Recovering from the Show

Yesterday was Westmorland County Show. Strickley Robinsons have been showing there since 1875 and stashed away with all our other archives are various Prize Cards. As well as exhibiting the family has always been involved with the running of the show as members of committees and in 1989 Henry's father was President.

The final preparations for this year's show began on Wednesday when the cows were washed and trimmed to show them off to their best. The show field is only six miles away, so in the afternoon Henry and James took down the straw, feed, show box, chairs, folding bed and other paraphernalia and got our stalls ready. Then after milking James took the four cows down. Most of the stock was on the field by then, so there was plenty of company for pre-show socialising. He was up early washing the cows and getting them looking their best. By 4.30 Henry was also up at home getting the cows in for milking. I'm not sure they appreciated being woken up in the dark. I did get a bit of a sleep in, but only until 5.30. And by 7.30 we too were on our way.

Judging in the cattle classes started at 9.00 and the stewards did a wonderful job in getting the right cattle into the right rings at the right time. Dairy Shorthorns shared a ring with the Jerseys - alternating classes, so there was time to take one lot of cattle back to the tent and bring the next out. I was at the ringside with my camera and took a lot of photographs - not all of which show the cow and the handler to the best advantage. I tend to click more in hope than expectation. So please bear that in mind when looking at this small selection of images.

The judge Edward Crank from Cheshire had some good classes to judge from several local, and not so local, breeders.

This is Strickley Lily 15th which was placed first in the Heifer in Milk class, and won the Ciba Geigy Cup for Junior Champion.

These three Strickley in milk cows and heifers won the John Handley Memorial Trophy for the best group of three animals

And here is Lily 15th again receiving her rosette for Best Exhibitor Bred Dairy Shorthorn.

The overall Dairy Shorthorn Champion was Jonathan Fisher's Marleycote Barrington Iris 15th. I'm sorry I missed getting a decent photograph. I'm sure there will be one on the Society's website in the next few days.

After the judging visitors started to come into the cattle tents (access is restricted during judging for H & S reasons). We had tried our best to keep our cattle lines and ourselves as clean and tidy as possible as we knew that HRH The Countess of Wessex was visiting the cattle tent. Once again I tried to get some good photographs but was somewhat thwarted by official photographers in front of me.

And then, after the Interbreed judging, milking the cows and snatching a bit of dinner, there was time for a quick visit to some of the trade stands, and to look at the Schools' Tent. Some of us took the time to relax.

The Grand Parade was scheduled for 3.00, and wasn't too late. There was a very impressive array of stock that stretched right round the main ring, with almost every breed represented. Speeches were made and cups presented for the breed champions and general farm classes. When Henry's father died in 1996 the family presented a cup to the society for a class in his memory. And this year Strickley won the Strickley Cup for

"Working farmers and landowners who have done the most to
further environmental sustainability and protection and the ideals
of conservation in keeping with local conditions and the environment."

So now it's all over for this year. Henry and James are emptying the Land Rover and washing out the trailer. And me? I'm the one recovering - from when a cow stood on my foot. The moral of the story is wear steel toe capped boots. Not 25 year old Brashers.