MV Accredited

We are delighted to reflect on an incredibly successful show season in 2017. Attending five shows, we returned with three Zwartbles Breed Championships, one Any Other Continental (AOC) Championship, three Reserve Breed Championships, and one AOC Reserve Championship. In addition, we were pleased to be recognised in the Wool on the Hoof (WoH) category, securing two Reserve Overall Interbreed Championships and two Coloured Wool Championships across just two shows.

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Our season began at the Shropshire County Show at the end of May, where ram lamb Roscallie Elite was awarded Male Champion and went on to take Overall Champion in the highly competitive AOC section. In the WoH category, our ewe lamb Eloquent was crowned Coloured Champion before being named Reserve Overall Interbreed Champion. We were also immensely proud of Oscar, who won his Young Handler age group with Roscallie Ethelburga and later took the title of Overall Reserve Champion Young Handler aged just nine. Having exhibited at the Shropshire County Show for the past three years, we are thrilled to secure breed classes for 2018 and look forward to seeing strong support from fellow Zwartbles breeders.

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Our action-packed half-term tour kicked off with Surrey County Show on May Bank Holiday Monday, where we were awarded Breed Champion with shearling ewe Cynefin Diamond and Reserve Champion with ewe lamb Roscallie Ethelburga. It was heartening to learn that Zwartbles had the largest number of entries across all sheep breeds, and wit was wonderful to meet many breeders from the southern region.

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Next, at the Royal Bath & West Show, we were thrilled to once again secure Breed Champion with Diamond and Reserve Champion with Ethelburga. In the WoH, Elite took Coloured Champion and went on to take Reserve Overall Interbreed Champion. The four-day event was a fantastic experience, and we thoroughly enjoyed connecting with breeders from Wales, the Midlands, and the Southwest. We returned home elated by our successes, albeit ready to swap our camping gear for real beds!

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In June, at the Royal Cheshire Show, Ethelburga took Reserve AOC Champion in a hotly contested section. It was encouraging to see other Zwartbles breeders exhibiting, and we are hopeful of securing breed classes here next year.

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Our final show of the season was at Newport (Shropshire), a one-day show and one of our favourites on the calendar. We were thrilled to end the season on a high, taking Breed Champion with Diamond and Reserve Champion with ram lamb Roscallie Endeavour.

We are very grateful to all the judges for their time and invaluable feedback. A heartfelt thank you also goes to the show organisers, volunteers and stewards, whose hard work is greatly appreciated. Lastly, we extend special thanks to our fellow breeders and exhibitors for their strong competition and camaraderie. We feel privileged to be part of such a friendly and supportive society. Here’s to a successful lambing season, and we look forward to seeing many familiar faces in the ring again next year.

(Published July 2017)