As I walked across the show field in the sunshine on my way to the secretary’s tent, my shepherd’s crook snapped in half. On closer inspection, it was riddled with woodworm – not the best start to a day of judging at the Garstang agricultural show. The event was first held in 1813, and it was an honour to be asked to judge the native sheep this year. I was smartly dressed in tweed and a fedora – and a stick that was hastily cobbled back together by one of the stewards with gaffer tape.
It is quite a job comparing different breeds, and I had spent the week beforehand learning what was desirable and what was considered a “fault” among upland breeds such as Clun Forest, Derbyshire Gritstone and Welsh Badger Face (Torduu and Torwen), and among lowland ones including Border Leicester, Coloured Ryeland and Wensleydale.
As an example, the Herdwick may not have large spots on its ears; other breeds may without it counting against them. Some breeds need to have black on the inside of their ears, some black only on the outside. As well as judging the breed standard, I was also looking for conformity within the group.
I carefully examined the mouth of each sheep. The ability to find and eat food for yourself is a key attribute in a sheep, so mouth quality is vital. I then examined the sheep’s physical condition and fleece quality. Champion in the upland breeds was clear to my mind: a Welsh Torduu ewe bred by Andrew Clark, with a Clun Forest tup the reserve champion. In the lowland breeds, the Wensleydale ewe bred by Andrew Tattersall was champion, with a Border Leicester the reserve.
Away from the trophies and rosettes, it was good to see so many Wensleydales, with their lustrous shiny fleeces and distinctive corkscrew spirals. I asked one breeder why there aren’t more people keeping Wensleydales. “It’s because they are all about the wool,” she said. People are moving away from breeds that are primarily bred for wool as so few garments are made from wool now, so most sheep are kept to breed for meat instead. Today, at least, the Wensleydales had their day in the sun.
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