41 Signs You Grew Up Showing Cattle in the 1980s

rhdRHD Blog

If you grew up showing in the 1980s, chances are the stock show world now is VERY different than what you remember as a child. Here are 41 signs that you grew up showing cattle in the 1980s. If you have kids showing now, you can sit back and laugh about all of these with your family. Or, if you aren’t in the stock show world now, maybe it’s a good time to text or call your favorite stock show friends from that decade and enjoy some good memories.

  1. You wore colored Rockies or Wrangler jeans in show ring. 
  2. You remember when the Rotobrush came out and it blew your mind. 
  3. Mountain Dew was your biggest pick me up when you needed energy. 
  4. You showed in the old Astroarena in Houston, the old barn in San Antonio, and remember the green tie panels in Ft. Worth. 
  5. You needed to crimp your hair before you went in the show ring. 
  6. Colgate shaving cream was the tool of choice when you really wanted to make your calf’s hair “pop”. 
  7. You remember when Houston steer show went slick shear. 
  8. Your showbox was made out of wood. 
  9. If you were really “rich” you had a fiberglass showbox with a padded top to sit on. 
  10. Orvus soap was your washing shampoo of choice and you sprayed it out of a little JetX hand held mini power washer deal. 
  11. You wore your number in a number clip on your belt. Show harnesses weren’t thing. 
  12. Your parents drove a two-tone pickup truck and you thought it was the coolest thing ever. 
  13. When you met new friends at shows you wrote letters and became pen pals to stay in touch. Or sent faxes if you were really high tech. 
  14. You hauled with a stock trailer and never dreamed of having a live in air conditioned area. 
  15. You used walkie talkies to communicate with your show friends to find out what class they were on since nobody had cell phones. 
  16. If you wanted to know who was judging a major show, you had to wait until the “premium guide” book arrived in your mailbox. 
  17. You owned a pair of white or colored Reebok high tops and you even showed in them. 
  18. The most expensive price anyone paid for a show steer was $5000. 
  19. Kirk Stierwalt and Bobby Maddox were the coolest stock show guys on the planet. Oh wait, they still are.
  20. You had to wait until the show magazines came out every month to see pictures of all the show champions — in black and white. 
  21. Your stock show equipment had some variation of a neon pink, yellow, orange, purple, or lime green in it. 
  22. Summer stock show mom fashion included wearing suntan panty hose with your shorts to help you seem more tan. 
  23. You booked your motel reservations over the phone or through a travel agent. 
  24. You’ve slept in a stock show “dorm” in the barns, or even at your stalls in the feed alley. 
  25. Simmental show cattle were cream and white colored and Limousins were red. 
  26. You applied “heavy starch” to every piece of clothing you owned. 
  27. Getting your bulls photo taken by Christy Collins was the ultimate level of success as a breeder. 
  28. You wore a hand tooled leather belt with your name stamped on the back before the Bellamy Brothers made that cool. 
  29. The word clenbuterol is enough to make you cringe. 
  30. You cooked your own corn to mix in your feed ration for “extra finish.”
  31. Your favorite ag university had its own show barn, herdsman, and open show string — and they usually won. 
  32. You navigated to stock shows using the Rand McNally atlas or the map folded in your glove box. 
  33. If you were to win the lottery, your dream was to move to Iowa and start a club calf operation. Because that was the club calf headquarters of the world. 
  34. You remember when “Sullivan Supply” was John selling supplies out of a pickup truck. 
  35. If the stock show weather got super cold, you busted out your full length duster. 
  36. Your stock show playlist was a two cassette deck BoomBox and a briefcase of full of tapes by Guns N Roses, Ac/Dc, Def Leppard and Bon Jovi with an occasional George Strait. 
  37. You knew a kid who bought his show steer from the local auction barn…. And he actually won shows. 
  38. You celebrated a big stock show win at the Golden Coral buffet. 
  39. Your favorite Christmas gift was a Showstring sweatshirt with the four show steer butts on it. And a custom embroidered fluorescent pink cap. 
  40. You wore knee pads while fitting for ultimate comfort. 
  41. You had a satin jacket with your farm name embroidered along the back. 

How many of these did you relate to?

If you did grow up showing in the 1980s, there also might be a good chance that you have a farm or ranch of your own now. And, if you do, if you need help marketing that ranch, or doing a ranch website, then let’s setup a call and discuss all the stock show memories and how we can help you promoting your business in the present day. Because hey, we hear Rockies are making a comeback.

Request a Quote for More Info About Ranch House Services…