Horses 1
From ferret racing to flower arranging… at Kinross Show. Square Sparrow reflects on a recent visit to the local agricultural show.
If I put on my cutest face, maybe she'll let me chase a rabbit...
Suddenly our summer (such as it was in Scotland!) is virtually over and on the arable farms here in Kinross-shire the combines have been revving up as farmers hasten to snatch their harvest in between the showers. And as another summer comes to an end, so does another showing season for all the livestock farmers for whom summer weekends mean trekking round Scotland on the showing circuit.
In the 1980s, when Yours Truly used to show Shetland ponies all summer long, the fun and friendly finale of the showing season was always Kinross Agricultural Show, which traditionally takes place on the second Saturday of August. In those halcyon days, the show used to be held in the walled garden of Kinross House – an idyllic setting, with the eponymous Neoclassical country mansion providing an almost surreal backdrop.
However, in life all good things generally come to an end, and several years ago the sale of Kinross House necessitated a move for the local agricultural show. But where on earth (or at least within the bounds of Kinross-shire!) could they hold the show that would ever compete with the previous unique location? The answer lay in an unassuming grass field, right next door to the RSPB’s Vane Farm on the shores of Loch Leven – with the Sleeping Giant (a local hill, so christened because its profile resembles a sleeping giant) as a backdrop and a breathtaking overview of the loch. It was an inspired choice.
Kinross Show's stunning location offers a panoramic view of Loch Leven
When the sun shines, as it did this year, there are few places in Scotland that could rival this stunning rural show setting. For any of you who haven’t been to an agricultural show before, know this: the showing of sheep, cattle, ponies, goats and dogs is taken extremely seriously by those who participate. The exhibitors will have been up since the crack of dawn to make their final preparations before loading their budding animal beauty queens into lorries and horseboxes and making their way from far and near to the showground.
Having had experience of judging classes at local shows in a previous life, I know how precisely how nerve-wracking that particular task is. One thing is a given: there’s usually only going to be one happy person after each class, and that’s the owner of the animal who received the coveted first prize rosette. Everyone else will be muttering under their breaths what a fool the judge was for failing to appreciate the finer merits of their fabulous sheep, cow, goat or horse!
Unsurprisingly, now that I attend shows purely as a spectator rather than as an exhibitor or a judge, the whole occasion is vastly more relaxing. Instead of feverishly polishing ponies or weighing up the respective merits of entrants, I can take time to enjoy these couthy* rural gatherings which are as eclectic as they are entertaining. Here’s a quick photomontage compiled at this year’s show to give you a flavour… Hope to see you there next year!
A patient Highland pony enjoying a well-deserved rest...
A handful of Clydesdales!
Typical Shetland - who cares about rosettes, just show me the grass!
On our best behaviour - both ponies and riders!
Ryeland tup - just chillin' as he waits for the Sheep Inter-breed Championship
Meanwhile, along at the Kinross Hockey Club stand, a cake bake sale is in full swing to raise funds for the much-needed new AstroTurf pitch surface... The chocolate fudge slice was drea-my!!
The atmosphere was tense in the keepy-uppy contest...
Down in the WRI tent, there's plenty of flower power!
And the creative egg design competition looks a bit scary!
This goat's evidently an old hand at the showing malarkey :-)
Pink hair, eh? Well, that's one way of catching the judge's eye!
Which ferret did you put your money on?
After all that fresh air, fresh doughnuts - still warm! - are essential ;-)
And if - like Farmpa - you prefer horse power of a different variety, there's something for you, too :-)
Of course, one of the most important aspects of agricultural shows is the socialising - car boot picnics are all the rage!
* For any readers not familiar with this Scottish term, couthy (or couthie) means "warm and friendly".