SOUTH WEST REGION

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Regional Contact Member – Richard Fenwick

          2026 has brought us a very wet start to the year in the South West so lots of our lambs are still waiting for their first experience of grass. Lambing reports from around the region have thrown up a couple of surprises. New members recently started their Somerset Withy flock with three in-lamb ewes and you can imagine their surprise when one of their first lambing experiences presented them with quads, four ewe lambs.

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Perhaps an even bigger surprise presented itself to Josh Quant of the Redlands flock. A completely white lamb was born to a ewe that had been home bred for three or four generations and was by a ram with similar credentials, albeit from a different line. Theories abound on a South West WhatsApp group to explain this genetic anomaly – is it indicative of cross breeding in a distant generation or simply two recessive ‘white’ genes carried by both parents? Or even that all the rain had washed the black away. We look forward to an informed explanation.

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We are looking forward to the many shows in the South West with Jacob classes. Sadly, we may lose breed classes from some of these shows if we don’t keep up the numbers. We encourage members to support our agricultural shows to ensure that the farming and livestock sections continue to thrive. If you are new to showing there’s lots of information and support around.

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* Check out the show dates on the JSS website which helpfully has links to the show websites.

* If you have not shown before, start with lambs as you just need to halter train and wash them.

* Go to the JSS website and search ‘Showing’ for a helpful guide if you are new to this.

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Here are some of the early shows in the region:

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North Somerset        4 May – closing date for entries 4 April

Devon County        21-23 May – closing date for entries 20 March

Royal Bath and West    28-30 May – closing date for entries 16 April

Royal Cornwall        4-6 June – closing date for entries13 April

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If you have any questions or need help and support, get in contact and we’ll put you touch with a member who lives nearby. We’ll keep you informed about dates for regional meetings and a flock competition later in the year.

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SOUTH WEST REGION – Regional Contact Member – Richard Fenwick

Well, where is the year going? Lambing 2025 now seems a distant memory and our tupping and selling season is behind us as we start our preparations for winter 2025 and lambing 2026. Looking back over 2025, the south west members have had a tremendous show season. Within the region, we have 14 shows that hold Jacob classes which is a real bonus for us. Each show has been well attended by our members, and it’s been great to see such a high standard of Jacob sheep exhibited at each show. It has been a real pleasure to have some local judges to judge at our shows as well as few from away, all of whom have commented on the tremendous turn out and quality we’ve had on show. Championships have been spread out though our breeders. Since our last Journal, we’ve had a number of shows; Totnes Show saw Chris Fisher not only take championship with his aged ewe, but also reserve champion with his aged ram. From there it was on to Woolsery Show where we saw Steph Jasper take the championship with her aged ram, and Charlotte Slee taking reserve with her ewe lamb. Both these shows were blessed with lovely weather but it was a shame it wasn’t the same at the next show at Launceston. However the rain didn’t dampen the spirits and the championship went to Steph Jasper with her shearling ewe and reserve to Kayleigh Rennie with her aged ewe. Next up was North Devon show where Kayleigh Rennie took the championship with her aged ewe and Jessica Matravers, reserve with her ram.

Luckily the sun shone again at Honiton show where Josh Quant took the championship with his shearling ewe and Riley Marsh took the reserve with his ram lamb. Devon seemed to be a popular place as the next one was mid Devon show where we saw Jessica Matravers well within the rosettes taking the championship and reserve.

 

Back to Cornish sunshine after that, and the return of Camelford show saw Steph Jasper take the championship with her shearling ewe and Bethany Osborne taking reserve with her ram lamb. Okehampton Show saw a wonderful array of Jacobs, and congratulations went to Josh Quant on his championship, and also being part of the final selection in the interbreed with his shearling ewe, and Richard Fenwick taking reserve with his ram lamb. Kingsbridge show was second to last of the shows for the south west with Josh Quant taking the championship with his shearling ewe, and Chris Fisher taking reserve with his aged ewe. Our final show of the year was Dorset County Show, where Kayleigh Rennie’s aged ewe took the championship and Riley Marsh’s ram lamb took the reserve. A big success here too was Richard Fenwick winning the group of three class and going on to take reserve interbreed group in the Hill and Heath section.

It has been so encouraging to see the dedication of our breeders in the South West, turning out sheep to a very high standard in all weathers, and hearing the wonderful comments our judges have had to say about the sheep we have here in the south west.

