How Do You Handle Animal Stress During Livestock Competitions?

PacWest Showman
Jan 18
3 min read

Tips for Calmer, Healthier Show Days for Steers, Goats, Sheep & Pigs

If you’ve spent much time around the show barn, you’ve likely seen it—an animal pacing in its pen, refusing to eat, or pulling hard on the halter. Livestock competitions can be stressful for even the calmest animals, and it’s our job as showmen to recognize and reduce that stress as much as possible.

At PacWest Showman, we believe that great showmanship starts long before the ring. Helping animals stay healthy and relaxed through preparation, environment, and daily care builds better results, better animals, and better showmen.

Keeping Cool Under Pressure – Young exhibitors care for their livestock in a warm show barn, demonstrating calm, hydration, and health awareness during competition. — **Keeping Cool Under Pressure** – Young exhibitors care for their livestock in a warm show barn, demonstrating calm, hydration, and health awareness during competition.

🧠 Understanding What Causes Stress in Livestock

Whether you’re showing steers, pigs, goats, or lambs, livestock competitions create new and potentially overwhelming environments. Long trailer rides, changes in feed and water, unfamiliar noises, tight pens, and constant activity can all lead to increased stress.

Common triggers include:

Hauling long distances
Changes in routine
Loud crowds or sudden noises
Being tied or penned near unfamiliar animals
Heat, cold, or humidity

Understanding these triggers is the first step toward managing livestock stress at shows.

🛠️ How to Prepare Animals for the Stress of Showing

Reducing show-day stress starts at home. The more you simulate show conditions during daily routines, the more confident and comfortable your animal will be in high-pressure situations.

✅ Pre-Show Preparation Tips:

Haul early and often – take your project on short trailer trips
Tie and walk daily – especially for steers and lambs
Practice blowers, clippers, and ring walks at home
Stick to a consistent feeding schedule
Reward calm behavior with brushing, scratching, or time off the halter

Bonus tip: Bring your animal to local jackpots or clinics as a warm-up for larger shows.

🧴 Watch for the Warning Signs of Animal Stress

Knowing how to identify livestock stress is just as important as preventing it. Look for changes in behavior, appetite, or body language.

Signs of stress in livestock:

Refusing to eat or drink
Pacing, stomping, or vocalizing excessively
Trembling, pinned ears, or tense posture
Refusing to walk on the halter or being hard to control
Loose stool or signs of dehydration

When you notice these signs, your animal is telling you: “I’m not comfortable.” It’s your job to help them reset.

🧪 Nutritional Support: Supplements That Help During Show Season

Feeding the right nutrition before and during shows can help support hydration, recovery, and stress management.

4M Livestock offers show-tested supplements like:

Cattle Chrome – supports hydration, gut health, and skin/hair condition
5 Days Out – ideal for prepping animals in the days leading up to a show

Both products can be part of a well-rounded program to help reduce livestock stress at competitions.🛒 Order at 4MLivestockLLC.com

💧 Keep Animals Hydrated & Cool

Dehydration is one of the biggest stress factors during summer jackpots and county/state fairs.

Hydration tips:

Bring water from home when possible
Offer flavored electrolytes if they refuse new water
Use electrolyte pastes or powders to help maintain balance
Keep water available in the pen between classes
Offer extra brushing, fans, and shade on hot days

Hydration = performance, recovery, and calmness.

🤝 Calm in the Pen = Calm in the Ring

Remember, your animal takes cues from you. If you’re flustered or tense, they will be too.

Speak calmly
Keep movements smooth
Stick to your routines as much as possible
Create quiet moments with brushing, tying, or just being present

The bond you build in the pen will show in the ring.

💬 Final Thoughts: Great Showmen Know Their Animals

Handling animal stress isn’t just about performance—it’s about responsibility. It teaches exhibitors how to observe, adjust, and advocate for their animals' needs.

At PacWest Showman, we’re proud to support show families with real-life tools and tips that go beyond the banners. A calm animal is a healthy animal—and a well-prepared showman is one who can handle both the highs and the challenges of competition.