Why does my lamb keep moving?

One of the more common questions we get about setup is how to stop a squirmy lamb. Many people get frustrated when they work lots on setting up and still have this problem. What many don’t take into consideration is the lamb when they are attacking this issue. Most people focus on what they can do to stop the behavior when it should really be a question of what can make the lamb comfortable enough to stand still. The most common reason for a moving lamb on set up is that it is not comfortable. Many people have the animal overextended, too wide, or are pulling on the neck. In these scenarios, the lamb will do whatever it can to make itself more comfortable, which inevitably results in the lamb moving.

A lot of times, new showers complicate the process and think they have to do more than they usually do. When showing a lamb, you will find the most success when the lamb is comfortable. A lamb’s natural stance is usually the one that will make it the most comfortable, and with minor adjustments, this stance can be competitive in the show ring. Having an animal too wide is often what those who are new to showing will do. Many think that by setting the lamb up wider, it will make the lamb look better. However, width is mostly examined on touch and you can’t fake that. It’s better to have a lamb that looks slightly narrow than one that is obviously not set correctly and not driving. More and more often now, you can see judges repositioning back feet to be closer together in order to see the whole picture better and get a better feel.

Another common mistake is overstretching a lamb and many people don’t even realize they’re doing it. New showers will usually try to bring the lamb to them when they are setting up. What this means is that they will stop the lamb and then pick up or pull the neck towards them. This is not comfortable for a lamb. You should never bring your lamb to you after you have stopped it. Instead, you should always go to the lamb. If you pull on the lamb, it will break in its loin or it will move and you will repeat the process over and become frustrated.

A final mistake that is somewhat similar to overstretching is pulling up or picking up by the neck. While this is often what makes lambs overstretched, tons of showers will think a lamb is too short and try to pick it up higher to either make it look longer, more extended through its front or to make their showing experience more comfortable. When a lamb is set, you should not be putting a ton of pressure on the head/neck. A slight lift is the most you will ever need. If you feel a lot of weight in your hands when you’re setting up, you’re pulling too much and your lamb will end up moving to try to relieve some of the pressure.