07/13/2026
Politics in the Show ring. Lately several people’s posts have addressed the subject. Everything in the show ring is not all sunshine and roses. We live in an increasingly political culture. Everything has become more political; Us and Them. Judging seems just part of that trend.
But things are not always as they seem. One of my favorite judging stories was once when I was judging the California State Fair. After the show an exhibitor came up to me and said, "You are a political son of a bitch." I responded that I certainly thought I did everything in my power not to be and asked for him to explain. He said in the Champion drive he thought the Reserve was better and he had heard I bred the Champion. I told him I thought the Reserve was better too and that was the one I had bred. It was pretty satisfying to see him skulk away. But as I thought about it, I certainly had nothing to be pleased about. The fact I used an animal that someone else bred which I didn't think was the best, because I had bred the Reserve so I felt that I shouldn’t use it, was just as bad as if I had used one I had bred for Champion if I didn't think it was the best. I really did not treat the person who bought the Reserve from me fairly. I was more worried about the appearance of politics instead of the reality of my decision. It was a mistake I still regret.
Politics may be real, but other things about the show ring culture concern me more. Herd Mentality and Hype worry me much more than politics. There seem to be more followers than independent thinkers. Guess we are more like the animals we raise than we would like to believe. Few people seem able to explain the details of what they are doing and why they are they are trying to do it.
Many people can’t even tell the basic analysis and ingredients of the feed they are feeding, let alone the array of supplements they have been convinced they should spend a small fortune on. I am not suggesting that supplements can never be useful. If you have elite lambs playing at the national level perhaps a trivial marginal difference can hang that banner you have chased forever. But if your first question is what supplement program do I need to work a miracle, you had probably better get close to the ballpark before you dream of hitting the winning home run in the 7th game of the World Series. Maybe people should consider the value of the feeding advice they offer based on the photo of a lamb they have never actually seen. At the very least, those asking for advice on the internet should carefully evaluate the advice offered.
Very few people seem able to explain why they are breeding to a certain sire. What are the specific traits you hope he brings to the table? What are the traits he might take away? No worries. Everyone is using him and I saw a picture and the picture looks really cool.
Political judges worry me far less than the lack of consistency of clear judging priorities. It often seems that showing is a bit like buying instant lottery tickets at the gas station. You never know what might be a winner. A young judge once told me at ringside, “We young judges pick what’s cool.” I responded with, “I remember when disco was cool. Come back in 20 years and tell me how cool you are.” Do young judges really feel that placing four head classes, and offering polished reason sets based on the currently trendy terms, in judging contests is a qualifying credential to judge large classes? Is hanging a few banners in a junior show career a mark of superior evaluation skill? When I was young I was pretty sure I had the answers to all the important breeding tradeoffs the old breeders failed to figure out. It was amazing how my own breeding experiences made them smarter.
I am often amazed at the confidence of multi species judges. Yes, there are commonalities between species but there are differences too. Have they really thought deeply about tradeoffs or trait thresholds across species, or have they experienced missteps in the breeding barn with other species to learn consequences from? I never wanted to judge outside my frame of reference.
Anyone judging should consider why they want to judge, what they hope to accomplish, and what the duties and obligations of a judge are. Experience may be useful but not sufficient when creating a judging decision matrix. Minimum Thresholds across the full trait spectrum are certainly important before a judge looks at marginal differences in specific traits. After animals meet the trait thresholds, the question then becomes which should become the primary sorts and finally what marginal differences are significant enough to justify placing differences.
Judges are placed under strict time pressure while trying to balance multiple data points. Which is one of the reasons judges often rely on quick and easy visual sorts. It is much easier to focus on outlier animals and highly visual traits than it is to try to balance multiple competing interests. And because the people in the bleachers can follow more easily, that translates into more judging assignments and more opportunities to have judging egos stroked. Which in turn leads to judges caring more about whichever traits the show ring prioritizes at any specific moment of time than identifying primary sorts which should be non changing.
So, there is much more going on than politics in the show ring.
I propose the lack of consistency in judging is a result of the failure by judges to create and adhere to a common set of non negotiable primary sorting values. I suggest that judges should understand the category distinctions between non negotiable primary sorts, correlation sorts (such as bone where the value is based on perceived correlation to other traits rather than its value in the bone pile), and finally from mere aesthetic sorts. If a judge fails to recognize those category distinctions, their effusive reason sets are not really very enlightening.
If I wrote anything that makes you think about the why’s and wherefores of showing, feeding, judging, or breeding I haven’t wasted your time or mine. I am not certain what constitutes a great judging legacy. I don’t have the answers, but I hope we can agree that it is useful to wonder about what might be the important questions. And that is more valuable than bitching about politics.
