[Fleecewife]

Those of you who are members of the Hebridean Sheep Society will have read Jeff Moore's appeal for more entries to the Royal Highland Show Heb classes in the recent Black Board.   I would like to add my encouragement to his and also to ask any other owners of registered Hebs who are not members to please have a go, even if you're not really into showing.
 
My husband was one of the two people who got the classes approved way back at the beginning of this century, and initially we took part every year - usually coming near the bottom of the classes as our sheep are not typical show sheep, showing the 'old fashioned' characteristics of the breed, but that didn't matter at all.
When the classes first started we were told that there needed to be at least 7 exhibitors, with a number of sheep each, in order for the classes to be maintained, and breeders worked hard to support the show.  The atmosphere in the Heb lines is great - full of camaraderie and mutual support and many folk see the four days of the show as a holiday.  A few of the original showers have dropped by the wayside (or died in one sad case), but more breeders have come along to fill the gap - just.  The society is now aware that because numbers are low again we are at serious risk of losing the classes.  What a huge shame this would be, for a Scottish Native Breed of sheep to have no classes at our national show.  I think I'm right in saying that the only other primitive native sheep with a class at the RHS is the Shetland.
 
There are arguments for and against showing, especially with primitives, which don't have a breed description because the idea is to maintain their genetic diversity, not to get them all looking the same - in the case of Hebs this is two horned and very glossy black.  Normally my husband and I wouldn't be showing our sheep, but The Royal Highland Show is THE big opportunity for a native sheep breed to be on display to a huge number of people.  Without this showcase, Hebrideans could sink back into obscurity in their own country, simply because potential breeders wouldn't know they exist.  The interest shown in our breed at the show is enormous, to the extent that we rarely get away from the pens because so many visitors want to ask questions.  I tend to spin there too, which brings in even more crowds.  When we were showing and in the days before we had a website, we made the bulk of our sales to enquirers at the show, and interested many new breeders in the Hebridean.
For the past couple of years I have been in poor health so unable to take sheep, or myself, to the Show, but this year I'm going to make a big effort to be there - even if I have to hire one of those mobility scoots 
Please please think hard whether you could join us in the show ring.  Feel free to contact me by pm or email for any further info and support.
Be aware though that the closing date for entries is in the first few days of April, so you have to be quick off the mark.   Please help 

[Rosemary]

Hebs also welcome at the Scottish Smallholder and Growe Spring Gathering and Festival, May and September respectively. If we get enough sheep of one breed, we'll run breed classes.

[Brucklay]

Fleecewife if there is a class for my pygmy's goats this year like last I'll be there with them but as no Castlemilk class I'll have spare time if I can help out in any way let me know x

[Fleecewife]

Hebs also welcome at the Scottish Smallholder and Growe Spring Gathering and Festival, May and September respectively. If we get enough sheep of one breed, we'll run breed classes.

There were only two breeders showing Hebs last year at the Smallholders show - lets hope more folk bring out their sheep this time.  It would be our dream to have a class just for Hebs there 

[Fleecewife]

Fleecewife if there is a class for my pygmy's goats this year like last I'll be there with them but as no Castlemilk class I'll have spare time if I can help out in any way let me know x

Thank you Brucklay, you are very kind - I'll look out for you anyway if I get there.
 
 
 
I really do hope that some more Heb breeders decide to have a go at RHS.  People seem to think it's scary or too high powered for them to bother, but it really isn't like that in the Heb lines.  We are all there to have fun and no-one will mock either your sheep or you, but will be keen to offer advice, help and friendship.  Please think about having a go Heb breeders.

[honeyend]

I have always wanted to go to the RH but my husband is not interested in livestock at all. I have had three highland ponies and would have loved to have taken them, perhaps I need to buy the sheep and take them instead as I doubt they would rattle the trailer like the ponies do?

[mowhaugh]

Although I don't have hebs, I would also really encourage those who do to show.  Although RHS will, I'm sure, try their utmost to support native breeds, as in other breeds places to show are limited/ballotted, it could be easy for the classes to be lost.

[Big Light]

We are hoping to enter the RHS Heb classes for the first time this year and would encourage others to do so.

We had  a few learning points from the  smallholder show which was our first time out, fortunately the Hebridean class at the RHS generally doesn't have them on a halter so that should make life easier. The other good thing is that they don't require the same pampering as other breeds and are pretty much shown in the raw.

I think Fleecewifes main point other than to keep the classes going is the absurdity of having rows and rows of classes of commercial breeds that originated from the continent but couldn't actually survive well on vast areas of Scotland, yet there is a threat to those that can.

The RHSS  were founded in 1784 to promote the regeneration of rural Scotland - i guess they forget the  native breeds are part of that whether by reason of hardiness, genetic diversity or habitat regeneration

 The continental and other sires have a major role for producing fast maturing well structured lambs and rightly should be there but the RHS should also have a place for the rarer or minority breeds native to Scotland / GB and a row or couple of rows of sheep should not be reduced to a pen on the RBST stand whilst there is still a healthy competition present.

You never know unless you try

As they say "It could be you" 

[Big Light]

Forms are out for all classes at the RHS

http://royalhighlandshow.org/livestock-and-competition/competitor-forms

[Fleecewife]

Thank you Big Light     We are scratching our heads to decide if any of ours are show-worthy  - they don't have to be destined for the red rosette but obviously can't have certain faults and with four horned sheep that can be difficult to achieve.

The closing date for entries is usually in early April, around the 7th, so get those applications in.

[Big Light]

Aye we are needing to have a trawl through, unfortunately we just lost the lanark best horns tup last week, he'd lost a lot of weight at tupping time and despite dosing and being kind to him didn't put anything on, so thats kinda put us on a back foot! Always the best ones that keel over

We have one 4 horn ewe lamb from last year that i like the look of, a couple of 2 horn tup lambs might also make the grade - need to have a closer look at my other ewe lambs etc
BL

[Big Light]

FW - was wondering about pen ordering - how many roughly to a pen -obviously males and female separate but males separate or not from each other - gimmers  - ewes with lamb separate?