The joy of Britain’s country shows

Wandering through the sheep pens at the Great Yorkshire Show, it’s clear that a sheep is not ‘just’ a sheep. The sheer array of livestock on display is a lesson in itself. Sheep with fluffy legs; sheep with four enormous horns. Pink sheep, white sheep, brown, black and piebald sheep. Dreadlocked sheep; sheep with huge donkey ears, and rams with huge, curled horns. Above their pens they proudly display their prizes: Breed Champion; Winning Lamb; Best Swaledale; Best Homebred. It’s remarkable calm in here; the odd bleat here and there, or a scuffle as someone objects to being puffed and preened before their next class. But for the most part the sheep are content to loll around, munching on their hay.

For the handlers; the breeders and the owners who dedicate their lives to their flocks, this show is one of the highlights of the year. And, with last year having been a write-off, the 2021 show season has higher stakes than ever.