- Location
- Easter ross
Picked the wrong sale to miss. Heading north next week instead
North country cheviot
- Thread starter Ocm-1994
- Start date
- Location
- Perthshire, Scotland
- Location
- Perthshire, Scotland
Official report says back £12.08
Aye you got a lot of good sheep,should do well for you. Good to meet you too.
ochayeman
Member
- Location
- Sutherland
Absolutely nailed it in one @west coast angus !!!
I had a very disappointing conversation some years ago with the wife of a then famous sheep farmer who was asked at the time to judge a lot of shows. She remarked to me how annoyed she got at her husband watching him judge , for she knew he wasn't judging to his true beliefs , but was putting up sheep from well known breeders that would be popular choices with other "faces" on the circuit.
I felt bitterly let down to hear this , for I had always looked up to this guy. I considered him professional , hard working and a damn good stockman.
Here's the thing. He was a commercial farmer who through his own skill , brainpower , and hard work , had earned himself the right to be considered a man worth consulting on the merits of his breed. He had risen to the top of the trade in his breed through nothing more than supplying the market with a consistently higher quality than anyone else in his field , and by finding a place in the market that he could do better than anyone else.
So , he'd earned the right to express his opinion and give of his own thoughts.
So why didn't he? Why didn't he give opinions that were true to his core beliefs? After all those years of hard work and putting something together that other people couldn't , why didn't he just say it as he saw it and bugger what everyone thought?
No , a judge needs to be truthful , especially to himself. He has to judge them as he see's them , for what else can he do?
How much money others spend on sheep that he considers to be not as good should not come into it , and it really doesn't matter a damn.
Well said. And you too @west coast angus. I got the priviledge of judging a show this year. Couldn't believe that I was asked - but someone must have liked the stock we're producing. Having grown up very shy I was going to decline it, but my good wife encouraged me and we went for it. I was fortunate enough to do it where I didn't know any of the competitors. So I actually relaxed on the day and judged what was in front of me. I went for qualities important to me, not forgetting the quality of the wool. There was really sound stock forward so it was very enjoyable and would do it again were I ever asked, but I can understand it would take a strong man or woman to judge at a show like the highland or black isle where the judge would know all there.
I enjoyed watching Neil Montgomery, Ose, Skye, judging at the Dingwall Mart show and sale end of oct for cheviot tups. After selecting by looks and then studying the short list lined up he actually had the courage to move a tup from about 2nd or 3rd to last in the line because of his mouth (as far as I can remember). This takes real balls to stand by your beliefs even if it might upset the competitiors. Hat off to Neil!
Really enjoyed reading this thread. Havent read it all yet - there's a lot to get through, which is amybe a good sign for the popularity of the cheviot.
west coast angus
Member
Neil is a great guy, and gave me my first male championship with a home bred 2 shear tup. I remember the Dingwall show well, the tup was in first place when he checked its mouth, which was really bad!! And he sent it right to last place in the line up, think he gave the over all championship to a horned 5 shear that was as long as a bus! His tup lambs sold really well last year!
ochayeman
Member
- Location
- Sutherland
That'll be right. think it went to a Hethpool horny boy right enough. I couldn't make it to the sale last year in Dingwall. You still got that championship tup?
west coast angus
Member
No sold him, he's still going strong though, will see if I can find a pic.
west coast angus
Member
Sorry for crap pic!
ochayeman
Member
- Location
- Sutherland
Nice clean looking head, pricked lugs, broad black nose. Would be popular with a lot of chev judges. And for me the head is not too boney/big for ease of lambing. Old Tip steered me away from broader heads when I got to meet him way back in the day. Similar looking to Neils boys IMO. Well done. I'd be proud of breeding such a beast.
CharcoalWally
Member
- Location
- West of Scotland
Well done @ochayeman . I'm glad you accepted the invitation as one fault with shows up here is the tendency to re-invite the same old faces to judge at shows over and over and over again. I always like to see someone fresh invited to give their opinion. Preferably also someone who is nothing more than a successful commercial farmer, and who doesn't show himself or is independent from Breed Society politics.
west coast angus
Member
Nice clean looking head, pricked lugs, broad black nose. Would be popular with a lot of chev judges. And for me the head is not too boney/big for ease of lambing. Old Tip steered me away from broader heads when I got to meet him way back in the day. Similar looking to Neils boys IMO. Well done. I'd be proud of breeding such a beast.
Thank you, he is a brilliant sheep with a fantastic skin and mouth, maybe not the biggest but he was a twin! He's a 7 shear now, I fancy buying him back to use on some brackside gimmers that are good big sheep but need the skins tightened up a bit!
Looking forward to seeing your tips at Dingwall
- Location
- Perthshire, Scotland
reverand
Member
- Location
- East lancs hills
Good length in them. Well done
- Location
- Easter ross
Good sheep that keppoch ones. Have some gimmers off there..........mad as hatters
- Location
- Perthshire, Scotland
Had my Cheviots in today for a fluke drench and draw them out to different tups and introduce teasers
Phone died before I could get photos of each tupping group. They actually draw into very even groups and I'm delighted with them.
Phone died before I could get photos of each tupping group. They actually draw into very even groups and I'm delighted with them.
bobajob
Member
- Location
- Sw Scotland
Looking well . What are you tupping them with? Aberfield/ pure cheviot?
Sorry if you said before!
. What are you tupping them with? Aberfield/ pure cheviot?Sorry if you said before!
- Location
- Perthshire, Scotland
Looking well
Sorry if you said before!
The top 60 are draw for the Attonburn tup on the right.
A middle draw of 80 are for the two BFLs and the rest to the other 2 Cheviot tups.
west coast angus
Member
Nice ewes @shearerlad, did you go to Dingwall tip sale this year? I take it the attonburn bred the best last year?