BIG HORSE PRIZES

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 29004, 19 September 1959, Page 9

BIG HORSE PRIZES

Another Sheep Breed

A feature of the light horse programme at the Christchurch show in November will be the valuable prizes offered for two F.E.I. events held on the Thursday and Friday. In one case J. Ballantyne and Co. are giving £5O for the first prize winner in addition to the normal £2O first prize and for the other event Beath and Co. are giving a similar £5O prize for the winner making the first prize in each event worth £7O. It is hoped that these substantial prizes may attract leading North Island jumpers to the show. This year round the ring jumping competitions will be confined to the first day of the show only. On each Of Thursday and Friday there will be two horse events and one pony event under F.E.I. rules and on the programme on this occasion are four new classes for show hunters, which will be mainly judged as a hunter type on the flat though they will still

be required to show that they can jump. . Among the 15 sheep breeds on exhibition this year will be a newcomer, the.. Polled. Merino, with a class for rams of 18 months or older. There are now three registered flocks of this breed and other flocks are likely to be registered. Rules for the Southdown group class have been amended for this year's show. The two ewes and two rams—in each case one over 18 months and one under —have to be shorn. New Classes Wool classes will include new sections for Lincoln ram and ewe wools. The wool exhibits will be displayed this year in a marquee provided by Christchurch wool brokers and alongside entries the Wool Board will be arranging a wool promotion display. Mention has already been made on this page of the new class for purehead dairy cattle, under group herd test for which the Canterbury Dairy Farmers Ltd. have given 100 guineas in prize money. This class, judged on butterfat and milk production, overcomes one of the main objections to stock showing—that appearance weighs more heaivily than productive ability. There are also two classes open to all dairy breeds for cattle of three years of age and over and one for younger cattle. These two classes will be judged by panels of four judges who will be required to individually parade their placings before the public. An alteration in the classes for children’s calves is also contained in the schedule for November. The purebred and crossbred classes have now been incorporated in one. Though entries do not close officially until Friday. October 2, some entries had already been received by the association early this week. I