The Teen Creating a Stock Show for Everyone
Last summer, 17-year-old Abby Law was looking for a way to give back to her hometown of Stratford, about 80 miles north of Amarillo. She’d just spent four days at Texas Farm Bureau’s Youth Leadership Conference. Now, the Stratford High School junior was ready to transform her enthusiasm and knowledge into something tangible.
“It put a fire inside of me, and it boosted my confidence to give back to the ag industry that’s given so much to me,” Law says. “I came home wanting to help others.”
Law talked about it with her ever-supportive parents, Dan and Alicia. Soon after, she read about a special needs rodeo at Tarleton State University, where she’s hoping to attend after high school. She thought to herself, Why not do a special needs stock show? And the All Star Showdown was born.
Law quickly secured a judge, rounded up volunteers, and landed event sponsors, including her family’s Texas Farm Bureau
Insurance Agent Kaci McBryde. She set a date for Jan. 30, before the county livestock show in Stratford, and nervously waited for participant applications to roll in. “I didn’t know if I was going to have anyone,” Law says.
She ended up getting 19 participants from surrounding counties and close to 70 volunteers from eight Future Farmers of America chapters throughout the region.
Law thought of everything, from the animals shown and activities planned to designated “quiet areas” for participants who might need them — a tremendous feat given the usual noisy atmosphere of a stock show.
She paired each participant with three FFA member “show buddies” to guide them through the process, from prepping the animal to entering the ring. “The coolest part was watching those FFA members be by their contestant’s side even outside of the ring,” Law says.
Law wanted the day to focus on positive feedback, so each of the 19 participants left the ring a champion that day. To commemorate their experience, they went in front of Abby’s school board with her and received a buckle, a banner, a T-shirt, a bag with an attached wild rag, and a certificate that said, “A Day in the Showring Is Always a Good Day.”
Despite widespread praise for her efforts, Law doesn’t miss an opportunity to acknowledge the help she received from her community and surrounding counties, teachers, mentors, and sponsor. McBryde says this is what makes Law — and her Showdown — exceptional.
“She was so poised,” McBryde says. “She pulled off this grand production. … It ended up being bigger than anyone could have asked for. Abby has been involved with stock-showing since she was a little girl. It’s just so awesome to see a youth finding ways to give back to one of her passions and for us to be able to join with her.”
As Law approaches her senior year, she plans to prep for this fall’s FFA competition and upcoming stock shows. She also wants to organize a second, even bigger, All Star Showdown next year. Beyond that, she doesn’t have a “detailed plan” but wants to be involved in the ag industry in some way. “I have grown up on a farm,” she says. “So agriculture is kinda in my blood.”
Teach ’Em Young
Abby Law talks about stock showmanship like a seasoned veteran. That’s because she is. She’s worked with lambs since she was in third grade and helps others show animals. Before the All Star Showdown, Law manifested her showmanship experience into a series of workshops aptly titled “Leaving It Better With Abby.” Her workshops drew interest throughout Stratford and up into Texoma, Oklahoma, where she conducted two sessions. She has plans to return next fall at the request of Texoma FFA teachers.
Learn more about how our amazing members give back to their communities in this heartwarming tale of a veteran and a horse.
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