Why Show Your Sheep?

If you don’t show your own sheep but frequently see results and photos of shows on social media and in the newsletter, you might wonder what all the fuss is about. Alternatively, you might be interested but worry that the whole process will be too daunting. Either way, fear not, it is well worth a go.

“But why should I show my sheep?” There are many possible answers to this question, including...

It is fun! You have a good day out at an agricultural show. You meet other breeders who are more than happy to help and support you. You will learn more about your own sheep and their sheep by watching and chatting. And like all good challenges, participation is rewarding, whether or not you come home with a rosette. And remember, even those breeders who regularly win prizes with their Portlands had to start somewhere.

All agricultural shows started life as an opportunity to show and sell livestock. Most shows now feature extensive merchandising and entertainment for the general public but they still need your support in order to keep the livestock competitions going. This is particularly true of shows with designated classes for Portlands. If not enough Portland breeders enter each year, those classes may disappear.

Most importantly, your participation raises public awareness of Portlands and other rare breeds. When the public come through the stock lines after the classes have finished, they will stop and admire your Portlands. A couple of minutes friendly conversation can lead to a far better understanding of the benefits of preserving the breed than pages of text. You may even be asked if you can supply breeding stock, wool or meat.

We hope you find the following information useful, but if you want more help with preparing for shows, please contact your area representative or a committee member.

How do I choose where to show my sheep?

The choice of shows is entirely up to you. Most beginners will start with their local annual agricultural show. As they become more confident, they may expand their horizons to include some of the larger county or regional shows. A few shows have specific Portland sheep classes. If you can get to one of these shows, please do try to support it.

Each year PSBG produces a list of agricultural shows around the country. This list identifies the shows that have Portland classes. It also designates three shows as Portland premier shows. These are shows at which additional PSBG trophies can be won and so attract more Portland breeders. Currently, these premier shows are Staffordshire County Show, Royal Lancashire Show and The New Forest Show. However, don’t be put off if your local show does not have Portland classes. Most shows will have one of the following classes that Portlands can be entered in: Hill and Heath, Rare breed sheep, Native breed sheep. You will be competing against a variety of other breeds, but that is part of the fun.

Once you have decided which show(s) you would like to go to, look at the show’s website. The livestock schedule with details of the sheep classes should be posted on the website a few months before the event. Occasionally, you may ask for a copy to be posted to you. Decide what classes you want to enter and check the closing date for entries. Some shows are now using an online entry system such as “Showing Scene”. This requires some patience, so make sure you have few minutes and a cup of tea to complete the entry.

At the larger county shows you may be asked to ‘book’ your sheep pens when you enter. This is often a refundable deposit. Remember when booking pens that you will need to split males and females and as a general rule, 3 sheep per pen.

How do I choose which sheep to show?

When we start choosing which sheep from our flock we want to show, there are a few things to consider.

Generally, the classes at shows consist of: Aged tup/ram, Shearling tup, Tup lamb, Aged ewe (they should have reared a lamb in the same year), Shearling ewe and Ewe lamb. You can choose how many classes you want to enter but you could be selecting up to 6 sheep to show. There may be a Group of Three class, which involves showing any three of the sheep entered for the individual classes with both sexes represented, i.e. two females and a male, or two males and a female. If there are also Young Handler classes, the little ones can get involved.

Sheep should have correct conformation. This includes teeth, legs and feet, plus testicles for a male and an udder for a ewe that has reared a lamb that year. Portlands should also conform as closely as possible to the Portland breed standard. But remember that no sheep is perfect. If you are lucky enough to have several good sheep, go for the one that stands out in a crowd. It should be alert and catch the eye.

When should I start halter training?

Halter training takes time and patience. Start early in the season. Don’t wait until the week before the show. Portlands tend to lie on the floor when you first attempt to halter or walk them. This does improve with little-and-often practice, plus a good bribe with some nuts. Encourage the sheep to walk alongside you and to stand still when you stop. Do not drag it around by the halter.

White rope halters are generally used. Try an 8mm halter for ewes and tups and 6mm for lambs. Larger sized halters are too big and bulky for the Portland’s face and they don’t fit correctly. A halter will get grubby when used for several weeks training, so keep a set of clean halters for show day.

When fitting a halter, the bit that tightens should go under the chin and the rope you hold onto should be on the left side of the sheep. (See picture A). The halter should go behind the ears and horns of the sheep. Be careful to keep the knots at either end of the nose piece away from the eyes.

Do I show my sheep shorn or unshorn?

Usually, the livestock schedule leaves it to the exhibitor to decide whether show the sheep shorn or unshorn. As a general rule of thumb, Portlands look better with their fleeces on for shows in the spring through to early June, but for shows over the rest of the summer they would normally be shorn. Try to leave a few weeks between shearing and summer shows to allow the fleece to start re-growing. But please remember that the welfare of your flock is paramount and that the sheep should not be exposed to harm from shearing too early or too late just to fit in with the show dates.

Preparation

Portlands are shown “in their working clothes”. They should not be washed or trimmed, and are therefore easy to get ready for a show. You should pick any hay, straw and other debris out of the fleece. (This becomes much easier when they are shorn.) Make sure there is no poo around or under their tails. Feet should be properly trimmed with excess muck removed. Horns may be lightly oiled, using a little baby oil or vegetable oil at least 30 minutes prior to going in the ring. The last thing you want is to apply any oil just before you go in as the horns can become very slippery. Also, it is not nice for the judge to get it over their hands.

