Lamb Show Terminology
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Balance
A lot of people mistake balance from attractiveness, but these are not the same thing. Balanced means that the lamb’s pieces match or that the lamb is proportional. This can refer to muscling or frame size. A lamb is considered balanced when their front and their hind end match. They are also considered balanced when their muscularity matches their frame size. A lamb that is heavy muscled with frail bone size could be considered not balanced.
Progressively thickens from rack to dock
This is a good thing. Lambs should be wider(slightly) in their back than they are in the front. What this means is that its shoulders should not be wider than its hind end.
Freshness
Refers to how the animal feels when it is felt. To be considered fresh, you will want your animal to feel firm and soft. The lamb should feel hydrated and full to be considered fresh.
Green
Green is a term that refers to an animal not being ready today. You will often hear this term when they are on the skinny side or haven’t bloomed like you would expect. This is not a bad thing, it just means that you have more work to do before you can expect to have results.
Clean chest floor
The chest floor is seen when looking at your lamb from the front. It is the bottom part of the chest. A clean chest floor is one that is tucked up and doesn’t drop too deep. It is also one that is level across. This means that the chest doesn’t point or drop at any point.
