Ellis County 4-H youth wins multiple awards at the State Fair

In a full circle moment, Madi Snow, 16, of Midlothian, showed two dairy goats, Freesia and Mademoiselle, in the same barn she walked through as a 2-year-old at the State Fair of Texas.

This year, at the State Fair, Madi competed in three different shows, earning awards in each.

With Freesia, she won grand champion Youth LaMancha and senior champion Youth LaMancha in the SFOT Youth Show, grand champion LaMancha and best of breed in the CTDGA Club Open Show, and reserve grand champion Senior LaMancha in the Pan American Open Show.

“Freesia knows she’s pretty,” Madi said. “Whenever she goes into the ring, she shows off. She’s a little bit of a diva, but definitely still sweet.”

With Mademoiselle, she earned second in class in the SFOT Youth Show, second in class in the CTDGA Club Open Show, and third in class in the Pan American Open Show.

“Mademoiselle is the sweetest goat you will ever meet,” Madi said. “She loves cuddles; she’s like a puppy. Even when we were at the State Fair, she wanted everybody to pet her. She loves kisses too.”

After an hour-long class judging, Madi placed third for senior showmanship at the SFOT Livestock Dairy Goat Show against 15 other competitors. During showmanship, the judge assesses the youths on the maintenance of their animal, their confidence in the ring and their knowledge of taking care of animals.

Madi also entered in the SFOT Youth Photography Contest and won first place for her photo in the “Skies” category, third place for her photo in the “State Fair Theme” category, and honorable mention for her two other photos.

“To see it go full circle from walking through the barn as a little bitty thing to picking out this whole project and getting started, and then her showing these goats is really cool for us,” Caroline Snow, Madi’s mom, said. “It’s our family’s favorite. We have been going to the fair every year since she was born. She grew up going into those barns, and now she’s showing in them.”

Animals have always held a place in Madi’s heart, she said, and for as long as she can remember, she has wanted to be a veterinarian.

“Since animals are there for us all the time and they’re like our other half, I want to be the one that’s able to help them,” she said. “I want to give back to them as much as they give back to us.”

When she was around 8, Madi and her family were at the State Fair walking through the barns. She saw a young lady with baby goats and got in the pen with the baby goats and bottle fed them.

“That’s just like hook, line and sinker,” Caroline said. “How do you say no? She started begging immediately.”

For almost two years, Madi asked her parents for baby goats of her own. Caroline told her if she wanted them, she needed to write an essay to research and fully understand what it meant to care for them on her own.

The essay was six pages long, front and back, and completely handwritten by a determined 10-year-old Madi.

After reading the essay and discussing the commitment, Madi’s parents took her to get her baby goats.

“They told me we were going to go antique shopping, and we pulled up to this random house,” Madi said. “I was so weirded out. I told them I don’t know if we’re at the right place, and they said it’s fine. We got out and finally got to like a whole bunch of little baby goats. They were like ‘surprise.’ I was in shock.”

They planned to get two but went home with three because “the boys chose them,” Caroline and Madi explained.

Madi cares for the goats completely on her own, waking up as early as 3:30 a.m. to prepare their milk and bottle feed them.

Soon after getting her goats, Madi joined 4-H to show her goats and to connect with mentors in livestock. She began with small shows to learn the ropes. She learned that girl goats can show at more shows, so she eventually got three girls, making her goats a family of six. It was only last year that she began competing at the major shows like the State Fair.

She later joined the 4-H vet club, where she learns more about caring for animals. For about three years in a row, she was one of 25 people accepted into the 4-H vet camp at A&M University, where she stayed for three days at the dorms and took classes. She received multiple certifications, learned how to draw blood and helped a fake cow give birth through simulations.

Madi said she takes what she learns at the 4-H vet camp and uses it to care for her goats. She recently found out two of her goats are pregnant and said she is excited to use her knowledge to help bring the babies into the world in February.

Originally published November 2, 2022 - https://www.waxahachiesun.com/education/ellis-county-4-h-youth-wins-multiple-awards-at-the-state-fair/article_3905b816-5b1c-11ed-a4a5-07f4c3060580.html