Arriving at the show

Before you leave home, fill out two sets of movement licences. One will cover the movement from your home to the showground. The second will cover the return journey from the showground. The showground CPH is generally printed in the schedule or on the covering letter which comes with your tickets.

When you arrive at the show, the steward will check which classes you have entered. They will then direct you to an unloading space and (hopefully) show you to your pen. Your pens will be labelled with your name and you can split your sheep into the pens as you want.

Once your sheep are penned, unload important things like your show box, so you don’t have to drag it far. Then move your car from the unloading point as soon as possible and park up in the designated parking area, so other people can unload. If there are two of you, one can stay with the sheep to start giving them water etc. while the other person goes to park the car. You will need to remember to hand in your movement licenses at the Livestock office. It’s best to do this as soon as you get there or you may forget.

Next you can get the sheep ready to show. Remove any material from their fleeces and make sure they have no dirty marks on them.

Human dress code

It is important that we look smart for the judges too. A shirt and tie is normally worn under a white lab/ showing coat. Footwear should be practical, yet clean. If the Livestock office has given you a set of cards with your entry numbers for each class, clip them to your white coat so that the steward can identify you on entering the ring.

In The Ring

How you are asked to present your sheep will depend on the judge and the show. Most judges will ask you to walk your sheep round in a clockwise circle (handler on the left of the sheep), but some, particularly in northern shows, may ask you to let all the sheep go at the same time so they can assess their natural conformation without a halter. If the judge does want you to release your sheep, please don’t worry about catching it again. There are always plenty of people on hand to help (and catch!).

The judge will line everyone up and check the sheep one by one. They will generally check fleece, teeth, udder, conformation and condition along the back. If your sheep is a little flighty, it’s a good idea to place your knee in front of the sheep’s chest to stop it jumping forward when handled by the judge, but allow it to relax a bit when the judge is handling other sheep. Always keep an eye on the judge and be alert if the judge looks back at your sheep comparing it to one of the others.

When in the line-up, ideally your sheep should be stood ‘square’. This means a leg in each corner of the sheep and in line with each other. Some sheep will stand happily like this but others will fidget if held too tightly. If asked to walk your sheep, turn to the right when you start back so the judge sees the sheep side-on and not your legs.

In The Ring

How you are asked to present your sheep will depend on the judge and the show. Most judges will ask you to walk your sheep round in a clockwise circle (handler on the left of the sheep), but some, particularly in northern shows, may ask you to let all the sheep go at the same time so they can assess their natural conformation without a halter. If the judge does want you to release your sheep, please don’t worry about catching it again. There are always plenty of people on hand to help (and catch!).

The judge will line everyone up and check the sheep one by one. They will generally check fleece, teeth, udder, conformation and condition along the back. If your sheep is a little flighty, it’s a good idea to place your knee in front of the sheep’s chest to stop it jumping forward when handled by the judge, but allow it to relax a bit when the judge is handling other sheep. Always keep an eye on the judge and be alert if the judge looks back at your sheep comparing it to one of the others.

When in the line-up, ideally your sheep should be stood ‘square’. (See picture B ) This means a leg in each corner of the sheep and in line with each other. Some sheep will stand happily like this but others will fidget if held too tightly. If asked to walk your sheep, turn to the right when you start back so the judge sees the sheep side-on and not your legs.

Enjoy the Day!

If you win a rosette, well done. But don’t worry if not. There is always another chance. Most importantly, have fun! It’s a lovely opportunity for the public to find out more about our wonderful little breed and always great to catch up with everyone. Showing will generally take up the morning (depending on the number of entries) but the afternoon is yours to explore the show. Pop back to the pens regularly to make sure the sheep are ok and haven’t run out of hay. There is always lots of interest in Portlands at shows, so if you are sat by your pen, it’s a great way to spread the word on Portlands and engage with the public. They love to ask questions about them.

Kit List – What to pack in your show-box.

Toolboxes from BnQ make great show boxes. One with wheels will make your life a little easier when lugging it across the show field.
Clean show halters (one per sheep).
Clean white show/lab coat.
Sponge for cleaning dirty marks – you can guarantee someone will poo on someone else in the trailer!
Oil for shining horns.
Sheep first aid kit – you never know!
Movement licenses (Filled-in).
Bulldog clip for attaching showing numbers to your coat.
Kit List – What to pack in the car.
Buckets for sheep water.
Hay for sheep. Avoid horse hay nets as they can get their horns stuck in them.
Straw (if needed). Remember to check if the show provides straw for the pens. If not, you may bring some. (More straw is usually needed for shows held under cover.)
Show banners if you have them, plus cable ties. It’s great promotion for your flock.
Small amount of hard feed. A nice treat for the sheep when away from home
Trough for feed
Camping chairs
Picnic and plenty of water
Showing clothes (shirt and tie) plus a change of clothes – showing can be hot work!
Shelter for sheep, eg large umbrella or tarpaulin if showing outside in extreme weather.
If you do forget something at a show, please don’t worry. There are always plenty of friendly people to help you out.

The most important thing to remember is to have fun and be proud of your little sheep!

How do I choose where to show my sheep?

How do I choose which sheep to show?

When should I start halter training?

Do I show my sheep shorn or unshorn?

Preparation

Arriving at the show

Human dress code

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In The Ring

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In The Ring

Enjoy the Day!

Kit List – What to pack in your show-box.

The most important thing to remember is to have fun and be proud of your little sheep!