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June 09 The West Midland Show 2009 The West Midland Show at Shrewsbury is a great event, an original county show. This year there was once again a disappointing turnout by competitors although we were lucky to be joined this time in the show ring by 2 new competitors to the show; The Donovan family with their Dolwen Flock from Whitland, Carmarthanshire and David Lewis with his Arberth Flock from Narberth, Pembrokeshire. Both are among the strongest flocks in the society and additionally they are great people; fun and interesting company to be with. Officiating over events and Judge for the day was Paul Dixon, this years Society President, from Holmefirth in Yorkshire. Paul is another character, good company and always entertaining. So whilst numbers were low there was quality both in with the sheep and the attendees. The prizes were equally shared around and we were lucky enough to win the Championship with our Shearling Ram - Bradvale Kingstar. The boys from West Wales enjoyed their visit to Shrewsbury that evening and I hope they and many other competitors return next year so the proud and historic breed that is the Ryeland may do this proud and historic show justice. The Three Counties Show 2009
May 09 The Devon County Show 2009 The Devon County Show is the first Major Show of the season. It takes place in Exeter and whilst South Devon is a long way for many it is quicker and easier to get to than many shows as the showground is located just a mile from the M5. There was a great atmosphere and the show and it is one of the friendliest and enjoyable shows on the calendar. I would recommend to all a visit either as a spectator or exhibitor. This year the Ryeland Classes were superbly supported with 7 teams and over 30 sheep on show. It proved to be a real West Country Derby with Devon represented by Chris and Jean Charlton from Honiton, John Mills from Riddlecombe and new breeders Sonia Smith and Adam Retter from Tiverton. From Dorset was Colin Sherman, of Dorchester, From Cornwall, Paula Wills of Penzance and Richard Wear from Somerset. Finally there was ourselves with our Cagedale Flock, all the way from Herefordshire.
All teams enjoyed a degree of success which was testament to the quality of Ryelands on view. Supreme Breed Champion was a our Shearling Ram Bradvale Kingstar (pictured above with Bobby and the Judge David Lewis being awarded Breed Supreme Champion and here to the left in the pens) He was bred by Steve and Tomos Bradbury of Bethesda, Pembrokeshire from whom we purchased him last year as a lamb. We also had First in the Ram Class, Ram Lamb Class and Ewe with Lamb at foot class. Our Shearling Ewe was Reserve Female Champion and additionally we had three 2nd places and one 3 rd place. So it proved to be a successful show for ourselves. July 08 The Royal Show July 2008
June 08 Three Counties Show June 2008
May 08
April 08
February 08
January 08
December 07 Scanning:- We have been very pleased with our scanning results this year with a far higher percentage of the ewes in-lamb (96% compared to 90% last year) and a much higher rate of multiple births (36% compared to 22% last year). This is undoubtedly down to the weather conditions when tupping began. We aim to lamb as early as possible; starting the first week in January. Therefore the rams are introduced to the ewes during the 2nd week in August. If you recall, August 2007 was wet and warm with grass aplenty. Conversely August 2006 was dry and bare with almost drought like conditions. The favourable conditions this year has improved out fertility and conception rates markedly. November 07 The Percy Wear Memorial Trophy
October 07
September 07 Kington Show
June 07 The West Midlands Show
(pictured is the ram lamb judging with John Reed casting his expert eye over the sheep)
(pictured on the right is Ed in the Junior handlers class - he may have fared better if he was more concerned about how the sheep looked rather than himself!) We fared well in the judging with 4 firsts in the individual classes as well as Breed, Male and Female champions. That is not say that it was not competitive with many of the positions being hotly contested with William Laurie's team to its normal high standard and Trevor and Irene Rollins 'Rhos' team proving to be a real threat. We were pleased with our senior ram Fanjo (pictured right with Hattie) winning his 4th consecutive breed championship at a major show. it was a great atmosphere in the Stockmans bar afterwards with the Judge and competitors relaxing with a few well earned drinks.
'Billy and the Kids' - after spending the previous evening with the Old timers, William Laurie discovers more intelligent company at the interbreed sunday judging.
