ROBSTOWN, Texas — Winning Grand Championships at livestock shows is becoming a family tradition for one area family.
Since 2011 the O’Brien sisters have claimed many Grand and Reserve Championships in goats, sheep, steers, and horses.
Taylor O’Brien, a senior at Calallen High School, Trinity, a junior at Sinton High School, and Taryn, an eighth grader at Calallen Middle School, are preparing their goats and lambs for upcoming Junior Livestock Shows, which is a year-round family project.
“Just showing with my sisters is one of our family hobbies. It is something that we all love to do,” Taylor O’Brien said.
“We call ourselves the O’Brien show team so anytime any of us are successful, it is a win for the family,” Trinity O’Brien said.
“I have always loved animals and seeing my sisters in the show ring, I just knew that was something I wanted to do,” Taryn O’Brien said.
For most families, being involved in FFA or 4-H and showing livestock is both a hobby and a lifestyle.
“In 2013, I was showing my second year and Taylor, her third year, and I won Grand, and she won Reserve.
And those were the first champions we ever had and so that was just so meaningful, and we realized that hard work does pay off,” said Trinity.
The O’Briens say one thing they really enjoy about the livestock industry is that it takes their whole family to get the job done.
“At the end of the day, we are always happy for each other and for the family because winning is not just your win, it takes everyone to actually do it in the end,” said Taryn.
“We always set higher goals for ourselves, and in addition to county, we go to the major livestock shows, and as we have been successful, we take a lot of joy in helping other people learn to show,” said Taylor.
When you combine all those championships, the O’Briens seem to have found a blueprint for success.
“The goal is, definitely, we all want to go to Texas A&M University, and we want to have some money for college, of course. I know all of us are kind of planning to go into the agriculture field. I want to go into Ag business,” said Trinity.
The 85th annual Nueces County Junior Livestock Show will be coming to an end this weekend.
More than 1,400 youth participate in over 4,900 projects at NCJLS, at the Richard M. Borchard Regional Fairgrounds in Robstown.
