Author Topic: this week's scottish farmer (Read 2967 times)

lill · « **on:** June 03, 2011, 01:33:31 pm »

Looking forward all week to getting my Scottish farmer as I knew there was going to be an article in it about the pigs at Lesmahagow Show. The article has done the SPKA proud an good publicity. Lisa McCaig was also intervied by her local paper and photos taken. We do hope that in the passage of time other shows will follow Lesmahagow and let us have pig classes. As most shows get huge amounts of money from the horsey folk, it is some of these horsey folk who do not wish pigs to be at the shows. Is it not time those who are prejudice against pigs, sit up and see that the 2 breeds of animals CAN work together, as was proved when Lisa was in the main ring beside other champions including a Clydesdale and another pony who did not bother that there was a pig close by. This is just my opinion ALL shows if they want to can accommodate both horse and pig for afterall all shows are agriculture, pigs are most definitely agriculture, horses and ponies are classed as equestrian.

Beewyched · « **Reply #1 on:** June 03, 2011, 01:41:33 pm »

Hear, hear Lillian

Our Kunes are in a field next to livery horses - one of them regularly pays the horses a visit & they graze happily side-by side - it's a lovely sight 16 plus hands hunters with a wee, black, hairy thing in their midst.

I think it's some horsey folk that don't like the pigs, not the horses

HappyHippy · « **Reply #2 on:** June 03, 2011, 02:34:18 pm »

I've not seen the article yet

But will soon

There was a lovely follow-up piece in the Lanark gazette too, think it was along the lines of "Piggin' success" (or maybe fever & the antibiotics got me confused lol!)
I agree with the pigs & horses comments too - I've sold pigs to livery yards

The fields next to my pigs sometimes have horses in them (and since the horses are showjumpers, my fields sometimes have horses in them too - when they want a closer look at the pigs

)
Lets face it - some horses spook at their own shadow, don't they ? Pigs are just a handy excuse

Dirty, horrible, diseased creatures that they are $:-\$ NOT my opinion, but it is one shared by many.........by many who don't know any better

After all - we, as a nation, eat HUGE amounts of pork. Most of which is imported from abroad where the standards aren't quite as good as they are here - better to be eating good British pork, as opposed to low welfare/high food mile imports. (Sorry, mini-rant over

) And if we want to promote it and get a better price for it - we've got to do the work

It's by going round shows with the pigs, begging and pleading for classes to be added to agricultural show schedules and generally getting out there that we'll be able to educate the masses and let them see our pigs aren't so bad

And hopefully in a few years everyone will wonder what all the fuss was about in the first place

Karen x
Apologies for the massive reply - think not being able to talk out loud is starting to get to me

robert waddell · « **Reply #3 on:** June 03, 2011, 03:08:10 pm »

see i told you the fags were bad for you yes we have our copy of the gazette and very good is as well they are also featured in the peebles paper as well (got a copy reserved ) also if you go on line at the gazette there is more photos west fife show tomorrow and stirling show next weekend looking forward to that one and meeting Pippa longstocking

lill · « **Reply #4 on:** June 03, 2011, 03:46:15 pm »

I agree Lynne, but how many of these horsey folk that don't like pigs, gobble into a bacon sanny, eat pork chops, gammon steak, i bet there is a hell of a lot of them, the only word i can say about such folk is they are very selfish, the attitude of " if they come were no coming" is all wrong.

lachlanandmarcus · « **Reply #5 on:** June 03, 2011, 05:03:20 pm »

horses and pigs can get along fine if they live together, and even if not familiar some horses are OK with pigs but a lot are absolutely not, not just the horse owners being awkward! to a horse by instinct a pig is just a wild boar out to kill it.

I agree shows can if carefully managed be made to work with both, and it's great to demonstrate it in practice, but lets not get into condemning whole sections of animal keepers?

Personally I would happily take my horse to a show with pigs there, tho I would not want them to be sharing the same ring at the same time.

But its fairly rational and reasonable for a horse owner to not wish to attend a show where they think the (already statistically very high) risks of horse-riding will be multiplied, they are not being selfish or horrible just not wanting to be injured or their horse to be injured or any spectators. Show organisers are free to organise a horse free show and still have their show, not sure in what way that is unacceptable?