First Place:  3

Entry number:  208

Exhibitor:  chadam

State:  WA

Breed:  Hampshire X

I placed 3 first in the class because I thought he was the most balanced, complete ram in the class.  This medium framed Hampshire type ram has straight and level top and bottom lines.  He might have a little low set to the neck but it just might be the marking harness that gives him this appearance.  He is clean in the brisket area, wide through the chest floor and brings this width all the way back.  He is really correct at the point of the shoulder.  Because he is in breeding condition and in the wool I cannot tell if he is as square and flat over the rack and loin as I like, however, I believe he is okay in these areas.  He has a long level hip and appears square through the pins with adequate depth of twist and shows evidence of muscle through the stifle.

Second Place:  4

Entry number:  251

Exhibitor:  TurboDieselGirl

State:  CA

Sheep name/number:  Turbo Diesel

Breed:  Suffolk

I thought 4 was an easy choice for second and I'm sure some of you saw this ram at the top of the class.  He is on the plus side of medium frame and is extremely long sided and has immaculate thin skin.  With that said, let me tell you what  I would like to change.  I would like to raise his neck set up about an inch so it would come out at the top of the shoulder.  I would also like him to be a little more shallow in depth of front.  I would like to square him up and level him up over the rack and loin (raise the loin edge).  I would like to raise the dock just a tad, square him out more and widen him at the pins.  He has more than adequate depth of twist but I would like to see a little more muscle expression in the lower leg and stifle.  I would also like to see him with more substance of bone.  He does have eye appeal and I can see him siring good lambs bred to ewes strong in his weak points, especially those with  Hamp influence. 

Third Place:  1

Entry number:  053

I thought the most difficult placing was the bottom pair, 1 and 2.  I found major faults with both of these rams and if you switched the bottom pair I would not disagree.  I placed 1 third and over 2 because I found less problems in 1.  1 is medium plus in frame and is long sided.  His major flaws, and they are glaring, is he is too round at the point of shoulder and too coarse through the shoulder.  This is really noticeable from both the side and rear view, especially when looking down over the top of the shoulder.  He will have to be bred to ewes that are extra clean in the front or this could cause some lambing problems.  Although he appears fairly wide and square over the rack and loin, and he does have a long hip, I would like to level him up in the hip and square him through the pins.  I believe he is too shallow in depth of twist but he does show muscle through the stifle.  He is lacking in bone and is also weak in the pasterns and this condition will get worse as he ages and matures.

Fourth Place:  2

Entry number:  098

I placed 2 at the bottom of the class because he is just average in length of side, is a little too deep from the top of shoulder to the chest floor and he really slopes from hooks to pins and is short in length of hip.  Also, he is shallow in depth of twist and too flat through the stifle and lacks muscle through the lower third.  I also would like to see more substance of bone. 

Again, I placed the class 3, 4, 1, 2 with cuts of 2, 7, 1.  Now, lets have a good discussion of this class.