ring Etiquette

In the show-ring it’s advisable to keep an eye on the judge at all times (this can be difficult if your Dexter plays up!) The judge may indicate an instruction and you need to be ready to respond promptly.

It’s a good idea to walk your animal in a small circle (on the spot) if it plays up. This signals to the animal that you’re in charge and also limits invasion of other competitors’ space.

Your Dexter should be standing still while the judge is looking at it, with all 4 feet standing square. If it’s not standing perfectly, you’re best to leave it rather than move it around as this makes it difficult for the judge to do his/her job.

Walk a little way behind the animal ahead of you, and leave space between you and the next competitor when you stop.

Answer the judge’s questions but do not engage in a long conversation.

Do not converse with other competitors while in the ring.

Dress tidily (this shows respect for the judge).
No gumboots. No stud logos.

 

Q4. What does the Show Steward do?

The Show Steward’s Role

SUMMARY: The steward’s job is to be the Judge’s assistant – keeping the Section running smoothly, supervising what happens in the ring, liaising with the Judge, ensuring that the Judge has the ribbons/trophies to award at the right times, looking after the judge on the day.

Responsibilities on Show Day

1. Collect clipboard (or similar) from the chief steward with entries listed for the Section
2. Arrange for a microphone for the judge to give a commentary re his decision in each class. If the microphone is shared between rings, ensure that it is available when the judge needs it.
3. Ensure the judge receives the ‘judge’s ribbon’ provided to pin on his/her jacket (if appropriate) before the Section’s judging begins
4. Before the show starts - check for any ‘scratched’ entries with competitors
5. Ensure the show starts on time (as advertised)
6. Call competitors into the ring as each class comes up
7. Stand at the entrance to the ring, checking competitors’ names off as they enter the ring
8. Inform competitors of the next class & ask them to be ready to enter the ring when called
9. Check that all entrants in each class are in the ring (ticked off on list) and let the judge know that judging may begin
10. Check that there are no competitors in the ring who should not be there. If they are, ask them to exit the ring
11. As competitors prepare to enter the ring, check that they are wearing suitable attire (including footwear). No stud logos, gumboots, sandals or jandals. If competitors can’t find the correct attire, they can’t enter the ring. (Inappropriate footwear may be an OSH issue).
12. Hand the ribbons (and other prizes, if there are any) to the judge after ensuring that they are correct.
13. Hand results to the ‘recorder’ after each class is judged, or put then in the allocated place.
14. Ensure that the judge has lunch & refreshments or knows where to get these (escort him/her to lunch, if appropriate).
15. Ensure that the judge receives ‘the judges envelope’ (or similar appropriate recompense) at the end of the Section’s judging.
 

Show Results 2017-18