The Three Counties Show The Three Counties Show was another successful competition for us this year. We achieved four firs places with Best Senior Ram, Ram Lamb, Ewe Lamb and Group of three. We also had one second and a third in other classes. In addition our Senior Ram Kesteven Fanjo was Supreme Breed Champion (the third time he has achieved this honour at a major show) He was also Supreme Champion of all Sheep in the native and rare breeds section and reserve champion in the whole inter-breed champion only beaten by a Charolais. The Show saw an excellent turn out by Ryeland Breeders with 7 teams and 40 sheep in attendance. The standard was extremely high with wins in other classes also being achieved by William Laurie, the Wear's and Sue Kendrick. It was also great to see our close friends Roy and Yvonne Preece back in a show ring at a major show for the first time in a few years. They achieved third place in the Ewe lamb class with an excellent lamb. Bert Norman similarly showed for the first time in many years at this show and we were also impressed with the sheep turned out by Mr & Mrs Alf Pink from Yorkshire. Mr & Mrs Pink are relatively new to Ryelands after many years of breeding pedigree Hampshire's but they have some very good sheep and by the look of their lambs will be quite a force in the show ring in years to come. There were drinks and refreshments afterwards as always organized by our breed secretary, Anne Jones, and this social gathering was visited by, Herefordshire MP, Bill Wiggin who shows a keen interest in our breed which is of course the indigenous sheep breed of Herefordshire. Bill's empathy in such matters is emphasized by he himself being a breeder of Pedigree Herefordshire Cattle. Now we have just six days to prepare ourselves before we journey to next weeks West Midlands Show at Shrewsbury. Geoff Bishop May 07
A lot of work goes into preparing the sheep for shows and I think the way our sheep were trimmed and turned out was the best I had ever seen. Much credit is due to Bobby in this regard and the many hours he and our friend Roy Preece worked on the sheep. Thanks also to another friend Hughie Morgan who as always journeyed with us to the show and helped us throughout. They say many hands make light work and this is certainly true. Without Hughies help and company shows wouldn't quite be the same although the mornings might be a little easier!
April 07 April proved to be a quiet month as we prepare for shearing, weaning and the onset of the show season. The Ryeland Flock Book AGM took place at the end of the month. After much talk, the ongoing debate over the relationship between breeders of white ryelands and the breeders of black ryelands (some breed both) remains unresolved. The complexities of the many issues under question are too contentious and numerous (and frankly not interesting) to go into on this website. However I do believe that opinions held by some are too intrenched for the issue to be amicably resolved. There is a real risk much damage may be caused and that the integrity of the breed could be destroyed. It may be in years to come that you only see Ryelands in 'pets corner' and instead of being judged proudly in sheep classes, only to be housed in lines next to Alpacas, Angorra rabbits and Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs! March 07
February 07
January 07
In attendance were Bob and our friend Hughie who were just returning home after either an evenings festivities or a late work shift depending on who's story you believe. Lets hope the next 2 months lambing proves to be as trouble free, although more sociable hours would be nice. December 06 The results of the scanning made interesting reading. We put 72 ewes to the tups of which 65 have been scanned as in-lamb. We were very disciplined in taking the rams out in mid October so we did not have a repeat of this years 'marathon' lambing. We lambed 58 ewes this year, but whilst the first 48 lambed in under 7 weeks, the next 10 were spread out over a further 13 week period! From these 10 we only produced 4 registerable lambs and the fat lambs have still not yet got to a weight at which they can go to the butchers! Therefore we have taken the risk of failing to get lambs from 7 possibly healthy and fertile ewes. All except the very oldest will be given a chance to perform again next year. This has resulted in the lambing period being limited to just 10 weeks this year although again somewhat disappointingly the last 4 ewes to lamb are spread over a 4 week period and the last 16 over 7 weeks. This shows how busy the first 3 weeks are expected to be, with the majority of the flock due to give birth during January. Another interesting statistic that arose from the scanning results was the percentage of twins. This year it is (24%) compared to last years (38%). Whilst last years figures were distorted by the sponging process we carried out (69% twins from the sponged, 28% from non-sponged) it is still a noticeable drop. The reason was undoubtedly the very dry weather and the of shortage of grass when the rams were