Livestock breeders and horse enthusiasts are being urged to get their entries in for this year’s Royal Highland Show.
The event, which takes place at Ingliston near Edinburgh on June 23-26, is now open for entries of cattle, sheep, goats, heavy horses, light horses, private driving, harness grooming and decoration, heavy horse turnouts and fleece classes.
Entries for farriery, poultry, sheep shearing and show jumping will open on April 7, and details for entering all classes are online at www.royalhighlandshow.org.
Show organisers, the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS), say they are gearing up celebrate the 200th anniversary of the event and a range of special commemorative rosettes, prize cards, sashes and medals will be awarded this year.
This will include medals with gold finishing, instead of the usual bronze version awarded in previous years, and the return of an historic trophy – the McDiarmid Trophy will be presented to the overall winner from the beef section.
“This year will be the first time we have held a full show in three years, so we have no doubt competitors will be eager to fully experience the incomparable atmosphere of the Ingliston showground once again,” said RHASS competitions manager, David Tennant.
“The addition of new classes and the 200th anniversary celebrations only add to the excitement, and the whole team is very much looking forward to seeing the showground come to life again this June.”
New classes include two new sheep sections – one for Dutch Spotted and one for Valais Blacknose – as well as the addition of the Maxi Cob of the Year Championship and Mountain & Moorland Junior 122cm Working Hunter Pony of the Year classes in the equine section.
Judges at this year’s show include a number of well-known Scottish breeders.
These include Limousin breeders and regular show-goers Sarah Jane Jessop and Dougie McBeath, who farm near Bannockburn, Stirling.
The pair will be tasked with judging the overall young handler section – a new category introduced at the 2019 show to select the best young handler among all the different sections.
Glenlivet farmer Michael Durno, who keeps pedigree herds of Simmental, Charolais, Salers and Aberdeen-Angus cattle at Auchorachan Farm, will judge the beef breeder competition and junior beef interbreed championship.
In the sheep section the overall interbreed judge is former RHASS chairman and chief steward of sheep Clark Stewart, who breeds pedigree Border Leicester, Suffolk and Texel sheep near Cupar, Fife.