Show Mistakes made, Lessons learned on entries.

Well it seems every year we end up with cattle that are not eligible for our state fair hosted Texas longhorn show. Now I think I got it figured out why and hopefully this will help others not make the same mistakes. To be warned all my dates will be based on my state fair show, but the aspect you can apply to your show. Ours is particularly confusing as it occurs almost a full year in advance of our association world show. We are the first show of the season and for two years I counted back from our show to the appropriate months to see which categories to place my animals in, only to find out that we were not eligible and with one of our bulls could not even show. Which is a little frustrating, but now I know why.

Classes are not based on the individual shows, even though our contestants here in CA are not very likely to travel to the world show in the east our show dates are not really relevant to the classes. The class breaks are based upon when the world show is. Now for most that is not a big deal, however for us it takes out the four youngest heifer classes, three youngest bull classes, three youngest non haltered classes, one miniature female class completely and half of another, one miniature bull class and half of another. This glitch, we'll call it for lack of a better, has twice cost me a class entry because I miscalculated and entered a bull based upon our show date. So how do they do it.

Let's take this coming year for me here in California. I am planning on showing again at CA state fair in July of 2026. To do this I have to plan my class entries off of World show 2027 and enter and train those animals. For our classes we have to base it off of the world show 2027. I am not advocating any change as I understand why it is done that way and have no complaints with it. It is just really strange to be coming up to a July show but planning for classes based upon the following July. So let's see how this will look. I have a Heifer that I think looks nice and square with good color and should do well. She was to young to show July 2025 not being 120+ days old but for our July 2026 show she will be in the oldest Junior Female class as a mid yearling and hopefully bred. The bull classes are even less choices, I have one born June 2025 and next year will be the last class as a Junior bull.

Looking forward we hope you learn from our mistakes and break down the classes working back from the appropriate date. Not like us, I was using the wrong dates as that is what we do for our county fair, it not being an association connected show. So here goes for CA state Fair 2026 here is to the best of my ability the class breakdowns. We hope you will try and join us there and this will hopefully help you get a calf or animal in the correct class.

California State Fair TLBAA classes.

HALTERED FEMALES

Class 1 Sept-Dec 2026 (NA=After CA state Fair)

Class 2 July-Aug 2026 (NA)

Class 3 May-June 2026 (NA)

Class 4 March-April 2026 (NA)

Class 5 Jan-Feb 2026 Calves must be 120+ days old

Class 6 Junior Haltered Champion Female

Class 7 Reserve Haltered Junior Champion Female

Class 8 Sept-Dec 2025

Class 9 May Aug 2025

Class 10 Jan- April 2025

Class 11 Entire year of 2024

Class 12 Senior Haltered Champion Female

Class 13 Reserve Senior Haltered Champion Female

Class 14 Grand Champion Haltered Female

Class 15 Reserve Grand Champion Haltered Female

Class 16 Born 2023, 2022, 2021, and 2020

Class 17 Born 2019 and Before

Class 18 Grand Champion Haltered Mature Female

Class 19 Reserve Grand Champion Haltered Mature Female

BULLS (Shown at Halter WITH NOSE LEAD)

Class 20 Sept-Dec 2026 (NA)

Class 21 July-Aug 2026 (NA)

Class 22 May-June 2026 (NA)

Class 23 March-April 2026 (NA)

Class 24 Jan-Feb 2026 Calves must be 120+ days old

Class 25 Junior Champion Bull

Class 26 Reserve Junior Champion Bull

Class 27 Born September-December 2025

Class 28 Born May-August 2025

Class 29 Born January-April 2025

Class 30 Senior Champion Bull

Class 31 Reserve Senior Champion Bull

Class 32 Grand Champion Bull

Class 33 Reserve Grand Champion Bull

GROUP CLASSES

Class 34 Produce of Dam: Two animals, natural birth, any sex (female or bull), and

can have different owners (ET calves and steers are not eligible)

Class 35 Get of Sire: Three animals, natural birth, both sex, 2 or more different

dams, and can have different owners. (ET calves eligible)

The Produce of Dam and Get of Sire classes will be offspring shown at halter from

age groups of females: Class 11 and under; bulls: from the established classes.

