Shows

Showing potential.......

We started showing sheep to advertise our flock and compare our stock against our peers. We also do it to support the Romney breed. It's amazing how many people are unaware that Romneys are the native Kentish sheep breed. But we also do it because it's fun.

Since our first show we have been lucky enough to have had some good stock that has done well in the show ring. We concentrate on the Heathfield and Kent Shows as they are the most local. We'd like to do more but there is only so much time in the day.

Here are a few of the highlights of our showing thus far:

Heathfield Show 2007
- Champion Romney - The Herbert Catt Memorial Trophy

Kent Show 2007
- Reserve Champion - The Ashford Jubilee Perpetual Challenge Cup for Best Romney Ram
- Winner - The Alfred Day Challenge Cup for the Best Novice
- Reserve - The Redland Aggregate Perpetual Challenge Bowl for the
exhibitor with the most points
- Winner - The David Roberts Memorial Trophy for the best group of 3 - Class Wins - Ram, two shear or upwards shorn
Pair of shorn yearling ewes
Group of three

Heathfield Show 2008
- Champion Romney - The Herbert Catt Memorial Trophy
- Reserve Champion British Long Wool AOB
- Class Wins: British Long Wool - Shearling Ram
Ram Lamb
Ewe Lamb
Kent Show 2008
- Breed Champion - The Osmond Horne Perpetual Challenge trophy for Best Romney
- Champion - The Ashford Jubilee Perpetual Challenge Cup for Best Romney Ram
- Reserve - The Redland Aggregate Perpetual Challenge Bowl for the
exhibitor with the most points
- Class Wins - Ram, two shear or upwards shorn
Ram, two shear or upwards in wool
Ram lamb
Pair of ewe lambs

Kent Show 2009
- Reserve Breed Champion - The Osmond Horne Perpetual Challenge trophy for Best Romney
- Champion - The Ashford Jubilee Perpetual Challenge Cup for Best Romney Ram
- Reserve - The Redland Aggregate Perpetual Challenge Bowl for the
exhibitor with the most points

How we got started.

Being a relatively new flock in 2006 we decided showing would be a good way to establish ourselves and a good opportunity to test our animals against other flocks.

As a bit of a test run we had a go at entering the Romney Breeders Society Flock Competition in 2006. To our surprise and pleasure we won Best Small Flock which was just the encouragement we needed to go ahead and enter the 2007 Heathfield and Kent Shows.

The vast majority of work involved in showing is the selection and preparation of the animals. Everyone has a different method of doing things, how and what they select and when they start getting them in shape. We are continually keeping 'half an eye' on any potential show animals. There may be one ram lamb, for example, that just 'looks right' and stands out form the rest. He will be watched for further signs of potential and over the course of the year he and others are whittled down to the final few which are then prepared for showing.

The main preparations begins a few month before the show with a bit of tidying up of the wool and ensuring that everything is clean and in working order. Around this point they are split off from the main flock ensuring less stress for both animals and handler. Although it's pretty certain which animal will be shown a few spares will be taken out of the main flock just in case there is a last minute problem. In 2007 we were helped and advised by our friend Mike Munford. What he doesn't know about getting a sheep ready for showing isn't worth knowing. He was, and still is, a great help to us.

Our first show, the Heathfield, taught us a great deal. We took this new found knowledge onto the Kent Show with very pleasing results. We were chuffed to bits with out first year of showing pitting our wits against our peers. But the true test would be to continue this into the future.

Thinking of having a go?

It can be quite daunting taking the first steps into the mysterious world of showing. But infact it's very straight forward. Here are a few tips that may help:

1. Buy some pedigree sheep (obviously Romneys as 1st choice)
2. Register with the breed society (see Romney Breed page)
3. Contact your local Show Society to ask their advice (see links below)
4. Visit some shows before you start (see links below)
5. Make friends with people who have done it before.
6. Ask lots of questions
7. Enjoy it.

Click on links for show details:

Heathfield & District Agricultural Show Society