A Taste of the Royal Welsh Show

 Only from tv coverage - I haven't been down there personally.  Some of the photos aren't very sharp, but hey ho . . .  Enjoy.  Best first, and the main reason I was watching the coverage yesterday - the Welsh Cob stallion class.  WOW is all I can say.  Some superb horses forward.  They stand in the collecting ring and come in breathing fire to hurtle at a superb powerful trot down past the judges - first impressions and all that.

They then go back to walk and circle the ring whilst the Judges (who are probably familiar with many from judging them elsewhere) appraise them and then make a line-up.  It is fairly rare that they change horses around but that occasionally happens at smaller shows(and with lesser horses) after each horse gives an individual show.  First it is appraised whilst standing  squarely - the judge will be looking for any little conformation faults, any deflection away from the breed standards, and then they walk towards the judge and then past and away and then turned and do this spectacular trot past the grandstand and the judges. 

Above and below: the winner of the class, and he went on to be overall Welsh Cob show champion. That's HIS stud fee doubled I should think!! I didn't note his name but gosh, he's a cracker and absolutely typical of the breed.

A winning and beautiful very feminine Section A (Welsh Mountain) mare.  The commentary was all in Welsh, so I didn't get names.

An entry in the Section B Welsh (there are 4 sections).  I think this colt went on to win his class.

Another Section A in action.

A snippet from the sheep-shearing. Each competitor has a set number of sheep to shear and the quickest wins.  They were very deft and even an awkward sheep was expertly and calmly handled.

Pair of Beef cattle - the chestnut brown pair won. They had come down from Scotland I think.  I wasn't sure if it was father and progeny.  The judge was very thorough.

Finally, a view from up the lane of a fraction of the caravans, cars, tents etc on site.  Every field around the showground is crammed with the same, and the young farmers have a gigantic site a mile or so out of town.  It rained steadily all afternoon yesterday so I imagine they had a busy time of hauling cars from the car parks with local tractors.

You would not believe the amount of booze delivered to pubs in the town in the run up to the show!!

Right, 20 to 4 (a.m.) now so I am back off to bed.  Hoping I can sleep now.

Morning now, 9 a.m., the sun's out and I am planning to be back out in the garden in several areas.  There is still SO MUCH to do out there - clearing the shrubs end of the bank now the grass is just standing hay. The hedge is an overgrown mess and I would like to carry on clearing the house end of the bank, and planting that up.  No peace for the wicked.