put in with the ewes in the middle of August. The rains came at the end of the month bringing excellent growth in the grass, flushing the ewes, bringing them into season and producing multi-ovulation and with that twins. This has resulted with the last week in January is going to be particularly busy with 20 lambing (7 with twins) in 7 days! The percentages of twins between the pre-rain and the post-rain conceivers are stark - 9% and 32% respectively. It is easy to see why the commercial sheep farmers, for whom twins are desireable, feed the ewes heavily (a process known as flushing) before putting the rams in with the ewes. A quiet 4-5 weeks now before the onset of lambing at the beginning of next year. I wonder whether my brother-in-law and partner Bobby will mind if I book my skiing holiday for that busy last week in January? November 06 Bill Toase On a sad note our friend Bill Toase passed away this month. He was a colourful character who was of striking appearance, noted for his wide brimmed hat. Bill and his partner Doreen were breed stalwarts who attended many shows and his personable demeanour never altered in victory or defeat. He was generous and genuinely good fun. Whilst I'm sure Doreen will continue breeding and showing, Bill's presence at the shows and in the bar afterwards will be sorely missed next year and beyond. The beginning of November will see the scanning of the in-lamb ewes. The results will allow us to seperate the ewes which are carrying twins to enable us to give them extra feed. Otherwise a quiet month. We will start the feeding of the in-lamb ewes later in the month and prepare for the onset of lambing due in mid January. October 06
Highlight of the day was our Edward (aged 8) getting first in the Junior handlers section. He is very confident with the sheep but we are trying to teach him to be a little more unassuming in victory!
September 06 September is normally a quiet month but we have seen a lot of activity with a few people looking for breeding stock as we complete the tupping process. This year we decided against sponging due to last years mixed results. We invested almost £200 into sponging 45 ewes last year. It was successful with only 13 of these ewes. Whilst these all lambed as desired in the first week in January the upset caused to the biological systems of the other ewes resulted our lambing being spread over the ensuing 11 weeks. It is interesting to see that amongst of our latest lambers this next year will be an unproportional amount from those who conceived last year through the sponging process. So we left it to mother nature this year and it it would appear that we could complete the lambing of 70 ewes within a 5 week period. The first is due on the 1th of January a little later than last year but we feel a small price to pay for a hugely shortened lambing period. However, no doubt there will be a few returning to the tup over the next week or so resulting in a few stragglers in late February (these will probably be sold as in-lamb ewes if there is a market). I would also hazard a guess that by not using artificial lambing systems we will lengthen the working lives of our ewes. Otherwise we shall remain vigilant of any fly-strike, change the rams raddle every 15 days and take advantage of a quieter spell before the feeding and lambing seasons. © Robin Mence 2008 |
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The 2009 Three Counties show proved to be our most successful, ever, at this event. Over the 2 days we achieved 9 first places, 2 second places and 3 third places. The slight disappointment was the reduction in entries in the Ryeland Classes with the event not as well supported in 2009 as it has been in previous years. Hopefully this will be rectified for 2010. That said, the standard was high with in addition to ourselves, strong teams being entered by Sue Kendrick of Kidderminster, Ann Davies of Brecon, Paula Wills of Penzance and the Parsons family from Bromsgrove. These five teams were joined on the Sunday at the Rare breed day by Andy & Sue Mcvicar from Newtown.The prizes on both days were shared around and the championship was won on both days by Sue Kendrick with her Senior Ram. The events were presided over by two eminent Judges - Mr Simon Donovan on the Saturday and Mr Ifan Lloyd on the Sunday. A word also for Alf & Gill Pink from Yorkshire who have attended this Show for the last three years and despite entering for 2009 failed to attend as their stock lorry broke down at Warwick in transit! I hope they and many other breeders will be seen at Malvern in 2010. Pictured above are our 2 Shearlings Rams, Bradvale Kingstar and Cagedale Kingstone, who were first and second in their category respectively 
Judging took place on Thursday 21 st May with the Judge for the day David Lewis from Narberth. David is one of the younger judges on the circuit and but has already gained recognition for not only his judging of Sheep and Ryelands but also of cattle. His judging was very diligent and undemonstrative and all who participated agreed that he did an excellent job. 
