From This Side of the Ring: Showing Goats
Preparing for your first show.

Reading Time: 5 minutes
When my wife and I planned for our first unregistered Oberhasli doe and wether, we had no intention of breeding Oberhasli or showing goats. We just wanted to enjoy watching our goats graze and clear some overgrowth on our property. That vision lasted all of 10 minutes when we went to pick them up from their breeder.
The breeder asked if we could meet them at a local club show they were attending. We agreed, and once we arrived to pick them up, I was hooked. I watched exhibitors clip their goat’s udders, brush their hair, and stand ringside waiting to enter.
I watched the judge study each goat as their handler marched them around the ring, and it truly brought me back to going to Holstein shows at the state fair as a youngster. It scratched an itch I wanted to explore. Before we knew it, we were getting ready for our first county fair with absolutely no idea what we needed or what we were doing.

You may be in the same boat. Luckily for you, I’m going to list supplies needed to get your goats ready and essentials to make the show more enjoyable.
First, figure out which shows you can attend. If you have registered dairy goats, you can find shows and dates on the American Dairy Goat Association website. If you’d like to attend your local county fair, visit their website to find the information for it. The same goes for meat goats.
Once you choose the show and enter your goats, print out the rules and regulations, get a certificate of veterinary inspection from your vet, if needed, and let the preparation begin!
Preparing the Goats for Show
- Clippers. Get a good set of clippers. The Andis AGC 2-speed is a cheaper option that works well for beginners.
- Clipper blades. Make sure you research what blades work best for your breed because all hair is not created equal. I find with Oberhasli, a number 10 blade works best 10 days or more before the show, but I prefer using a number 7 blade 7 days or less before the show. And I use a number 40 blade or a razor on my doe’s udders either the night before or the morning of the show. *It’s important to wash and dry your goats before clipping them.
- Hoof trimmers. Trim their hooves the day you clip hair. Don’t wait until the day of the show. If you nick them, they could favor that foot, and you don’t want that.
- Bathing. Make sure your goats are clean, as the judges put their hands on the goat. If I attend a multi-day show like a county fair, I use the wash rack at the show to bathe them the day before they go in the ring. Any livestock shampoo works great. Always keep a brush handy to remove any shavings or debris stuck to the hair.

Essential Goat Show Supplies
- Bedding. You’ll need bedding (some shows supply it), water, and feed buckets.
- Feed, Hay, and Water. Bring their feed and hay. Goats can be finicky about drinking different water at shows. We’ve found a camper water filter attached to a small hose makes the water a little more palatable for our picky does.
- Hay racks or hay bags. We prefer hay racks because I have nightmares of kids getting stuck in the bags and getting injured or worse. The hay racks last much longer than bags, and although I’m sure goats have found ways to injure themselves on hay racks, it’s much less likely.
- Milking equipment. Bring your stand, pail, machine, and everything you use at home to milk your goats. Be sure to dump your milk in designated areas. If you don’t see one, ask whoever is running the show.
- A cooler and snacks for yourself! We pack sandwiches, snacks, and lots of water and drinks for the day. Most shows have a concession area that helps support the show as well.
- Show apparel. When showing dairy goats, the apparel is always white: white shirt and white pants. We have white polos and t-shirts with our farm logo on them, and white khaki pants. Be sure not to wear them until it’s time to enter the ring. They stay cleaner that way.
- Make a list. There hasn’t been an instance where I’ve forgotten an essential item like feed or water buckets. I definitely haven’t done that. Did I mention making a list?

Arriving at and Checking into the Show
I can’t stress how imperative it is to get your animals offloaded and your trailer out of the way of other exhibitors. If it’s a show where a vet has to check your CVI (certificate of veterinary inspection), the vet will need to see the goats and CVI first.

My process is: After the CVI check, I unload my does, and if it’s a long haul, I’ll fill up water buckets and put them in their pens, then park my truck and trailer. I offload my tack and then get everything set up, and get the goats settled. Once all that’s done, I take my registration book — which holds all of my ADGA registrations — and check in for the show. If you aren’t traveling solo, check in while the other person settles in the goats.
Once you’ve checked in, prepare your goats as needed, check the show order, relieve milk from does, and have fun. I know this seems like a lot, and it is. Show days are long, usually hot, and exhausting, but they’re fun!
Your first few shows are a learning process. You’ll forget things at home and find more to add to the ever-growing list of things that make life easier at a show. The goal is to have fun, and once you shake off the first show jitters, you will. There’s nothing better than being surrounded by people who love goats as much as you, and you’ll probably make a few friends along the way.

Thanks to your list, you’ve done everything and brought everything to your first goat show to succeed; the only thing left is to show your goat, but that’s a topic for another day.
Did I mention making a list?
Jon Kain lives and breathes goats, literally. By day he’s a superintendent of a goat and cow dairy. By “night” he and his family raises a small herd of Oberhasli goats while chasing his 3 year old daughter or talking about goats on his podcast, Ringside: An American Dairy Goat Podcast.
Originally published in the 2024 Summer issue of Goat Journal and regularly vetted for accuracy.