HAVING survived the rigours of lambing, many flock owners feel a justifiable sense of pride in watching their lambs blossom on the new spring grass and will quite naturally start to consider the possibility of showing one or two of their better progeny.

This is especially true for those that own rare or minority breeds as much of their surplus stock is sold within the "fraternity". In view of this, it makes good sense to try and get a few ribbons fluttering on your flock board when it comes to the autumn breed sales.

To have a real chance of winning one of those prizes, however, does require time and effort not least getting your ram or ewe to stand quietly and correctly in the ring and submit itself to a judge's inspection.

To achieve this happy state you need to get your show animals to lead from a halter in front of perhaps dozens of spectators and other exhibitors to say nothing of a possible fun fair, army shooting range, steam engine or the imagined delights of the neighbouring sheep lines! Without proper halter training, putting yourself and stock in this situation could well end in being towed through the ropes and scattering spectators like nine-pins!

The best way of avoiding problems like these is to begin halter training your show stock about six weeks before the first event. Halters can be home made from soft rope or you can buy commercial leather or rope ones. Use old ones for training purposes and keep your new ones for the ring. A soft, white halter really sets off a black headed sheep, but many shepherds prefer leather as these have less of a tendency to cut.

Start by gently fitting the halter and tying to a solidly fixed fence or rail. You should use a quick release knot and never leave the animal unattended. About 15 minutes is long enough to start with. If the sheep struggles and fights, as our big Suffolk ram lambs used to do on occasions, try offering a small feed. This usually calms them down, but it isn't good to make a regular habit of it otherwise they associate being tied up with eating! If you can repeat this process four or five times a day they will soon get used to the procedure.

Once the ewe or ram is happy standing you can then move on to walking. This often results in fun and games with the captive throwing itself forward and bolting for the nearest open gate! If like me, you are not a candidate for a Wigan prop forward, you may find you need some help at this stage! We used to get around the bolting problem by cupping a hand under the sheep's jaw and keeping its head up. This will prevent it shooting forward, but you will still encounter some resistance so don't expect to solve the problem over night. Patience and repartition is the key! One trick that we tried with some success was to hold a bit of cake in the hand holding up the head. It's amazing how greed can focus a sheep mind!

The opposite of the bolting problem is pulling back. Strangely few of our rams did this, but you can usually encourage forward motion by having an assistant at the rear of the animal on the opposite side to the handler offering a little gentle encouragement. Alternatively you can try looping a piece of soft cord around the sheep's tail and using it to encourage forward movement. (Don't use a slip knot, otherwise it will tighten and you will cause a lot of pain and distress).

When you have your sheep accepting the halter and walking forward without too much fuss the next stage is to "set it up". This simply means getting it to stand so that it shows itself to its best advantage. If you have taught the animal to stand quietly it shouldn't be too difficult to do this.

Once you enter the ring you will be asked to stand in a line with your sheep at your side. It's quite in order to bend down and arrange the legs so that it stands nice and square, showing a long back to advantage. Take care that the rear legs do not extend unnaturally too far backwards otherwise the rear end will look narrow and flat. Not the effect you are trying to achieve! It will also slop the back which should look flat and broad, much like a billiard table.

You can put your hand under the chin to keep the head lifted and in the correct position. Many experienced shepherds will remain crouched, keeping one eye on their charge and the other on the judge until the awards are given out. Others, perhaps mindful of the strain on their backs, stand upright until nearer the time when the judge inspects their animal. Whatever you chose to do, be alert for instructions and concentrate on what is happening at all times! If you are gossiping to friends or family members outside the ring, most judges will give you very short shrift.

If your animal has caught the judge's eye you may be asked to parade it for further inspection. This is where good halter training will pay dividends. The judge has a much better chance of assessing the animal's qualities if it is not struggling and fighting its halter.

Even if you are still confined to ranks then a well disciplined sheep at least shows you understand the etiquette and principles of showing and will not cause complaint from your fellow exhibitors by possibly bowling them and their charges over when you bolt from the ring! Talking of which, if you didn't make the prize list, do the sporting thing and wait until the winners leave the ring before exiting yourself. You should also make a point of congratulating the winners, after all you know by this stage how much hard work goes into those prizes!