Our final major of the season is the Royal Show, the UK's premier agricultural show. This year, despite the movement restrictions, there was a healthy Ryeland representation at the show, with 5 teams and a total of 24 sheep on show. Apart form ourselves there were fellow Herefordshire breeders William Laurie from Kington and Doreen Smillie from Ledbury. Alf and Gill Pink were there also, enjoying their best results with Ryelands at a major show. Lastly but not least, was Sue Kendrick of Droitwich who won the Championship with her Senior Ram. We also had a successful show recording our best ever results at the Royal with 5 firsts and the female championship. It was also good to see former breed secretary Ann Jones involved as steward with her husband Ken also in attendance. Richard and Margaret Wear veteran competitors were unable to attend this year due to bluetongue movement restrictions but nevertheless they made the journey and for once had a relaxing time spectating rather then preparing and showing their sheep. I hope they will be back next year but for once it was nice of them to give the rest of us a chance. Society President Ifan Lloyd was also in attendance and his dry wit always adds to any occasion. Finally the, post judging, food and refreshments were provided by William Laurie with just a 'little' help from his mother and father - Teresa and Ian.
A special word also for the judge Bob Webb who did an immaculate job. Bob is a veteran of the society and we reported on this website last year of his retirement from breeding. Bob is a true sheep man and a real gent and despite only having sight in one eye missed nothing. His knowledge and eye for a sheep is outstanding and he also took the time to explain his decisions to all competitors. However I appreciate that it easy to praise a judge or referee after a successful day! We have found all the judging we have encountered this year to be consistent and to a high standard and I cannot recall so little contention in the show ring during a season. (Pictured above top is Bobby with our Ewe lamb K13 who was first in her class and female champion. Above left is our Group of three which was awarded first place, Edward showing the crowd the silverware!) 
The second saturday in June see's us each year at the Three Counties show in Malvern. It is the nearest 'Major' Show to us. With all the doom and gloom and movement restrictions relating to the Bluetongue disease a high turnout was not expected. However, this year, to our pleasant suprise and to the credit of all there, seven full teams competed. The Ryeland Sheep section having one of if not the most entries and competitors of any sheep section. As well as ourselves and the other Hereford/Worcester breeders:- William Laurie (Kington), Roy & Yvonne Preece (Hereford), Paul Harter (Kington), Doreen Smillie (Ledbury), Sue Kendrick 
(Kidderminster), there was also the Pinks made the long journey down from Yorkshire. Many other society members were there to spectate and lend moral support including Brenda McCaull, John Reed, David Cross, Nigel and Elaine Coles, Ken and Ann Jones (Ann was also steward), Ivor Gwatkin, Andy & Sue McVicar, Bill Wiggin MP and current President Ifan Lloyd. The standard, of sheep, was as high as I can remember and the prizes and places were shared around with all competitors enjoying some success. The competition was pesided over by the Judge for the day and former Society President, Ann Bishop who did an excellent job. We were fortunate enough to obtain four first places and to be awarded the supreme breed champion with our shearling ewe, Cagedale J9 (picture above with Bobby and to the left with Ed). She was also supreme breed champion at the recent Smallholder's show and is simply the best shearling ewe we have ever produced. Her sire was Kesteven Fanjo who was our undefeated champion ram from last year.
