2:02pm Thursday 24th June 2010
By Ruth Addicott
In the run-up to the Great Yorkshire Show, sheep pampering reaches its height. Ruth Addicott finds out what it takes to get this year’s entrants looking chic.
WHEN it comes to a shampoo and set, there are few people who know more about grooming than Kenton Foster. Whether it’s creating volume at the roots, sheen on the hoof or enhancing the rear, Kenton is something of an expert.
Competition at the Great Yorkshire Show is tough. While keeping up with sheep-styling techniques is crucial, Kenton also has to have eyes in the back of his head. “They can give you a good butt up the backside at times,” he says.
Kenton has been drenched, trodden on and pushed in the dip tub more times than he cares to remember, but has picked up several top prizes for his efforts.
Based at Garriston Farm, near Leyburn, he has been a fixture at the show for 15 years and has spent the last few months prepping this year’s hopefuls.
Sheep grooming is big business: there is a product for everything from a “high gloss finish” to a “brilliant white coat”. There are shampoos for sheep that have trouble with frizz and others that help reduce static and leave a pleasing fragrance.
The most important thing, according to Kenton, is to have a shampoo that will remove all the grease.
He has spent £150 on a bottle of shampoo in the past, until he realised he was being fleeced. “It was an absolute arm and a leg,” he says.
“It promised a bright white coat, but sometimes it can be too bright and end up dazzling you.” He now uses washing soda and water, adding: “It’s only 79p and works a treat.”
KENTON says it’s important to use products that don’t harm the animals. There are tales of some entrants buying home perm kits, which can have disastrous consequences.
After a quick shampoo, it’s time for the dip tub, where the sheep have buckets of clean water thrown over them. Kenton usually meets a bit of resistance at this stage, as well as getting a good drenching. One ewe jumped straight at him, pushing him into the tub. That was ten years ago, but he’s still got the scar.
Two or three weeks before the show, the sheep are ready for their first trim. A good, sharp pair of shears is vital, according to Kenton (who has small hands and gets his made to measure from Sheffield).
The challenge here is getting the sheep up onto the trimming stands, especially when they have a tendency to leap over the top. Lifting a 100- kilo ewe and tying a piece of string at the same time is testing even for Kenton.
“You need to spend a good hour teasing the wool, taking all the cotters out before you can start trimming,”
he explains. “It’s a bit like cutting your hair.”
If the wool feels a bit dry, he sprays a fine mist over the top, which also keeps the sun and flies off. “You want to show off any muscle on the backside,” notes Kenton. “When the judge goes to touch it, he wants to see he’s grabbing solid muscle and not a handful of wool.”
Kenton has picked up a few techniques over the years, one of which is to avoid getting distracted while clipping.
“One of the lads does a couple of clips around the front shoulder, gets bored and goes around the backside,”
he says. “If you keep walking around and around, the sheep doesn’t know what’s happening and the wool can go wavy.”
Kenton then uses a flat board to smooth any stragglers and give it a slight bouffant. His pet hate is when a member of the public gives the sheep a friendly ruffle at the show, leaving finger marks just before the parade. Most people are oblivious to the effort that has gone in.
The other main challenge for Kenton, is achieving the desired shade.
It’s all down to using the correct amount of dye on the wool, which is where a lot of exhibitors slip up. It is not uncommon to see a bright yellow sheep strolling into the ring. Some entrants have come in with dazzling white coats, others orange.
“Less is definitely more,” observes Kenton, who had one sheep turn jet black.
Now he has a ‘test sheep’ in the run-up to the show, which often ends up looking like a patchwork quilt.
“It’s mainly the smell, not the colour, that spooks them out,” he says. “The others don’t like it if one of them has had a good wash.”
Kenton’s biggest disaster happened at the show a few years ago, when he was leading a prize ewe past the judges. “She did a somersault, laid on her back and kicked me in the balls,” he recalls. “I was writhing about in agony. There must have been at least 100 people watching.”
