Benefits of showing
To evaluate one’s sheep by competing with other breeders.
To learn.
To advertise.
To win… hopefully.
Sheep classes
These need to reflect as far as possible, the breeds and
cross breeds represented on the day. A line up which has a degree of
uniformity looks more professional and is easier for judging.
For example:…
Fine 64’s and finer … merino sheep only
Medium Fine 58’s to 60’s … comeback, Polwarth, fine
Corriedale
Medium
50’s to 56’s … strong Corriedale, cross
breeds, etc.
Strong
Border Leicester, Romney, etc.
Health
No evidence of internal/external parasites, injuries, or
illnesses, past or present.
It is important that the sheep are in good condition, but
not over fat; underfed sheep never present well at a show.
Note: Equal emphasis on conformation and wool.
Conformation – 50%
Back line: straight, with no evidence of
goose-rump, devil’s grip, or faulty shoulders etc., good body length.
Head: soft texture of face, ears and nose, ideally,
no wool on nose. Alert, clear, bright eyes, sound mouth/teeth for age; no
jaw defects, eg. Undershot/overshot, no evidence of a chewing problem.
Legs/feet: stands up well on all four, no limp,
correct on pasterns. No abnormalities such as cow-hock, bow legs, or knock
knees.
Underneath: a ram must have two sound testicles and a
ewe must have two good teats.
Wool
– 50%
Sheep present best when carrying close to twelve months
growth, but no more.
Sheep present better when not fully crutched and wigged,
as this spoils the overall appearance and line of the sheep. Just a light
trim around tail/pizzle to alleviate stain, and around the eyes to avoid
wool blindness.
With the exception of strong wool sheep, eg. Border
Leicester, a sheep that can grow wool to its feet will produce a better
yielding fleece of greater financial value than a sheep of similar type that
can not. It is important for the sheep to have a good belly-wool covering.
Qualities of the wool
Length… for breed type
Evenness… of character throughout the fleece, and no
hairy breech.
Softness… for breed type
Clean… minimum of dirt/vegetable matter, free of
cross fibres.
Lustre…
Colour… is strictly a personal thing with craft
people and can reflect the fashion demands of the day. Variation of colour
should not be deemed a fault. Black pointed, and sheep with only odd patches
of colour are not desirable, otherwise all colours are acceptable and useful
within the craft trade. To be classified ‘coloured’ a sheep must have at
least 50% colour in its fleece.
Soundness… it is most difficult to determine if a
fleece is sound while still on the sheep’s back, hence judges will not look
for this.
Summary
A sheep that will catch the eye of a judge is one that is
in good health and condition, free of obvious defects, displays good
conformation, has trueness of type and breed, and carries an attractive,
lustrous, clean, and bulky fleece.
The Judges’ Score card
Entries
Any colour except all white is acceptable, but fleeces must
be at least 50% coloured.
Weight – 10 points
As per weight system used.
Handle – 10 points
Soft to handle, according to breed type. As clean and
free of foreign matter as possible with no hard, greasy, or brittle tips.
Length – 10 points
Twelve month’s growth, but no more. Trueness to type of
breed, good staple length throughout. With the end product in mind, it is
important to consider that short stapled wool when carded, will pill more
easily.
Character – 10 points
Stylish, attractive appearance with lustre and plenty of
well defined crimp. Evenness of crimp throughout the fleece.
Soundness – 15 points
Tenderness (fibre weakness) will be deemed a fault. If
there is no evidence of tenderness, a fleece should score full mark for
soundness.
Evenness – 10 points
This refers to evenness of character (crimp) and not
colour. A fleece should be as even as possible throughout, with no hairy
breech and no cross fibres.
Density – 5 points
This refers to the number of wool fibres to a defined
area. A very dense fleece may have shorter than desired staple length, but
density without excess grease enhances yield.
Cleanliness – 15 points
Well skirted with no stains or sweat dags, no second
cuts, pieces of skin, dermatitis, etc. As clean as possible with a minimum
of dirt or vegetable matter. Excess yolk (or condition) spoils the overall
attractiveness of the fleece, but will wash out.
Usefulness to the handcraft trade – 15 points
The handcraft trade includes hand spinners, weavers,
felters, and rug makers. Craft people use natural coloured wool to create a
unique range of fashion clothing as well as wall hangings, lamp shades,
curtains, lounge covers, bed covers, wool pictures and toys, including
doll’s wigs. This section needs to be judged in conjunction with
cleanliness, as a dirty fleece or badly skirted, or very greasy on the tip,
necessitates more preparation by the user, and results in more waste. Hand
spinners prefer thick staples, long and free for quick, easy spinning and
minimum waste. (ie. A fleece that seems to say "spin me!).
Colour preference is very much a personal thing, and can
vary with the fashion demands of the day. Variation of colour throughout a
fleece need not be considered a fault. Very dark, almost jet black fleeces
are fairly rare, and in popular demand.
Banding across staples, caused by change of feed or a
mineral deficiency is not desirable, but with the exception of very dark
wool does not effect the colour pattern when spun.
When exhibiting fleeces remove any foreign material
(grass, burrs, etc), and make sure your fleece is well skirted. This is a
balancing act, because if you over skirt you will lose point for weight.
