First Place:  1

Entry number: 631

Exhibitor: EmsoffLambs

State: CA

Sheep name/number: 177

Breed: Hampshire X

Website: www.emsofflivestockcompany.com

In starting the class with 1 I'm starting with a ewe lamb that has excellent potential to make a real good brood ewe.  She is sure on the plus side of medium frame.  When viewed from the profile you have to be impressed with her overall style and balance.  I immediately noticed the extended neck sitting on top of the shoulder.  I also noticed her smoothness at the shoulder points and how clean she is through her shoulder.  One would have to appreciate her overall length and leveleness of her top and bottom lines.  She does have a slight slope to her hip, but, this is over come by her length of hip.  From the side she appears to be a little pinched at her pins, however, from the rear you notice this is not the case.

From the rear I first noticed the wedge approach down her rack and loin, and I also noticed how wide and level she is in both of these critical areas.  She has the rib shape we desire in a future brood ewe and she appears to be deep in her loin edge.  she is at least adequate in depth of twist with good inside leg muscle, however, she does appear a little flat over the stifle.

Second Place:  3

Entry number: 672

Exhibitor: Lamb Quarters Farm

State: OH

Sheep name/number: 16

Breed: Suffolk/Hampshire

Website: www.freewebs.com/lambquartersfarm/

I had to put in a little study to see which ewe lamb to place second in the class between 2 and 3.  I saw less structure problems in 3 than in 2 , therefore 3 is my logical second place ewe lamb in the class.

From the profile 3 appears to be longer sided than 2. She is longer and leveler in her top and bottom lines, especially in the length of hip.  2 also has more correct placement in the neck. She might be on the verge of a little too round at the shoulder points.  I would like to see a little less depth of shoulder. I believe she will grow into a medium plus framed brood ewe.  I do appreciate the long, level hip.  From the rear she sure appears wide over her rack and loin.  She has good depth of twist and good muscle in her lower third.

She should make an excellent brood ewe, especially if paired with a ram that can clean up her front.

Third Place:  2

Entry number: 647

The third place ewe lamb, 2, is set up incorrectly and this takes away from her appearance.   There is a reason I stress four on the floor and this pose is a good example.  When the front feet are off the ground it makes them appear out of balance.  When they are driven hard it causes them to break at the hip/loin juncture, especially in young feeder lambs.

I could be wrong but she appears to be off in her neck placement.  I do not see it setting on top of the shoulder as I do in the first two lambs in the class. I would assume she is clean through her breast plate, however she might be a little rough at the shoulder points. If this is the case, she could improve with age and development of muscle. From the pose she appears to slope off the dock.  If her front feet were set square and on the ground that might not be the case and she would at least appear more level hipped.From the rear she does look angular down her rack and loin, I just hope she will have the necessary flatness and width to go with the length. she does have depth of twist and lower leg muscle.  She has plenty of bone and the two placing above her do also.

Fourth Place:  4

Entry number: 677

I'm placing 4 last in the class, fully realizing that being posed on a trim table takes away from her  overall appearance.  From the profile she appears to have a low neck placement.  Notice how it comes out below the top of the shoulder.  Although she has plenty of side length, notice how uneven she is in her top and bottom lines (this is probably due to being set up on a trim table).  She appears short hipped with a rolling dock.  From the rear she is narrow over the rack and loin and she drops down in her rack and loin edge. She does appear to have  a deep full twist with a tremendous leg muscle.  My assumption is she would look much more correct if set up by a handler on the ground.

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