Shearing is one of the major tasks of the shepherds calender in late spring. Due to the weather this year it was carried out later than normal. Ryeland Sheep with their woolly heads are not a shearer's favourite ect and this year the job of shearing over 150 ryeland ewes and yearlings certainly tested the mettle and patience of our shearer Steve Piggott. However the task was completed surprisingly quickly and with good humour and the sheep whilst a little stunned look a lot better for their stylists work! (pictured left are two freshly shorn ewes, more pictures can be found in the photo section) 
The Welshsmallholders is the first show of the year in our area although it does clash with the Devon County Show which we attended last year. As it is an early show there are no lamb categories. In three of the four classes that were scheduled we achieved first place:- Senior Ram, Shearling Ewe and Group of Three. In the other - Shearling Ram we came second with Cagedale Jeff to a very good sheep owned by Ifan Lloyd from the Gower. It was also good to see Ann Bishop back in the show ring albeit as a judge. (pictured is Bobby receiving from Ann 1st prize in the senior ram class for Cagedale Highwayman) 
We had been nominated by the Ryeland Flock Book Society to represent the breed in a new book to be published this year by the British Wool Marketing Board. This publication will promote and provide information regarding all the British native breeds and their wool. Therefore this month we had a visit from a representative and photographer from the BWMB. On the right is a picture taken by them of one of our yearling rams Cagedale Jubilant and there are more examples of the pictures they took in the photo/gallery section of this site. It is pleasing to see such a campaign taking place particularly with the decline in the value of wool fleeces over recent years. This has affected the Ryeland breed more than most as it was famed for its wool and has the top grade wool of any of the British native breeds. History also reputes that the woolsack in the House of Lords is filled with Ryeland wool.
February whilst the calenders shortest month it can often feel like the longest when lambing and feeding the ewes with lambs. The prospect of the grass growing still appears to be a long way off and the stress of worrying of the flocks health weighs heavy. That said even though the cost of the feed is punitive the development of the new born lambs appears to be good and the ewes are very content. We do however look forward to a time when we are not carrying large bags of feed across the fields whilst be 'manhandled' by a hundred or so hungry sheep.(pictured left are some of the new born lambs) 
New Year's day brought us a real surprise this year with the birth of our first lamb of the season - pictured here. According to our dates this ewe, Cagedale H10, also pictured, (sire Cagedale Diplomat) was not due to lamb until the 15th January however her second 'marking' was due to over enthusiasm by the ram rather than being part of the breeding process. That said, we are certainly not disappointed as this shearling ewe has, as you can see, given birth to an extremely healthy and strong ewe lamb, Sired by a home bred shearling ram - Cagedale Harrier (sire Keepings Assurance). Lets hope it's the first of many.
Without doubt the Ryeland flock Book's most prestigious award/trophy is the Percy Wear Memorial trophy. Named after Percy Wear who established the renowned Ruslin flock in 1928, father of the Richard Wear this years Ryeland Flock Book Society President.This is awarded each year to the breeder with the best results at a combination of four of the eight major shows. The shows in question are:- The Devon County, The Bath & West, The Three Counties, The West Midlands, The Royal, The Royal Welsh, The Great Yorkshire and The Royal Highland. Points are awarded for First to Third places in each class, with extra points gained in the Championship and the Inter-breed classes. We were delighted to crown our most successfully ever show season by winning this award for the first time ever. 
It was the climax to a years hard work and it is testimony to the hard work work done by the whole show team particularly Bobby but also Hughie and Roy. Attending the shows are great fun and whilst a huge amount of work goes into the preparation of the sheep for these shows, I would assure all those thinking of participating that it is a very rewarding experience. The friendships with other competitors established at these events are in contrast to what can be otherwise a solitary profession/hobby. Whilst the competition, I'm sure, will once again be strong, we look forward to trying to retain this accolade next year. 
Pictured here on the right are our stock rams, looking very sorry for themselves! After 6 weeks of female company they have returned to bachelorhood. We currently have 114 breeding ewes and between the 15th August and the 14th September 103 of these were served by the rams. Whilst at least 10% of these will 'return' we decided that this should provide us with enough early lambs and with a view to giving ourselves a break from lambing during late February and early March we decided to take the rams away from the ewes for 3 weeks. We had also hoped to acquire further breeding stock at the show and sale or by private purchase but the foot and mouth may have put pay to this idea. As you can see the rams are less than happy with this turn of events. Pictured are 6 of the 7 rams we are using this year. The front 3 (from left to right) are Cagedale Haitch, Keepings Assurance (in full wool) and Kesteven Fanjo. The back 3 are (again from left to right) Catherton Dalziel, Cagedale Helix and Keepings Aristo. Four of these Rams have been Supreme Breed Champions at major shows so we are hoping for some quality lambs again this year. Missing is Cagedale Harrier who is currently out on loan. 
