Lexi Hunt is from Buckeye, Arizona. Where she has developed a passion for the show industry and everything that comes with it. Lexi has learned from the bottom up about work ethic and consistency. She has become a well known name in the judging circle as she has had the opportunity to judge at the Mark Banbury Memorial Showmanship and Futurity Show, and the Revival Show with so much more to come.
“My name is Lexi Hunt and I am originally from Buckeye, Arizona. I am 21 years old and currently wrapping up my Senior Year at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas.”
Lexi has been in the barn since the beginning. Some of her favorite memories have come from the ring. Lexi’s middle sister showed goats, which is where she started her show journey. Later on, she transitioned into showing sheep, which is where her true passion was found.
“I have two sisters that are 15 and 10 years older than I am, so I was in the barn before I can even remember. Some of my first, and certainly my fondest, memories were made in the barn helping my sisters with their show projects. I quickly found that livestock was my true passion.”
Growing up in Arizona, Lexi was always envious of kids that had the opportunity to grow up in the midwest or other states where the livestock industry was more prominent.
“I knew in order to grow within this industry, I had to find a way to get further East, and it made the most sense to do that through collegiate livestock judging. When I was growing up, people that I knew or saw online that judged collegiately were super stars to me, so it has been truly a life long goal to get into the judging realm.”
Lexi was born with a love and passion for the industry. She has always been a highly competitive person; the industry has not only fueled that competitiveness but taught her to love the processes too.
“What fueled me growing up, and what I have always appreciated about the livestock industry, is that it is not merely a game of talent, but rather a game of hard work and passion.”
Lexi started livestock Judging as soon as she could. Lexi judged through high school with her good friend Cade Haggard who ended up being one of her Texas Tech teammates. She was able to have a good high school career with Cade as they both pushed each other to be better each day.
“We were able to push each other to be better. We made several trips to Oklahoma for judging camps and contests.”
Lexi attended junior college at South Plains College in Levelland, Texas. “ I made that decision based on my respect for Connor Brew, the coach there.”
“I truly did not know what to expect when it came to judging collegiately, I was just some girl from Arizona!”
Lexi’s time at South Plains truly shaped her career. “I owe it all to the amazing support I had there from both my coach and teammates. During my time at SPC, I got to know the faculty and coaches up the road at Texas Tech. So when the time came to make the decision for senior college, it did not take much thought for me.”
Lexi was very blessed to be on one of the more competitive livestock judging teams to ever be assembled. “I’m so thankful for the time I got to spend with them, pushing each other to be better day in and day out, alongside the incredible support and guidance of our coach Skyler Scotten. Now that I have officially wrapped up my collegiate judging career, I am making the transition into the middle of the ring, which has been extremely rewarding!”
Lexi took away a strong work ethic and a drive from her time at Texas Tech and South Plains college that continues to take her far. “I learned the kind of drive and work ethic that it takes to be successful at any endeavor you may pursue.”
Lexi has learned so much over the years, and she owes most of it to her time at South Plains. “Again, I was just some girl from Arizona that not many people knew, so I knew this was my one shot to be able to prove myself. One of our first contests as freshman was the State Fair of Texas. I was lucky enough to be named the High Individual, and from that point forward I knew I was capable! I learned more about livestock and livestock judging during those two years than I can even put into words.”
Lexi has had the opportunity to judge shows all over the country and every time she steps in the ring her goal is to make sure that every exhibitor feels seen and has a positive experience regardless of their placing. “My approach in the ring has been the same since the first time I grabbed a microphone, make it about the kids!”
“I always loved showmanship growing up so I take that part of the show very seriously. The priorities I look for in a showman is who can maximize the animal they are showing the absolute best and with confidence. When it comes to the livestock themselves, I think good livestock can come in different shapes and sizes. But, I do prioritize livestock that are athletic and built right in terms of their skeleton.”Lexi has had the opportunity to work with various show families over the years. She has learned through these families to understand just how important showmanship is in order to maximize the project especially on the sheep and goat side.“
Therefore I can look at an animal during showmanship and evaluate where that animal’s hole is and how they should be shown accordingly to fix it. Then judging the showman becomes easy based on how aware they are of their animal’s issue and their hustle to show it out of them. Lexi likes confidence in the ring for showmanship, “I think confidence stands out the most to me in showmanship.
“Good showmen know they are good at what they do and are extremely calculated in every movement they make within the ring.”
“My goal every time I step in the ring is to make it the most positive experience I can for each exhibitor that walks through the gate. I hope that every kid that shows to me can leave the ring feeling that they were giving a fair evaluation regardless of where they ended up. “
“My biggest piece of advice is to find your passion and do not ever quit pursuing it. Shoot for the moon and when you think you’re working hard, work harder the next day. Even if the outcome at the show is not what you had wished for, I promise that the work ethic and the drive that you are learning from showing livestock will get you way further in life than you could ever dream!”
Show Ring Illustrated 