NON-HALTERED DIVISION

FEMALES: (Don't confuse these class numbers with the ones above not sure why TLBAA has them the same even if non haltered)

Class 1 Born September-December 2026 (NA)

Class 2 Born July-August 2026 (NA)

Class 3 Born May-June 2026 (NA)

Class 4 Born March-April 2026 Calves must be 120+ days old

Class 5 Born January-February 2026

Class 6 Junior Champion Non-Haltered Division Female

Class 7 Reserve Junior Champion Non-Haltered Division Female

Class 8 Born September-December 2025

Class 9 Born May-August 2025

Class 10 Born January-April 2025

Class 11 Born 2024

Class 12 Senior Champion Non-Haltered Division Female

Class 13 Reserve Senior Champion Non-Haltered Division Female

Class 14 Grand Champion Non-Haltered Division Female

Class 15 Reserve Grand Champion Non-Haltered Division Female

MATURE FEMALES

Class 16 Born 2023 and 2022

Class 17 Born 2021 and 2020

Class 18 Born 2019

Class 19 Born 2018

Class 20 Grand Champion Non-Haltered Division Mature Female

Class 21 Reserve Grand Champion Non-Haltered Division Mature Female

TROPHY STEER DIVISION AT WORLD SHOW  (AGAIN don't confuse these class numbers with the ones above not sure why TLBAA has them the same)

Class 1 Junior Steers - 2025 and 2024

Class 2 Junior Steers - born 2023 and 2022

Class 3 Junior Champion Steer

Class 4 Reserve Junior Champion Steer

Class 5 Senior Steers - born 2021, 2020, 2019 and 2018

Class 6 Senior Steers - born 2017 and before

Class 7 Senior Champion Steer

Class 8 Reserve Senior Champion Steer

Class 9 World Grand Champion Steer

Class 10 World Reserve Grand Champion Steer

MINIATURE DIVISION

MINIATURE FEMALES: (TLBAA finally figured it out and called the classes something different now they should go back and the steers could be S1-S10 and non haltered NH1-NH21)

M1. Born July-December 2026 (NA)

M2. Born January- June 2026 Calves must be 120+ days old

M3. Born July- December 2025

M4. Born January- June of 2025

M5. * Junior Champion Female

M6. * Reserve Junior Champion Female

M7. Born July- December 2024

M8. Born January- June 2024

M9. Born July- December 2023

M10. Born January- June 2023

M11. * Senior Champion Female

M12. *Reserve Senior Champion Female

M13. Grand Champion Female

M14. Reserve Grand Champion Female

M15. Born 2022 or before

M16. Grand Champion Mature Female

M17. Reserve Champion Mature Female

MINIATURE BULLS:

M18. Born July- December 2026 (NA)

M19. Born January- June 2026 Calves must be 120+ days old

M20. * Junior Champion Bull

M21. * Junior Reserve Champion Bull

M22. Born July- December 2025

M23. Born January- June 2025

M24. * Senior Champion Bull

M25. *Senior Reserve Champion Bull

M26. Grand Champion Bull

M27. Reserve Grand Champion Bull

Miniature Steers- Haltered

M28. Born 2026

M29. Born 2025

M30. Born 2024 and before

M31. Grand Champion Miniature Steer

M32. Reserve Grand Champion Miniature Steer

Miniature Non Halter Females

M33. Born 2026

M34. Born 2025

M35. Born2024

M36. Born 2023 and before

M37. Grand Champion Non Haltered Miniature Female

M38. Reserve Grand Champion Non Haltered Miniature Female

Miniature Group Classes

M39. Produce of Dam: two animals, natural birth, any sex, and can have different

owners.

M40. Get of Sire: three animals, natural birth, both sexes, 2 or more different

dam’s, and can have different owners

Warning I am not a professional and may have made mistakes. I will be entering and planning my animals based upon the above class breaks for the CA state fair 2026. So take this with that in mind.