First Place:  1

Entry number:  372

Exhibitor:  nrvsheep

State:  AZ

Sheep name/number:  ewe1

Breed:  crossbred

I'm starting the class with number 1.  I believe she is easily the most balanced and structurally correct lamb in the class.  When viewed from the profile I see that she is correct in her neck placement, is clean at the points, is long and level in her top and bottom lines.  She has the rib shape we are looking for in today's brood ewe.  From the rear I notice how wide and level she is over the rack as well as the loin.  She is long and level in the hip and is correct in her pin placement exhibiting the width we are looking for.  She has excellent depth of twist and a lot of muscle expression through the stifle and lower leg.

Second Place:  2

Entry number:  412

Exhibitor:  CrazySuey

State:  CA

Sheep name/number:  Chickadee

Breed:  Hampshire X

Website:  candsmediumlivestock.tripod.com

After close observation I am going with 2 for second in the class.  Sure, I do not care for the design of the hip and pin placement when viewed from the profile, however, when viewed from the rear I believe she really improves in these critical areas.  From the profile she appears to be correct in the neck placement and is clean through the points.  She appears to have width through the chest floor and brings this width all the way back.  When viewed from the rear this ewe looks more correct than from the side.  She appears to have more rack and loin shape than the other two lambs that place below her, 3 and 4.  She looks wider through the pins than 3 and 4.  I would like to see her exhibit more natural thickness over the rack and loin, however, I would call her more than adequate in muscling.

Third Place:  4

Entry number:  441

For me, the most difficult placing is the bottom pair, 3 and 4.  3 appears thicker than 4, however, 4 is much longer sided and although she does have faults, not as many as 3.  I place 4 third and over 3 in the class for the following reasons: length of side and more correct in top and bottom lines.  Both ewe lambs are correct in neck placement, however, I believe 4 is cleanest through the shoulder.  I really like the balance of 4 and she is sure more level and longer in the hip than 3.  I would sure fault 4 for appearing to be narrow in pin placement. She is not as deep in the twist as 3, however, she does exhibit more outer leg muscle than 3.

Fourth Place:  3

Entry number:  440

In placing 3 at the bottom of the class I do so mainly because she appears to be the shortest sided lamb in the class and she sure slopes off the hip more than the other ewe lambs in the class.  When viewed from the rear I would like to raise her dock a couple of inches...if we could do this she would sure be more level in the hip.  She also appears flat in her muscling.

Again, I placed the class 1, 2, 4, 3 with cuts of 5, 2, 1.