sheep showing courses - preparation

Dolwen Noble Inter Breed Sheep Champion Moreton Show 2013This time of year we are getting excited about attending the first show of the season with the sheep.  The Royal Welsh Smallholders

Royal Welsh Show

www.rwas.co.uk

will be our first one closely followed by Shropshire County Show. 

Shropshire County Show & West Mid Showground | Shropshire ...

www.shropshirecountyshow.com/…agricultural-show/.....

There is always something to learn about the art of getting a sheep ready for the show ring and we do courses from how to choose your sheep for showing, preparation and ring etiquette, etc.  These are really useful and at least as a novice you have learnt some of the tips that the wordly wise stockmen do.

If interested please do contact me to arrange a date.  See under Learning Courses for details.

lambing is finished and looking forward to CountryTastic

Cleo with Charlie and a naughty RyelandLambing has gone really well finishing off with 3 sets of twins on Saturday.  There have been some really stunning lambs born this year and looking forward to showing them at the shows later on. 

Next week there will be some of them at CountryTastic which is held on 17 April at the Three Counties Showground, Malvern CountryTastic - Three Counties Showground www.threecounties.co.uk/countrytastic.  This is a great day out for children with the majority of the event being undercover and there are lots of free activities and also an opportunity to meet the animals and catch a glimpse of Adam Henson fresh from Lambing Live.  Come and have a chat - Steve will be there with some of the Dartmoors and Ryelands and wish him Happy Birthday as well.

lambing - not long before we start

Baby ryeland lambsWe are due to start lambing on 17 February 2014 with one of our Greyface Dartmoors, closely followed by 2 texels and then in the beginning of March the remainder of the ewes will be lambing.  It is always very exciting waiting to see how good the lambs will be.  The weather is terrible at the moment and our fields are waterlogged, but thankfully the girls are all inside avoiding the storms.  Our lambing courses will start the 2nd week of March and we have a few people already booked in, but there are still spaces, so get in touch if interested.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from Oakberrow

Sunnyside our new Greyfaced Dartmoor RamAll of us at Oakberrow would like to send our best wishes to all.  2013 has been a fantastic year with our lovely sheep and dogs achieving more than we had ever hoped for.  The handsome Foster becoming a Show Champion, the equally handsome Noble winning the Interbreed Championship at Moreton in Marsh Show and the baby, pretty Breeze, having such a great start to her showing career. 

We are having a little break from the dog shows December/January as the dogs are all busy out doing what they enjoy picking-up and beating on the local shoots.  The older ones not too happy that they cannot be included but I can assure them that OB, Foster, Remy and Beeze as well as Beamish are representing Oakberrow well.

What has 2014 got in store - anyones' guess, but Steve and I have some really good judging appointments already.  Steve is judging Shropshire Sheep and AO Native breed sheep at Stafford Show and I am judging the Coloured Ryelands, Steve is also judging Longhorns at Gillingham and Shaftesbury then then onto Pembroke where he is judging Ryelands.  Steve is also judging the Coloured Ryelands at the Royal Norfolk Show.  Me, I am judging Ryelands at Anglesey Show and also judging GSPs a WELKS in April and then Pointers at Midland Counties next October.  Oh forgot I am also judging tradestands at Surrey County Show in May.  So as you can see a very busy year for us.

Cannot wait to get out showing the Greyface Dartmoors and hope to have them at the Royal Welsh Smallholders Show this year.

The ewes have been scanned and the lambing courses commence early in March 2014, so if interested do get in touch. 

Super September

Breeze at 13 months brains as well as beautyOakberrow had an amazing time in the show ring for both the sheep and the dogs.  Our goregous little girl Breeze won Best Bitch at the HWVA Breed www.hwva.org.uk Open show held at Stoneleigh, under gundog specialist judge David Shields.

And not to be outdone by her success our handsome Ryeland ram Noble won the Sheep Inter Breed Championship at Moreton in Marsh Show, all the years I have been showing sheep I have never been fortunate enough to be awarded such an accolade. 

Noble with all his rosettes and sashes in the evening light