The weekend proved yet again that it takes more than a shower to dampen the spirits of Kirrie Show stalwarts.
The cattle, sheep and horse exhibitors in East Muirhead of Logie’s fields shrugged off the rain in a lively morning of livestock judging which culminated in the society’s Centenary silver trophy going to overall horse champion Abbas Blue Rainbow ridden by 14-year-old Ella Dunn from Kirriemuir.
Show chairman Andrew Steel from Craignathro described the conditions as “just a typical Kirrie show day” and welcomed this year’s increased entries in all the livestock sections.
He said the society had worked hard to provide extra entertainment for the non-farming community, and children in particular.
However, the biggest crowds were around the livestock rings and there was strong competition for interbreed rosettes by cattle and sheep breeders.
The Simmental winner took the overall championship for the multi-generation turnout of the Smith family at Drumsleed , Fordoun, Laurencekirk. Their winner was three-year-old bull Drumsleed Hivy, fresh from his success at the previous week’s Fettercairn show.
He was also breed champion at Alyth and male champion at the Royal Highland Show, and is destined for the breed’s national show at Kelso at the end of the month.
Reserve interbreed was Wilson Peters’ 2019 season commercial cattle winner Islay Mist, the Charolais-Limousin cross by Retties Lorenzo which has won at Fife, West Fife and Alyth.
In the sheep ring the supreme award went to the Texel champion from Alistair and Tom Greenhill from Westhall Farm, Kellas. She was this year’s Alyth show champion, a two-crop ewe by Cressage Vagabond.
The Beltex champion from Graham and Fiona Burke, Cairndrum Cottage, Edzell, was took the interbreed reserve. Their winner was gimmer Pentland Dixie, a daughter of Airyolland Wurzel and a Kingledores Rascal-sired home-bred show ewe which was a second prize winner at the Royal Highland Show.
The native horse winners included the Clydesdale champion from the Greenhills at Upper Tulloes, Forfar with their in-foal four-year-old mare Tulloes Blossom, which swept the boards at local shows as a two-year-old.
Donna Lochtie of Dunning took the Shetland championship with her multi-show winning 13-year-old mare Hawkdale Dixie, and the Highland winner was three-year-old gelding Shuggie of Inverdarroch from Irene Grant, Balcairn Farm House, Blairgowrie.
nnicolson@thecourier.co.uk
