Upgraded yards extended ring

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34099, 11 March 1976, Page 13

Upgraded yards extended ring

New yards al the Chcx iot showgrounds were recently completed, in an effort to encourage larger cattle entries, and judging by this year's entries this has been successful.

The new yards cost the association $450. The ring has also been extended to accommodate more horses and the secre-

tary and announcers box has been shifted to a more central part of the ring. “A lot of funny things happen on these working

bees,” the president’s wife (Mrs F. Beckett) said. After finishing the long job of nailing on rails for the new yards, one “good keen! man” realised that a discj tractor was still parked in the middle of the pen — off came the rails again. Breeds of sheep predominating at the Cheviot shows have changed over the years. At first half-bred and English Leicester were the principal breeds but! these were gradually super- ■ seded by Corriedale, three-1 quarts r-’o reds and] crossbreds.

Shropshires and Southdowns dropped out a num-1 ber of years ago and Corriedale and Romney are the leading breeds. By 1964, there were 60 sheep pens with concrete rails and a secretary's office had been built with! announcer’s box. The showgrounds cover j 31 acres, and double as a; farm from which the A.j and P. Association draws! most of its funds.