These Folks Train Other People's Show Cattle

These Folks Train Other People's Show Cattle 31-2-7 "Making the grade" at a cattle show or sale has a lot to do with how well the animals are presented. Since not every cattleman has the time, experience, talent or facilities to make their show cattle stand out from the crowd, a family in Silesia, Montana saw an opportunity to provide such a service. That was more than three years ago, and Vanek Cattle Services has been busy ever since. The Leonard Vanek family trains and prepares other people's cattle for the show ring by halter breaking, washing, clipping, grooming and generally primping every aspect of the animal's appearance and behavior. They handle all breeds for clients from all over the U.S. Leonard and Diane Vanek, and their children Dan and Pam, work together on their 70-acre ranch to turn unpolished bovines into well-behaved, sparkling gems. They also travel to all types of shows and sales, where they do on-site clipping and grooming. Often, the cattle owners also hire them to do the showing itself. "We'd been showing our own cattle since the early 1970's, so we had a lot of experience and contacts already," Leonard explains. The Vaneks knew that training and fitting cattle wouldn't be enough to keep them busy full-time, so they diversified the business right from the get-go. They also offer artificial insemination services, which keeps them on the run from March until July. Diane also began a cattle photography business, which occupies her year-round. She photographs the animals on-farm for production sale catalogs, as well as at-the-show champions. The Vaneks have their own mixed breed herd of 70 cows on their ranch, along with boarder animals that are in training. All breeds and types are welcome - from freshly weaned calves, to two-year-old bulls. "It takes at least 30 days to get an animal in condition for a show, but we've had cattle here for up to a year. Ideally, we prefer to have at least 60 to 70 days before a show to work with them," Leonard explains. "Last season, we halter broke more than 100 animals from seven or eight states." Vanek says he and his family usually wash the animals every day, using hair softeners and conditioners, and then hair blowers to blow their hair out. This is all necessary to get the hair trained to flow the way they want it to. They keep the cattle on straw in the barn where it's cool. "They need to be out of the sun so their hair color doesn't bleach - heat isn't good for it. We also clip the hair to make the animal look its best," he explains. Leonard and Dan also hit the road to groom high value bulls for sales. The furthest away they've been hired is Grand Junction, Colorado, which is 700 miles from home. "We often work on animals worth $20,000 to $30,000. A bull we clipped last year sold for $180,000," Leonard says. "It's really a good feeling to know that we help contribute to those kinds of animals looking good." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Vanek Cattle Services, Leonard Vanek, 331 Grapevine Rd., Silesia, Montana 59041 (ph 406 962-3213; vanekcattleservices@earthlink.net).

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