Michael makes memories in the show ring
From broken bones to belt buckles, Merrilee Michael of Douglas has accumulated plenty of memories and accolades in her four-year showing career.
The 13-year-old showman exhibits cattle and horses at the county and state fair, bringing a deep level of determination, passion and genuine care to projects each year.
Local roots
Michael began showing livestock at the Converse County Fair as soon as she was old enough to enter. At nine years old, she took home her first grand and reserve champion overall titles with a pair of miniature Hereford heifers named Itsy and Bitsy.
Michael also exhibited Itsy in the Converse County Cow-Belles’ annual Supreme Cow Contest, a program for 4-H and FFA youth involving three phases spaced out over multiple years.
Exhibitors show their first heifer in phase one before bringing the same animal back as a cow/calf pair in phase two.
The showman with the most points from the show, interview and record book components at the end of phase two wins a heifer donated by a Converse County rancher to exhibit in the final phase.
Itsy did well in phase one, so Michael set to work overseeing the breeding and calving process to begin the second phase. Michael returned to the ring with Itsy in 2022 with the addition of Itsyʼs calf Jack. The cow/calf pair won the second phase of the Cow-Belles contest.
That year, the phase three heifer was donated by Jay Butler of the Robinson Ranch, LLC. Michael and her parents John and Clarice Hartung traveled to the ranch outside of Douglas to pick out the calf, a Black Angus heifer who seemed to select Michael as much as she selected her.
“As I was sorting the third group I looked behind me and there was this calf licking my jeans,” Michael recalls.
She evaluated the heifer with the help of her dad and the decision was final.
“Jay asked me what I wanted to name her and I instantly said, ‘I want to name her Rosie,’” Michael recalls. “And he said Rosie was the name of his grandmother’s favorite milk cow and the name of the pasture next to us.”
Thus began a lifelong friendship between Michael and the Butler family.
Jay has continued his support of Michael and other Converse County youth. For the past two years, he has purchased Michael’s show steers in partnership with Anadarko Oil and donated the beef to the Boys and Girls Club of Douglas.
Michael says she appreciates the ability to give back to her community in this way. Saying goodbye to her animals is never easy, but it helps to know they are helping others.
Determination and connection
From the first look to the final farewell, Michael shares a deep bond with all of her animals. She works hard to earn their trust, training them to lead and set up, and is determined to be the last one to load them on trucks following the sale.
Michael and her mom recall a year where an accident days before county fair threw a wrench in their plans. Michael was helping a friend with a steer when the animal knocked her down and stepped on her leg. Michael hit her head on a nearby tank and passed out. When she came to and tried to stand up, she couldn’t.
“I felt like there was jelly in my boot,” she remembers.
That feeling turned out to be a broken femur, resulting in a wild ride to Denver Children’s Hospital through bad weather involving a helicopter, an airplane and two separate ambulances.
After undergoing surgery which placed a metal rod from her hip to her knee, the then 10-year-old Michael got right back to business focusing on her animals. She recalls a conversation with her parents about the upcoming county fair, now only 11 days away.
“My dad didn’t know who was going to show my steer named Steel,” Michael recalls. “I said, ‘I’m going to show him!’”
Still determined to show, Michael took to the show ring on crutches to exhibit Itsy and Steel with the help of two friends, Lydia Capelle and Tavie Miller.
That year, Steel won grand champion at the Converse County Fair. Michael went on to show him in the Champion of Champions at State Fair, where she was excited to exhibit without crutches.
Achievements and future
Michael has amassed an impressive collection of 28 belt buckles awarded for excellence in exhibiting cattle and horses at both the county and state fair levels. Her repeat wins of showmanship classes with both species are a testament to her deep connection with each of the animals she shows.
Michael takes primary responsibility for developing a care and feeding routine best suited to each of her animals’ individual needs. Her horses get attention every evening after long days dedicated to feeding, rinsing and exercising her cattle.
“She works really hard, and she puts in the work every day,” Clarice says.
Michael says she is looking forward to the chance to add to her buckle collection this summer. She’s also set her sights on learning how to fit and clip show cattle in order to help the next generation of showmen.
Grace Skavdahl is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
