Page 133 - Demo

Shorthorn 133
cleanliness of bone, extreme length
and width through the pins that
then gave her advantage over my
sixth placed heifer. Six and seven
were close placings, with the only
real difference being the strength of
loin of my higher placed calf. There
were ten calves in this class, with the
reminder being good strong calves,
often with only marginal differences
between them.
Intermediate class - I was presented
with 2 real nice calves at the top of
the class. The white blazed heifer got
the nod eventually over a very stylish
red calf for having more capacity in
the body, being slightly wider and
excelled in depth of rear rib. She
also had a slightly neater tail setting.
My second calf was a heifer that I
also really admired, she had the
best legs in the class, and paraded
with ease. She got the advantage in
this class for her power through the
front end, being smoother behind
the shoulder, and more upstanding.
She was longer overall and tracked
far straighter on parade. My third
placing gained advantage for being
stronger over the topline with more
openness of rib and silkier to the
touch. Fourth and fifth were again
similar, but I went in the end with
the calf with the best rump and
especially thurl placings, meaning
she tracked a little nicer on parade.
Fifth a heifer that stood out over the
next calves for having a little more
front end and being cleaner boned,
over 2 more traditional calves that
followed.
In the Senior class, I led with a
very long, dairy red heifer. She
was so much cleaner and more
feminine than my second heifer,
and stood out in this class. It was
her cleanliness through her neck
and shoulder, and cleanliness of
bone that separated her from a very
balanced calf in second. Two over
three I went for the more balanced
heifer, being smoother behind
the shoulder, in slightly better
proportion and walked much nicer
on parade. Third was an extremely
deep bodied calf, and it was the
depth and openness of rib combined
with more dairy texture that I went
for over a strong rumped calf in
fifth. Fifth and sixth were more dairy
calves than the remainder of the
class and I rewarded the cleaner
boned, deeper and more open ribs
with stronger loins. Seventh to Ninth
again were generally younger, more
compact calves on the day.
Lastly, the mature calf class. And
by this age we had heifers in all
Cotonhall Cupid Empress
stages, with some being heavier in
calf than others. There were some real
gems in this class, ones I am sure will
favour better once at a different stage.
On the day, I led with a beautiful red
heifer, she had great ring presence,
showing herself well. She stood out
for her added chest width, clean dairy
frame and clean bone. She had a slight
advantage over a very similar heifer
in second for being a touch more
open in the rib, and tracking a little
nicer. Second I followed in type with
a similar heifer, where I favoured her
to a stronger, more mature heifer in
third. I also gave distinct advantage in
the rump, where she was stronger and
squarer with a more desirable angle
from hook to pins. Third was a heifer
that was a little disadvantaged for
being heavier in calf. She was tall and
powerful, and it was the extra length
and cleanliness throughout that gave
her the nod in front of a correct, but
stronger typed heifer in fourth. It was
this correctness that I went with next
and over the roan heifer in fifth, again
giving reward for her rump structure.
She was wider in the pins, with a more
desirable, squarer rump. Five and six
were similar heifers in many ways, but
I rewarded the smaller, wider heifer in
the end for being slightly stronger in
the loin.
At Championship time, the breed
certainly gained a few admirers around
the ring from other breed enthusiasts. I
was happy that my final line up flowed
from the baby calf class right through
to the mature class, demonstrating
the type of calves that I had strived
to find in all the classes. These were
my type of calves, firstly they were
correct and functional in every way.
Secondly, they combined strength
with dairyness, with the makings to
be ideal dairy cows of the future. In
the rumps they were all correct, and
tracked well on parade. For those that
were successful in making it to the
championship line up, congratulations
on an excellent achievement, but also
well done to every other exhibitor for
putting on a great show of calves. I
would like to thank each and every
exhibitor for making my job so much
more pleasurable on the day by
putting forward good quality calves,
turned out well. I would also like to
thank the ABAB organising committee
and the Dairy Shorthorn Society for the
invitation to judge.
My final placing and Champion calf
went to the Junior Calf. When looking
down my Championship line up, I just
felt the balance of this calf was too
much to overlook. In Reserve was the
Baby Calf who I had admired from the
first class of the day, with Honourable
Mention going to the dairy red heifer
from the senior class.
Thank you and congratulations to all.