Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
12
SOME FOLKS ARE INTERESTED IN the world of showing sheep, for
themselves, for their children or grandchildren, or even as a chance to posi-
tively infl uence other children who live near them. Showing has some real
marketing advantages for purebred breeders, and for fi ber breeders who are
direct marketing fl eece to handspinners and fi ber enthusiasts. But showing is
also a great deal of work, and it requires a serious commitment. Care of show
sheep begins months before the show with grooming and training. There are
extra costs associated with showing, such as entry fees, transportation, addi-
tional vaccinations, and supplies for fi tting (or grooming) your sheep.
This chapter is a brief introduction on how to show sheep — it isn't
intended to be comprehensive. The sheep magazines are excellent sources
for anyone interested in showing.
The Banner
is a general sheep magazine
that's really aimed at those who show sheep.
The Shepherd's Journal
covers a
lot of showing in Canada. A few other sheep magazines, such as
sheep!
,
Sheep
Connection
,
Sheep Canada
, and
Sheep Industry News
, also provide some cover-
age for showing.
Shows can either be straight shows with no sales or they may be combined
shows and sales. In addition, they fall into two other main categories:
■
Registered breed shows, which are sponsored by the breed's associa-
tion or some other national sheep organization. These shows are often
held in conjunction with state fairs and special expositions, such as the
North American International Livestock Exposition and the National
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