Shows staging sheep classes
It's impossible to list all the shows and country fairs staging sheep classes. They generally take place during the summer months and early autumn. Breed societies run their own specialists classes, often in conjunction with a larger county show or fair. The listing here contains dates of some of the major shows. You can download schedules from their websites or contact the show secretary for a postal copy.

  • The Royal Welsh Smallholder and Garden Festival, May 17 and 18. Rhian Thomas - Tel: 01982 554 408; Fax: 01982 553 563; Email: rhian@rwas.co.uk; www.rwas.co.uk.
  • The Leicestershire Show, May 4 and 5, Melton Mowbray Airfield. Show office: Dishley Grange Farm, Derby Road, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE11 5SF. Tel: 01509 646786; Fax: 01509 646787; Email: info@leicestershireshow.co.uk; www.leicestershireshow.co.uk.
  • Rare Breed Survival Trust compiles a listing of shows and events that include classes for rare or minority breeds. www.rbst.org.uk/show-sales/shows.php.
  • Surrey County Show, May 26, Stoke Park, Guildford. Tel: 01483 890810; Email: scas@surreycountyshow.co.uk; www.surreycountyshow.co.uk.
  • Sherborne Castle Country Fair and Rare Breeds Show, May 26, Sherborne Castle, north west Dorset. Tel: 08700 115622; Email: info@sherbornecountryfair.com; www.sherbornecountryfair.com.
  • Staffordshire County Show, May 28 and 29. The showground is situated on the A518 Stafford to Uttoxeter road some 4 miles from Stafford. Tel: 01785 247111; Email: enquiries@staffscountyshowground.co.uk; www.staffscountyshowground.co.uk.
  • Bath and West Show, May 28-31, Shepton Mallet, Somerset. Tel: 01749 822200; Email: info@bathandwest.co.uk; www.bathandwest.com.
  • Three Counties Show, June 13-15. Tel: 01684 584900; www.threecounties.co.uk/ threecounties/livestock.html.
  • Cheshire County Show, June 17 and 18. The showground is situated off the A556 about 1 mile west of M6 junction 19. Tel: 01565 650200; Email: info@cheshirecountyshow.org.uk; www.cheshirecountyshow.org.uk.
  • Royal Norfolk Show, June 25 and 26, Norfolk Showground, Dereham Road, New Costessey, Norwich, NR5 0TT. Tel: 01603 748931; Email: enquiries@royalnorfolkshow.com; www.royalnorfolkshow.co.uk.
  • The Royal Show, July 3-6, Royal Agricultural Society of England, Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire, CV8 2LZ. Tel: 024 76 696 96; www.royalshow.org.uk.
  • Traditional Native Breeds Show and Sale, September 12 and13, Melton Mowbray Market, Scalford Road, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, LE13 1JY. Tel : 01664 562971; Fax : 01664 561153; Email : info@meltonmowbraymarket.co.uk; www.meltonmowbraymarket.co.uk.

Sheep news

Sheep industry a vulnerable target. The UK's national sheep flock is a target on the government's hit list for livestock production, according to British Wool Marketing Board chairman Frank Langrish.

Speaking at the BWMB's annual conference in Bradford, Mr Langrish said sheep farmers didn't realise that there was no wish by government to maintain a national flock or for that matter any other ruminant livestock.

"It's all part of DEFRA's policy to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases. The government believes a reduction in livestock numbers will have a marked effect on the statistics," said Mr Langrish, who farms in Sussex. "Governments no longer wish to have any more to do with agriculture; any thought of food security has, for the time being, disappeared," he added.

Cost-saving measures lead to wool board depot changes. Cost-saving measures will involve the closure of depots in some UK regions, it was announced by the British Wool Marketing Board at its annual conference.

For Welsh and Welsh Borders sheep farmers it will mean closure of the grading function at Bromyard, although there will continue to be a collection centre either at the existing premises or in the near vicinity. In addition there will be reduction in staff at Brecon and Port Madoc while in Scotland there will be closure of the grading operation at Irvine. Further closures may be inevitable if the weight of wool being handled continues to decline.

The changes were part of an on-going review of cost saving measures underway within the British Wool Marketing Board.