By KARI KRAMER | East Texas Edition

Sounds of comfort ... Seventeen-year-old exhibitor Ashley Lunsford of Tom Bean offers smooches to her Beefmaster heifer, Lady, during the recent Hunt County Fair. The heifer had captured significant wins at previous competitions, and also came away as a champion in the Beef Heifer contest at the fair. -- Staff photo by Kramer

July 13, 2006 - Ashley Lunsford, 17, of Tom Bean has come a long way in the world of livestock exhibition.

During the June 16 Hunt County heifer show, Ashley took time to reflect on her showing experiences.

It was only three years ago that she decided to try showing cattle. Her family has raised Beefmaster cattle (the breed she currently shows) for most of her life and after a friend persuaded her, she decided to try her hand at exhibiting cattle. But, in the beginning, the experience did not go quite as planned.

“The first calf I ever got, she knocked me down,” she recalled. “So my first heifer, I didn’t get to show.”

Then, the second heifer she got ran through an electric fence.

But, she stuck it out and eventually was able to form a successful relationship with her show cattle.

“You get attached to them and they start to trust you,” she explained.

Ashley Lunsford poses with her champion Beefmaster heifer during the Hunt County Fair competition. -- Staff photo by Kramer

Also, she said the more comfortable she became when exhibiting animals, the more the activity enriched her life. Not only have her experiences taught her to be respectful of other people and animals, Ashley said it has contributed a great deal to her personality.

“The showing has made me more open,” Ashley said of asking for and offering help to others. “And, I’ve met a lot of friends this way.”

In addition, Ashley expects her showing experience to play an important role in her future.

“I plan on getting a ranch,” she said. On her property she hopes to raise cattle and believes her showing experience will provide her plenty of background.

“Once you start to show, you know what you should be looking for,” Ashley explained.

But showing won’t be the only experience that Ashley plans to use on her course to a successful future. She has invested time in livestock and horse judging, she plans to show goats, and attend Grayson County Community College and transfer to Texas A&M University in College Station in order reach her other career goals.

“I want to be a pharmacist,” she said. “It’s a good job, and then I can raise cattle.

“If you don’t have money, then you can’t raise cattle.”

While Ashley may not have her hands on much money now, she can claim responsibility for some high-end breeding stock. Her January 2005 Beefmaster heifer, Lady, won Reserve Champion Beefmaster in the Breeding Beef Heifer Show at the 2006 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

In addition to large shows like Houston, Ashley takes her cattle to about 40 shows a year throughout the region. She has been awarded many wins and said she hopes to continue the trend. To help in gaining recognition she now also showing a Chianina.

“I’m trying to get first in Region Four,” she explained. If rated the first place cattle exhibitor in the region, Ashley will be invited to attend an exclusive banquet in Houston, a goal of hers at the moment.

Ashley plans to build on those goals, just as she has from the beginning. In just three years, she has used, and plans to continue to use, her showing experiences as a formula for success.

“I’ve come a long way,” she said. “More than I ever thought I would.”