With the gradual expansion of our flock, I believe we now have the biggest Ryeland flock that has existed for almost 50 years. Back in the late 50's and early 60's there was fewer flocks but more large ones. On checking the old flock books it can be seen that in 1959 Mr. H. Dent of Little Hereford, Ludlow had 172 ewes and later in 1962 the then Earl of Balfour, Aberdeenshire had 142 ewes. Getting a picture of all 114 ewes at the same time proved to be somewhat of a task, but I think I've got most of them in the image above.
Kington Show took place on Saturday 8th September. It is a show which is growing in size and stature after moving to a new site 2 years ago. It was a thoroughly enjoyable day and well supported by Ryeland breeders. We only took a limited team as all our senior sheep are now 'working' in readiness for lambing next year. We fared well in some strong classes with 8 teams competing. The Herefordshire breeders were well represented by William Laurie, John & Dorothy Hill, Taff & Queenie Jones, Paul & Yvonne Harter as well as ourselves. In addition Graham Sackett and the pupils from the Salter's Hill School attended as did the Bradbury family from 
Carmarthanshire and Andy & Sue McVicar from Newtown. There were many excellent sheep on show and the prizes were shared around. We were particularly pleased to win the Breed Supreme Champion with our Ram lamb Cagedale John. The sheep were superbly turned out and in this regard were are indebted to our great friend Roy Preece who helped trim them in readiness for the show. Pictured here on the right is the line up of ram lambs. In first place (from l-r) is Cagedale John (fortunately Bobby's been cut off) in Second is Cagedale Jet (now owned by Paul and Yvonne Harter(pictured)) and in fifth place is Roy (he's the good looking one!) with Cagedale Jedi. After the 'disappointments' of the Royal Show and the Royal Welsh it was good to get back into the show ring. There was an excellent atmosphere amongst competitors and days like these make all the hard work, breeders put into their sheep, worthwhile. A special mention for the judge Simon Donovan. Simon proved that age should be no barrier in the choice of judge. His unassuming yet meticulous work was commended by all. Simon whilst only 21 has been showing and breeding Ryelands, with his family, for 13 years. It proved that a judge who is an experienced competitor can often be the best judge. They are more likely to have empathy with those competing and hold their confidence. Good judging will result in more competitors and a higher number of entries at shows - a situation highly desirable to all connected with Ryelands.
The show also saw the first presentation of the Herefordshire Cup (pictured left). Donated by William Laurie after losing a drunken bet first made at the Ryeland Herefordshire Group Christmas dinner 2006. This year there were only two competitors William with his excellent Newburn Flock vrs the Cagedales. It was decided that points would be awarded for First to Third places at major shows that we both attended (this year it was the Three Counties, Shropshire & West Mids, Royal and Royal Welsh). We narrowly pipped William to the prize and taking his loss in good faith he commissioned a trophy. It is an elegant Silver quaich (the Laurie's obviously have Scottish blood in them) which stands on a polished oak plinth. We all had a drink of whisky out of it at the Kington Show and it was decided that it should become open to all Hereford Group members to compete for next year (rules to be decided).
The West Midlands Show took place at the Shrewsbury on Saturday 23rd June. It is a great show which should be better supported by Ryeland breeders. It has a charm like no other of the major shows and with only a one night stay is certainly the shortest. I hope that it is better supported in the future or as a breed we risk losing our classes at what is a great event. 
We had a great time with the kids stopping overnight in our newly acquired tent. Despite a deluge throughout the night we remained dry and slept well despite an unwelcome disturbance at 3am in the morning.
It is great sadness that we report the sad news of the death of our close friend Geoff Bishop. Geoff had been a breeder Ryeland Sheep since 1983 and his and his wife Anne's flock of Catherton Ryelands has been one of the premier British Ryeland Flock's. He was an enthusiastic competitor at shows, with despite living in Shropshire regularly attending shows in Scotland, Yorkshire and Somerset. He and Ann have served on the Ryeland Council for many years and both had also been President of the society. The Society has lost one of its true leaders and his company and friendship will be sorely missed. Geoff is pictured here on the left showing at the Burwarton Show in 2006. In the line next to him on the right of the picture is another departed friend of ours Bill Toase who passed away last November. As you can see both men, great characters, had extravagant taste in hats. 
