Showing sheep

My name is Rylie Bignar. For almost 6 years now I’ve been showing sheep on county, state and national levels. These opportunities have changed my life for the better in many ways. I’ve had the amazing opportunity to be a part of the Arkansas Breeding Sheep Council and other sheep councils in our state. Over my showing career, I’ve also won several memorable titles; for example I placed first in a class at the North American International Livestock Exposition, Grand Champion Jr Dorper Ewe at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, Champion Intermediate Showman at the Arkansas Youth Expo, I’ve won every showmanship division in our county and Reserve Champion All Around Showman.

Over the years I have learned how to be confident in my showing skills and my specific knowledge when talking to others. I have also gotten many opportunities to broaden my animal knowledge. One of the most memorable experiences I had was when I volunteered with an artificial insemination clinic last fall. I learned how to properly prep and look through the microscope to see what they were doing, and so much more that I will never forget.

One of my favorite things about showing livestock is meeting new people at shows and forming lifelong friendships, even bonding with the people who I’ve known for years over our shared love of showing. I hope to keep broadening my experiences and sharing my knowledge with others through everything I do in FFA and 4-H. Taking on the immense responsibility of taking care of, medicating, feeding and properly training each sheep that I show has really helped me grow as a person. Through my SAE project I’ve learned to be independent, how to have good sportsmanship and how to be resilient. I’ve seen firsthand how hard work can pay off over my years showing sheep and I’m so grateful for the opportunities I’ve had. I can’t wait for the years to come.