THERE was a great cross section of Poll Dorset studs on hand for the Unigrain British and Australasian Sheep Breeds show at Wagin Woolorama, with the breed being the second largest penning in the shed.
While there were 70 entries from seven individual studs that competed across the classes and championships, it was one stud that scooped the grand champion Poll Dorset, all of the champion and reserve champion ribbons and all the groups classes including the pair of ewes.
The Squiers family's Shirlee Downs Poll Dorset stud, Quairading, is always a strong competitor that consistently participates in the Wagin Woolorama British and Australasian Sheep Breeds show and many others in the State and nationally, so it was well deserved to win all the broad ribbons and group classes for the section this year.
Given the task of presiding over the Poll Dorset competition was Ian Kyle, Ashley Park Poll Dorset, White Suffolk and Southdown studs, Bairnsdale, Victoria.
Mr Kyle is a seasoned judge with ample experience assessing the Poll Dorset and other breeds in shows around Australia and he was extremely impressed with the selection of WA breeding on show at Wagin.
"The quality of the Poll Dorsets in WA is just outstanding," Mr Kyle said.
"They really are good sheep allround, but lucky for the Shirlee Downs stud, they just stood out on the day."
The grand champion Poll Dorset was the champion ram that Mr Kyle had at first seen among a class with 12 entries from six studs.
When selecting the ram as champion first, he said it was a really complete sire.
"He is the ram that was more complete on the day," Mr Kyle said.
"He is very easy to work with, he has plenty of meat in all the right places and he is the type of ram that is actually going to go out and breed new rams and good quality rams.
"It is great to find a ram like this that is going to grow the breed and the industry."
Choosing the ram over the champion ewe was not a simple task.
"It was not an easy decision," he said.
"There were two animals out here that showed all the attributes that are required for the prime lamb industry.
"The ewe has plenty of scale and stretch and was beautiful through the back end.
"The ram to me looks like he is only going to get better and better.
"I really guarantee that he is a ram that will produce something great down the track, he has beautiful bone, parades himself really well and is certainly a standout."
The judges eye for the evenness of quality between the two rams that were judged to be the best was made very clear when Shirlee Downs stud co-principal, Sascha Squiers, said the grand champion Poll Dorset (ram) and the reserve champion ram were both by the same sire Shirlee Downs 135/19.
The Shirlee Downs 135/19 was the top-priced ram at the stud's 2020 ram sale when it sold to the Orrvale stud, Kojonup.
Mr Squiers said they really liked the sire of the champion rams, but unfortunately the sire was not taken to any shows due to COVID-19 in 2020, but from today's results it would seem the sire may well have been a grand champion, had he been given the chance.
The Squiers clean run in the groups was also easily explained by this as the groups had to be selected from the previous classes and obviously included the champions among them.
Tamara Hooper
Journalist with Farm Weekly newspaper WA.
Journalist with Farm Weekly newspaper WA.
