Symon Howard's award-winning "Miss Canterbury" ewe hogget
was back in the show ring at the South Otago A and P Show
on Saturday. Photo by Helena de Reus.
When Waitahuna farmer Symon Howard won Miss Canterbury,
it was quite a coup.
Not that he was entered in a beauty pageant, rather his ewe
hogget won the Miss Canterbury title at the recent Canterbury
A and P Show in Christchurch.
The competition was for the first-placed ewe hogget across
all breeds and Mr Howard was "stoked" to win.
He believed it was possibly the first time a breeder from
outside Canterbury had won the award.
There were 17 entries in the Suffolk ewe hogget class, which
he won to qualify for Miss Canterbury, and he was also placed
second in the Suffolk class.
While his winning hogget had a "real good" eye muscle scan as
a lamb, he did not know if she was big enough to take the
prize. While not the biggest in the line-up, she was
obviously the best one there, he said.
Mr Howard took over his grandfather's Taronga Suffolk stud,
which he has since grown in size to about 120 stud ewes.
He liked the temperament of the breed and they also produced
"real good meaty fast-growing lambs". He enjoyed the stud
breeding aspect and seeing what could be achieved.
Mr Howard took seven sheep to the Canterbury A and P Show in
the fourth year he had exhibited there.
It was the pinnacle of shows for stud breeders and the place
to take livestock to see how they measured up against other
breeders.
The line-up of sheep was "pretty impressive" and the show was
also a "great spectacle".
He also won the best-scanning Suffolk ram hogget.
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