Home  Current Class  Placed Classes  Rules & Entry Form

Tips & Suggestions  Judges  Sponsor

Yearling Ewes
Class number:  118        Class Date:  2/24/09

Judge:   Vance Christie

 

 Judging Contest Winners: 

Under 15: 1412

15-18: TXsheepraiser

Over 18: mandyrae

 

Official Placing: 1, 4, 3, 2
Cuts: 2, 2, 2

Let me start off by saying all four of these ewes would be welcome in the Christie-Ramey flock.  The give and take issues that come into play on four quality ewes make this class extremely difficult to sort.  To me we are getting you to see the kind of sheep that are producing the right kind of lambs for you exhibitors in the show ring, and sorting these females simply comes down to a couple of factors that I personally would like to see fixed that sort a pair of ewes to the bottom, but in doing so, we sacrifice an area or two they really excel in.  Thus the cuts are going to be low and even at 2, 2, 2 and I can probably see rationale behind any possible placing you would come up with.

My preferred alignment of the Yearling Ewes is 1, 4, 3, 2.

First Place:  1

i395

Entry number: 395

Exhibitor: shootingstar

State: TX

Sheep name/number: Meg #10

Breed: Hampshire X

Website: www.starshowlambs.com

 

395h

 

I am going to initiate the class with 1, the most complete ewe that best combines, design, muscle and overall capacity.  Ideally, I would like see her elevated through the floor of her chest, however, she is bolder ribbed, longer and leveler out of her dock, and appears to be the highest volume ewe in class.   As a bonus, she is the heaviest muscled ewe that should pass her big hip and extra muscularity on to her offspring.

 

Second Place:  4

563

Entry number: 563

Exhibitor: Hughey

State: NC

Sheep name/number: 151

Breed: Hampshire X

 

563h

 

4 certainly has a neater look through her neck, shoulder and chest floor, unfortunately she is rounder out of her dock and narrower and lighter muscled down her top than the class winner.  Still she appears later maturing, longer necked and cleaner shouldered than 3 in the middle pair.  The more Hamp appearing ewe ties her neck and shoulder into a cleaner fore-rib, then gets bolder and fuller through her center rib.  In addition she appears to have a more muscular shape to her top and plumpness to her legs.  I would predict her offspring to have more of that showring look when comparably mated in comparison to 3 and 2.

 

Third Place:  3

562

Entry number: 562

 

562

 

Yes, 3 certainly is flatter docked and deeper in her flank, unfortunately she is the deepest fronted, coarsest shouldered ewe in class and appears to be lighter muscled than the top two.  I still opt to use her over 2 in the bottom pair based on hip design alone.  3 is wider set in her pins, longer and leveler from hook to dock and wider and flatter across her loin edges.

 

Fourth Place:  2

439

Entry number: 439

 

439

 

Some will certainly prefer the upfronted clean shouldered look 2 gives us and the added frame and lateness of maturity she appears to possess.  However once you get past her forerib, she gets narrower made down her top, higher in her flank, and tapers excessively through her upper dock.  Also from the  photo, she looks to be a little loose hided and stale in her appearance.  (The loose hide, rough look down her topline, and dip at her hip-loin juncture makes me question if she was as full and hydrated at the time of the picture, or if she might have been drawn a little, giving her this appearance. The first and second photos were apparently taken at different times and in the second, she looks much fresher.)

 
 2008 Copyright Dragonfly Webpage Design