Author Topic: The low down on showing.... (Read 2614 times)

Hillview Farm · « **on:** April 02, 2013, 05:24:37 pm »

I've got a chunky suffolk cross ewe lamb that i'd quite like to show this year just for fun.

What to do and when? E.G Shearing (heard people are doing it now)
How to prep at the show and so on

Thanks

DartmoorLiz · « **Reply #1 on:** April 03, 2013, 07:05:05 pm »

I don't know but I'm interested too. Come on people, someone must know.

Thanks for any help.

Blacksheep · « **Reply #2 on:** April 03, 2013, 07:45:55 pm »

Hi is she last years lamb if you are considering shearing? We have shown in crossbred classes but only lambs and they are generally shown untrimmed. however older sheep would have been shorn, not sure when the best timing for shearing them would be though sorry.

allyb · « **Reply #3 on:** April 03, 2013, 07:51:38 pm »

Hi all our sheep to be showed this year are already clipped.They have to have at least enough new wool growth to dress the sheep prior to the show that you decide to go to. If its this years lamb them all they will need is dressed prior to show to smarten them up.Then theres the halter training which needs at least 3 weeks to complete. The list is endless but its good fun

feldar · « **Reply #4 on:** April 03, 2013, 08:39:50 pm »

We show Hamps, and if they are lambs ( born Dec 2012) we just back them down which means take a bit of the lamb wool off the back, but the weather has been so bad we have delayed doing it this year.
Normally we will pick the show team about now and start to halter train in time for Devon county Show.
Then two weeks before the show my hubby will card them up and trim out to look tidy. It does depend on the breed on how much trimming and sprucing up you can do and it's best to look at the show schedule to see what's permissable

Blacksheep · « **Reply #5 on:** April 04, 2013, 11:46:54 am »

I would check with the show organiser, the crossbreds are normally judged in the pens as well as being shown untrimmed/dressed (for lamb classes) at least for the shows we have taken crossbreds too. It is completely different to showing pedigree/purebred sheep which are normally shown in the ring, and depending on the breed trimmed and dressed etc.
If the shows you are taking your lamb to are judged in the pen you don't necessarily need to halter train, although it is as well to have them used to being handled. However last year at the last minute I got a call saying that I couldn't take my crossbred lamb as she was MV acc and all the crossbred classes were in the non MV pens together, then they said if I could halter train her (in a day!) she could come and be stood a little distance away from the pens for judging, got her halter trained however the judge didn't have a problem with coming over and judging her in her pen away from the others.
I wouldn't worry too much if she is a shearling and not yet trimmed, although best to get her done early if she is too plenty of fleece grown through, but it tends to be more commercial entrants in these classes so they are not necessarily prepared the same as pedigree sheep. As I remember it was a Suffolk cross ewe lamb that won the two shows we went to with crossbred classes so hopefully you will be in with a good chance with your ewe.