Living on a farm on Vimy Ridge, sophomore Ross Harrington prepares his pigs, horses and chickens to be shown. He spends anywhere from three to four hours a day working with his animals everyday.
When Harrington was 1-years-old, he started showing chickens. In 2009, at the age of 12, he started showing pigs.
“I have shown horses, chicken, cows and pigs,” Harrington said. “But pigs are my favorite.”
Harrington is a part of the local 4H, but he wishes the school had an FFA (Future Farmers of America) program.
“It’s an organization that gets kids more involved in the community and livestock,” Harrington said.
Preparing animals for showing is a costly and timely process. Training chickens and pigs requires working with them everyday for about six months; a horse takes a lifetime. He rides his horse everyday.
“Horses are pretty simple, when we go to show they get baths,” Harrington said. “The chickens get baths too; we just dunk them in different buckets of cleaner.”
Harrington has owned seven pigs. His latest, weighing 800 pounds is Retchibusha. Harrington said the name came from the movie “Norbit.”
“First, you have to buy them for a sale. Retch was $650,” Harrington said. “Then you have starter, grower and finisher feed that you give them.”
Harrington said training a pig consists of teaching them to walk in a circle. Horses are trained to ride around barrels, poles and (pig) in a circle.
“I hit her with a quirt on one side until she turns. Then I do that on both sides until she turns with ease,” Harrington said.
Once they are show ready, he washes them, clips their hair and shines their feet. Harrington said the night before the show, Harrrington takes the pig and it stays the night. The next day the judges start the sift (seperation). It lasts all day, and the pigs that make it through the sift stay another day. For two days after the sift, pigs are divided into classes by weight, and if the pig makes it through its weight class, he goes to the final round. Once the pigs gets to the final round, the judges pick a reserve, a grand and a supreme champion.
Of his seven pigs, two have won Saline County Grand Champion awards, Tubby in 2009 and Timbo in 2010. In 2011 Bob received a reserve (second place) at the Saline County Fair and Retchibusha took third place at the Arkansas State Fair.
