Months of hard work has paid off for Gladstone High School students with their immaculately presented Angus steer winning the best presented school steer in Stock Journal's Steer Showdown.
Judge Annie Boon from Limitless Show Supplies was full of praise for the effort which the students had gone to having Nigel the steer looking his best and their attention to detail having the animal's leather halter and strap shining.
"I appreciate that the presentation of his clean coat was a result of work put in before the show, training his hair to be workable, looking fresh and healthy," she said.
Ms Boon also praised the presentation of Nigel's handler Tia Waters, who also won a handler competition a couple of weeks earlier at Kadina.
"It is important to reflect that you are proud of what you are showing by being clean and tidy yourself," she said.
Gladstone High School agriculture teacher Nicola Wright said the Year 11 and 12 students had been working with the Angus steer from Heath and Jenna Tiller's Goolagong stud, Warnertown since April.
"With so much going on I wanted to give them some consistency and keep doing what we always go. I knew there would be something go ahead like this so we were prepared," she said.
"The first week we had him in the crush to get him used to us and once he calmed down we were able to brush him, from there we pulled him out and then it was about building the connection and finally leading him around."
A couple of days before filming Nigel was clipped and then given an intensive grooming session before filming between showers of rain in early August.
Unable to watch the final night's broadcast of Steer Showdown Ms Wright says she quickly knew about the win receiving plenty of messages from her excited students.
"It has been a great learning tool because normally when the judge is judging in the ring you don't hear how they are assessing each animal," she said.
"We only entered the day before entries closed when the Jamestown Show was cancelled but even though it was last minute it was really easy."
The school's prize is a Limitless Show Supplies pack including a comb, brush and voucher.
Ms Boon said it was very difficult to split the top two entries in the best presented steer award with a special mention going to Bordertown High School with their Speckle Park steer, Quarantina.
"I admire anyone that presents a white coated animal with no stains," she said.
"I appreciate the amount of work that went into making him look clean, healthy and stainless."
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