THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, May 19, 1995 TAG: 9505190056
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E12 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEPHANIE STEVENSON, HIGH SCHOOL CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines
TODAY MARKS THE start of the Chesapeake Jubilee and the end of my relationship with Cinder, a market steer I have raised for the past seven months. I will spend much of today reminiscing about Cinder, lovingly referred to as Cinderblock because of his hardheadedness.
I have been with the Chesapeake 4-H Livestock Club for eight years, so I know a lot about raising and showing market hogs, lambs and breeding ewes. This year, I stepped to the next level - raising a market steer.
The first time I saw Cinder, a black Simmental-Angus cross, he weighed about 600 pounds and was trying, unsuccessfully, to kick and ram his way out of a horse trailer. Fortunately, he calmed down some. Unfortunately, it took a few months.
Because of Cinder's unruly, stubborn disposition, there were times when I wanted to ship him back to wherever he came from. A defensive and stubborn steer is a handful, and I've walked away many times with bruises to body and ego.
The worst time was when Cinder was spooked by my brother's dirt bike. When a steer is spooked, it gets defensive. Since I was in the pen beside him when my brother zoomed by the barn, Cinder naturally thought I was his attacker. He ran at me, head down, and knocked me to the ground. I walked away with a slightly banged-up leg but a damaged self-image.
Cinder did get easier to work with. Three months after I got him, I could lead him around the ring instead of his leading me. It seemed he had finally realized who was ``the boss.''
The more I worked with Cinder, the more reassured I became. This feeling grew stronger after an April 4-H seminar. At first I dreaded it because I had to bring Cinder; I just knew he'd embarrass me.
But when it was time to load up, Cinder cooperated. He gave me no problems for the rest of the day. At the seminar, a professional herdsman from Charlottesville schooled me about showing my steer.
Showing a steer takes months of preparation. The animal must get used to being led on a halter, and its hair must be trained to lie a certain way. The steer must also learn to mind the show stick, a metal stick that shows him where to place his hooves.
Cinder and I have gone through a lot during his training. There are lots of things I will never forget, especially his curious behavior toward my friends. Cinder usually dislikes them. He particularly dislikes my best friend, Michael Gettier, a junior at Deep Creek High. Whenever Michael comes over, Cinder refuses to be touched and runs around ramming the fence and his feed buckets with his head, acting like a rodeo bull.
One time, Cinder decided to ``redecorate'' his pen in the barn and tore down the wooden hayrack. With that out of the way, he could put his head over the side of the fence and watch my comings and goings.
Cinder memorized the sound of my Escort. When he heard me pull into the driveway, he would wait until I got out of the car and then he would moo, as if to say, ``Hey! I want some attention back here!''
Cinder now weighs around 1,200 pounds, about 10 times my weight. He'll be auctioned at the Jubilee and will probably bring around $1,000. He's something that I and my sponsor, Larry Higgerson, can be proud of.
I have spent countless hours with my steer, training and fighting with him. But it will be worth it today when I walk into that show ring with Cinder to compete against my friends. MEMO: Stephanie Stevenson is a junior at Deep Creek High School. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
L. TODD SPENCER/Staff
Stephanie Stevenson with Cinder, the steer she has raised and will
show at the Chesapeake Jubilee.
by CNB