We attended the Devon County Show, Exeter for the first time, either showing or judging, in the history of the flock. We enjoyed a great success with our Senior Ram, Kesteven Fanjo (pictured right) winning supreme breed champion. He also went on to be judged first in the Primitive and Rare Breeds Championship and third in the Inter-breed Championship. I am advised that the numbers in the Ryeland classes at the show was the highest for some years. Participating were four local breeders, ourselves and Ifan and Christine Lloyd of the Glenbryn flock from West Glamorgan. The standard in the classes was very high with many excellent sheep. The Lloyds also enjoyed victories in some of the classes as did Richard and Margaret Wear. Credit also to some of the less experienced competitors such as the Charltons. John Mills and Colin Sherman who all turned out sheep that they had every right to be proud of. We enjoyed the show tremendously and will undoubtedly return next year. 
Saturday 12th May saw the dispersal sale of Bob Webb's Ashford flock. Bob's flock was the 2nd oldest in the country and he had been active in the Ryeland society for many years. Bob is a warm and generous man, always willing to help and advise others. Prices at the sales were excellent with shearling ewes averaging 160 gns and 8 of the ewes with lambs exceeding 200 gns. These prices reflect the respect fellow breeders had for Bob's Ryelands and also the popularity of the man. Pictured here is Bob (as a younger man) in the late 60's with one of his Champion Rams - Ashford Rival. This picture appeared in a published book 'The Production and Management of Sheep' by Derek Goodwin a former lecturer in agriculture at Hartpury College and also a Ryeland breeder. 
It is quite a coincidence that on Sunday 25th March, 2007 the first day of Spring our last lamb was born. Eleven weeks and 72 ewes later it is all over. Eleven weeks may appear to be a long time but compared to last and previous years marathons it is certainly not. As we reported in October we took the decision to take the rams out early so lambing didn't run on and on and whilst it has cost us a few extra lambs we have no regrets. Pictured here are some photo's we took on the 25th showing some of the ewes and lambs. 
We now have a break before the show season, with our first show being the Devon County, Exeter in mid-May. Despite the family having showed Ryelands for 46 years it is our first trip to this show which is considered a 'major' by the society. The early lambs are thriving and as there has been a lot of grass around for this time of year the ewes are very milky. The ewes and lambs have now had their immunisation jabs and we are already turning our thoughts to shearing and early lamb prices. One thing is for certain when keeping sheep - there is always something else to be done!
We are now reaching the end of lambing with only 11 ewes left to lamb. However on the 8th February the young lambs woke up to quite a surprise with 5 inches of snow at Shepherds Meadow. It doesn't seam to bother them proving how hardy sheep can be, often and probably unnecessarily, molly-coddled by their owners on times! Those of us with Pedigree flocks worry and fuss over our sheep, particularly at lambing time, yet as I drive around the Midlands and Wales at work I am seeing already thousands of ewes and lambs both outside and thriving, the commercial farmers turning their lambs out at 2 days old 
Whilst January is synonymous with lambing it is also a time that we have to start thinking of this seasons shows that start in May. The feeding routines commence for the potential show sheep and they are also be shorn (as you will see from the picture to the right). This shows the yearling ewes that have been selected for showing and/or for auction at the annual show and sale in August. As well as the yearling ewes there are also our two senior show rams (Fanjo and Favourite) as well as seven yearling rams (Henry, Hampton, Hope, Haitch, Harrier, Haze and Helix) that have been shorn in readiness.
Lambing started for us this year in the early hours of Saturday, 6th January. At 3.00am a pretty ewe lamb was born (pictured), without assistance. She was 12 days premature, but perfectly healthy. 
The Wormside Show on Sat 7th Oct saw us attain mixed results with 2 Firsts and 1 Second. Still as always it was a great show to attend - it being our most local show. It was well supported by the local breeders and it was great to see our family friend Roy Preece well enough to attend after recent ill health. Roy is a stalwart of the society and Chairman of the Herefordshire Ryeland Group. However most of all he is a real gent and great fun to be around.