Valais Blacknose Sheep Registry
and Info

                                                                 Registry artwork by Dorota Kudyba.

Maximum Points &
The Carlisle UK Valais Blacknose Sheep Show
**************************************************

SHARING MY EXPERIENCE visiting the Carlisle UK Valais Blacknose Sheep Show - August 2019.
And how "Maximum Points" was awarded at this particular show...... a long read, but worth your time. 
Choose your own favorite rams, don't let someone else decide for you.
 


Let me begin by saying that the SHEEP are fabulous and there are some truly amazing breeders.
But I found that getting correct information about the breed up program in the US was difficult.
Again, some wonderful breeders very happy to share,
but a couple had very self-serving interests and that was clear from the beginning.

 I HATE BULLIES.
So I spent several thousand dollars to go to the
Valais Blacknose show in Carlisle, England and share with fellow Americans what I learned.
  I'm merely reporting educational info and observations about what is going on overseas.....
clearly there are a few that would rather that I not educate and empower US buyers.
Having two decades of World Show livestock background including some of the
 largest shows in the nation for horses, cattle, llamas,etc .
.MANY Stock Shows, State Fairs, and on and on.......( not to mention genetics, genotyping, DNA, etc).....
I DO know what I am talking about.
And it is my intention here to share the "differences" for my American friends....
who could easily be as confused as I was in what I was told and saw.
And yes, I have photos, videos, conversations with UK and New Zealand breeders,
and double checked my facts.
 
Here are a few things that were very different, confusing to me,
and personally made NO sense at this supposedly elite "show and sale".
But, my American breeders interested in these amazing sheep,
here is info you might find interesting.

Here is an explanation of "MAXIMUM POINTS".
 It seems to be presented as the be all/ end all of any Valais' value.
Believe me, I appreciate when my animals WIN at shows. Very exciting.
 But, no matter what, a "winner" is judged by a specific human being on that day.
 It is an OPINION.... always has been.
(And YES, I do have multiple World Show Champion Gypsy Horses that I brag on
....but they only won because I took them to a show and someone liked them that day.)
 "Maximum Points" is explained this way.
There are three categories the sheep are judged in.
 1. Overall Appearance... 2. Legs...3. Wool.
I've attached a judges card to show.


 If a sheep is 24-36 months old, the highest score in each of these fields is 6.
 (Seems a weird number to me. Why not a 10 point scale or something allowing for better variances.)
So a 6/6/6 means the judges graded that sheep with the highest in each of the three categories.

 If a sheep is 12 to 24 months old the highest possible is 5/5/5
...... and if a sheep is four to 12 months old the highest possible is 4/4/4.

I saw a fabulous sheep get a 6/6/5..... I'd kill for that sheep......
but if you look, it was not given a 6 in ONE category so it is not a Maximum Points.
 I also saw one sheep get VERY high points with absolutely NO black patches on its back legs.
 (How does THAT work?)
When I asked how that was possible,
 I was told it was because the "Wool was good".... that is a totally different category (?).

I only mention these items so you can choose your own favorite sheep
 rather than relying 100% on how it was rated by a judge.
Again, congrats to those who won, but I saw MANY that for whatever reason
were scored a point or two off by a "judge"
.... which is a personal opinion.
Use your own common sense and eye in choosing your sheep.

"'SIFTING"( that was the word I was told by a UK person)
..... so weird and would never be accepted in a USA show in ANY breed of livestock.
 Nothing like we are used to, like a "class list" was published before arrival at the event.

 I went Friday morning thinking I would see sheep lined up in their individual classes...girls by age, boys by age
....something like that...as is done at all US shows in ANY species.

NO.

 Breeders pay entry fees, pay for pens and straw, spend HOURS AND DAYS
 cleaning their sheep, driving long distances and from other countries... and guess what ?
 Friday sheep go into the small arena to decide
WHO CAN BE IN THE SHOW THE NEXT DAY !!!!!!!!!
Whaaaat ??!! If I paid entry fees, etc....
and did all the work, I can GUARANTEE YOU.... I'd be IN the show!


For the fun, for the photos, for the experience.
 NO.....and wait, here is my FAVORITE weird thing......
breeders are not allowed on Friday to take their own sheep into the arena to present to the judges.
Even though you have spent months with your sheep getting ready to present it in its best light
.... and your sheep knows you.....
it was handed off to "Stewards" to bring into the ring. (They looked like high school boys to me.)


When I asked WHY does this make sense.......get this...... I was told it was for "anonymity" purposes
......well, ok, but...... the announcer announced about EACH SHEEP ...... one time I heard

 "This beautiful ewe is an example of the fine sheep from __________ ranch.
Her name is _________ and she comes from ________."
Whaaaat !!!!!!!!!!!

I really couldn't believe my ears ! How is this anonymous ?
And, the announcer had NO business making editorial comments
about any of the sheep coming into the ring
...it went on like that all Friday with no one stopping it...
.. it quickly became an advertising event for certain specific breeders.


Although it was publicized that there were 240 entries in this show,
I'm not sure where they were.
But it is even worse if that was the number
and yet there were only about 4 - 8 sheep in each class on Saturday.


Again, this is not to diminish those who earned their right to be in the ring and the wonderful breeders who should be congratulated.
......but if I paid an entry fee, I would expect to be allowed to show.
My sheep might need the experience. I might want the practice.
 I might want photos and a thousand other reasons.

I have been told that the "reason" for this is to make sure only the BEST sheep can be seen, bought, shown, etc.
......Who died and made a couple people make these decisions for the rest of the world ?
 We're quite capable of reading a rule book and understanding a breed standard
 without "help" from those who wish to "control us".

 It was SO obvious and SO many people in the UK are disgusted.
.. and it's being tried here in the US too with so much "puffery"..... words like "best, #1" all make no sense.

Now on to the SALE/AUCTION.............and remember, I was sitting right there watching.
 And again, have decades of livestock auction experience.

There was a long list of sheep that were "in the sale"
.... because of this people drove from long distances, other countries, to possibly buy.
 Well, the sale was over SO fast that I was confused
and thought they maybe were taking a break or something.
NO, there were VERY FEW sheep that actually went through..... because......I was told,
ALL ewes were allowed in the sale,
but only rams who got enough points in the show were allowed through.

 Whaaaat ??!!
 You already removed so many of the sheep from the show (see "Sifting")
 so there were almost NO rams in the sale......
specifically the rams from certain people were in the sale
.....and I was told NINE ewes went through......
people were SO angry they drove so far for the auction and then SO few sheep
......no wonder they were so upset
....and by the way, anyone breeding ANY species should clearly understand that
the FEMALE is half of the equation, not an afterthought.



I've already heard from a few people "threatening" me for reporting info.
Well, I am just reporting it now, so you are speaking too soon.
AND I was right there. Not gossip, but right in front of me.

But if you are content with the SAME people winning the classes THREE YEARS IN A ROW.
...who are the same people who put ON the event, then please disregard anything I observed.

I am reporting back to AMERICANS
who asked me to let them know since they knew I was going.
Some things can appear to be the "gold standard"
and then you remove the curtain and there it all is.

The Valais Blacknose Sheep are fabulous.
There are MORE nice, friendly, helpful breeders than the others.

But there is an old phrase :

"What seems to be the voice of the masses........is the voice of the few.----Magnified and distorted"
...     it just means we should all use our common sense
and choose the Ewes and Rams that we like,
not what we are told is "the best".

  
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