First Place:  2

Entry number:  336

Exhibitor:  shootingstar

State:  TX

Sheep name/number:  King Jo

Breed:  Hampshire X

Website:  www.shootingstarshowlambs.com

In this class of rams,  I am going to choose to start the class with the ram that should work best in a variety of scenarios.   Regardless of the type of ewe base you are looking at,  I feel it is pretty easy to start the class with the 2.  The Hampshire appearing ram is the heaviest constructed, powerfully muscled ram that excels the remaining bucks in terms of hip design.  I realize he is presented a little full and that detracts from his appeal when viewed from the rear.  Still in comparison to 4 he is a bigger footed, bolder ribbed, stouter featured-rugged buck that should inject more look, muscle and substance of bone into his offspring.

Second Place:  4

Entry number:  415

Exhibitor:  wuvewes

State:  IA

Sheep name/number:  Sacket

Breed:  Hampshire

Website:  www.moserclublambs.com

In a middle pair of contrasting rams, the Suffolk influenced ram is the other heavy muscled nice balanced ram of the class and is much cleaner and smoother through the point of his shoulder than our class winner. Yet, on the 3/4 rear shot, he definitely appears to shorten in his dock and taper slightly to his pins, and I would like to see more elevation to his pasterns.  However this buck is extremely eye appealing on the profile, shows more evidence of side-view muscling as well as a tremendous forearm.  He is much fuller through the lower 1/3 of  his leg than 1.

Third Place:  1

Entry number:  273

I certainly appreciate the cool look from the side and balance offered by the Dorset ram.  However he simply gives up too much muscle and skeletal width to truly compete with the two rams above him.  Still as we evaluate him as a wether sire and consider breed standards, here is the well balanced ram that has an advantage in length and levelness of dock when compared to 3.  He is simply longer, more extended in his skeleton from all angles and should produce later maturing, more production oriented lambs than the other Suffolk appearing ram.

Fourth Place:  3

Entry number:  397

Sure 3 is probably the thickest made of the four and is without a doubt the easiest fleshing, that could add some moderation and ease of keeping to the flock.  I simply read him as the most common of the group, being shorter fronted and the earliest maturing ram that is jammed up in his neck and shoulder, short coupled and rolls off in his dock.

Therefore I like them 2, 4, 1, 3 with cuts of 5, 3, 3.