But it takes more than a hoof where it hurts to stop Kenton and his prize sheep. He says he does it more for the social side than the prize money and it’s one of the few times in the year when he can catch up with other farmers.
“We must be daft, but it’s one of the best shows in the country,” he says.
Fellow sheep class prize winner Sue Wilkinson, from Langlands Farm, Richmond, is also a fixture and has attended the show for 30 years.
According to Sue, one of the hardest parts is choosing which sheep to take part. “They have got to be correct on their feet, with a straight back and good muscle at the back end,” she says. “Teeth are important, too. You don’t want one with teeth protruding at the side.”
Sue learnt her technique watching exhibitors and videos at the shows.
Apart from being trodden on and pulled over countless times, she also suffered embarrassment when one of her sheep made a bolt for the gate.
“He ran into the stands and disappeared,”
she says. “We eventually found him in one of the clothes stands, buried under a pile of Barbour coats.”
Sue’s top tip as a final finishing touch is to dab some oil onto the hoof. “It adds a touch of sheen,” she says, knowingly. “It definitely gives them the edge.”
IT puts the great into Yorkshire, bringing summer visitors to the county from far and wide. The Great Yorkshire Show, arguably the country’s most prestigious agricultural event, celebrates its 152nd anniversary this year with a fantastic extravaganza for all the family.
Organised by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, the show will be taking place from July 13 to 15 at the 250-acre Great Yorkshire Showground, on the outskirts of Harrogate.
Last year saw more than 130,000 visitors descend on the showground to sample the diverse range of events, competitions, demonstrations, shopping opportunities and entertainment, with something to suit everyone’s tastes.
One of the main reasons for visiting the Great Yorkshire Show is to see livestock and other produce and across the country thousands of animals are being prepared for the show rings.
There are livestock classes for all sorts of beasts, plus activities such as horse-shoeing and sheepshearing.
The championship trophies and rosettes from the Great Yorkshire Show are always prized possessions in the agricultural arena.
The Main Ring is at the hub of proceedings and included on the programme, as ever, is top-class showjumping, plus a new competition – the Top Spec Top of the North Championship for the supreme ridden horse.
Moving from the thrill of horseback, there will also be a motorcycle display courtesy of Bolddog Lings Team. Music is always a key element in the Main Ring and the Band of the Brigade of Ghurkas will be delighting the crowds this year.
As well as the more traditional attractions, this year’s event will feature the internationally acclaimed Northern Ballet Theatre and Phoenix Dance Theatre. Each day, workshop leaders from the two companies will be hosting dance classes and activities in the Show’s Rose Garden.
Meanwhile, the ever popular flower show will no doubt attract plenty of interest. Now called the Garden Show, there’s plenty to see, including ideas from young green-fingered gardeners in a new schools competition to grow a veg box.
And on Wednesday, Christine Walkden – a familiar face from BBC’s The One Show – will be available to answer gardening questions as well as judge the competition.
As well as all of the entertainment mentioned above, there are hundreds of exhibitors and stalls to browse and do a bit of shopping.
Bill Cowling, the Great Yorkshire Show’s honorary director, is confident that it will remain as popular as ever.
“With the demise of the Royal Show – what was the country’s national agricultural event – we are now very much England’s premier show, and that’s a reputation of which we are proud,” he says.
“It’s our aim to ensure that we provide a superb shop window for the farming industry and a super day out for all visitors.”
■ Gates open at 7.30am and close at 7.30pm on Tuesday and Wednesday and 6.30pm on Thursday. Tickets bought in advance cost £18 adult/£17 concession/£8 child/£47 family.
Tickets bought on the gate are £21 adult/£20 concession/£10 child/£55 family. Tickets are available either online at greatyorkshireshow.co.uk or by phoning 01423-541222. There is also plenty of free parking.
© Copyright 2001-2012 Newsquest Media Group
http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/trade_directory/