A South West Diary

This edition’s diary takes us to South Devon to meet Josh Quant and his highly regarded Redlands Flock. Josh writes: “I started the Redlands flock in 2012 with the purchase of 8 in-lamb ewes. From there the flock has grown to 28, all homebred ewes. The flock is lambed indoors in January. I’ve bred the sheep to be as big and strong as possible in order to meet the prime lamb trade whilst still maintaining the breed characteristics. Any stock rams used have been used with the intention of introducing these specific qualities into the flock whether that be body condition, horns or markings. The lambs are creep fed from day one with the majority of the ram lambs finished and sent to Exeter prime market at around 45kg with a couple of the best kept back each year to be sold for breeding. The ewe lambs are either kept in the flock as replacements or sold as breeding ewe lambs. The teaser ram usually goes in 2 weeks before the rams however this year due to the heat and dry weather the teaser was put in for 4 weeks to give the ewes more time to start cycling before the ram goes in which I think it definitely helped this year. From the very start I have been very strict with culling out any sheep that have caused problems whether that be foot, lambing or worm problems or any other issues in order to create a sheep that is as hardy and as maintenance free as possible. It’s certainly paid off as we now have very little lameness or worm problems throughout the entire year.

I’ve shown them for a number of years and been lucky enough to pick up plenty of prizes with them at the local summer shows. This year our shearling ewe picked up breed champion at Honiton, Kingsbridge and Okehampton and was pulled forward in the final line-up for the interbreed at Okehampton which was certainly an added surprise. Going forward i hope to carry on improving the breed and taking it from strength to strength.”

On a personal note, my own flock has clearly benefitted from using Redlands Haribo for the last couple of years and I have replaced him this year with Redlands Jagger. I also borrowed Josh’s ideas about using a teaser ram and headed off to the vet with a halter trained shearling ram who was not needed for breeding. What followed wasn’t really anticipated!

SOUTH WEST REGION

Regional Contact Member – Richard Fenwick

We have had a busy start to the show season stretching across Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Dorset. The lack of rain in some parts of the region has created significant challenges. Some members are running short of grazing and the hay yield has been less than half from previous years in some areas. We look forward to the full show calendar that the rest of the year brings.

At the Royal Cornwall Show, Chris Fisher’s ewe was champion and Chris Slee’s shearling ewe reserve. The judge was Kay Carpenter.

Young member, Riley Marsh, is this issue of the Journal’s South West “Meet the Member.” He started his Marsh flock in 2019 when he was given two Jacob lambs for his birthday. He currently has 10 ewes, mainly two-horners, and breeds his own replacements. His first ram was Dalewode Warrior, followed by Dunmor Adam Ant and Hope Alladin, and he currently is using Celtic Ozzy. Riley says what he likes most about keeping Jacob sheep is that they have their own personalities, are good mothers, and they make good crossing ewes too. He likes Jacobs with wide shoulders and frames, wide dark horns and a good white blaze with a “look at me” presence. Riley says his greatest achievement was winning the 4 – 7 years Young Handler class at the Bath & West Show in 2019 with a home-bred ewe lamb.

 

Riley showing one of his lambs

At Devon County Show under judge, Gareth Jones, Chris Fisher’s ewe and ram were champion and reserve

At Liskeard Show Steph Jasper’s ewe was champion, and Bethany |Osborne’s ewe lamb was reserve. Josh Quant judged.

SOUTH WEST REGION

Regional Contact Member – Richard Fenwick

What a great time of year. All the anticipation and hopes for the year, as well as a few disappointments, come to fruition as our flock present Class of ‘25.

A ewe and lambs at Chris Slee’s Halsbury flock in Devon

A new section is being introduced to the South West report in the Journal – “A South West Diary,” giving us an insight into the workings of a cross section of our south west members. This edition’s inaugural contribution comes from Steph Jasper (previously Cornelius) and her Treven flock. Do get in touch if you would like to share a few words about your experiences, interests or general ovine musings.

As a result of a few conversations within the region, I thought it would be interesting to collate some lamb gender numbers from a few flocks, highlighting the enormous variation. There appears to be no seasonal pattern and huge variation, but it does leave one wondering what factors could result in the very thought provoking 107:11 ratio.

Ram lambs	Ewe lambs
107	11
7	14
24	10
5	12
13	13
31	16

Lambing at Chris Fisher’s Sparnham flock

A number of members have started shearing their better sheep ready for the South West shows. Please keep supporting the shows, especially those still with Jacob classes. It’s the only way we will keep these classes open. If you haven’t taken sheep to a show before, it’s a very enjoyable, social occasion and if you are unsure about the preparation and process please get in touch. There are lots of members who would be very happy to give you advice.

A South West Diary

by Steph Jasper

Here at the Treven flock, we cut back on stock numbers a while back – which meant early lambing for us in 2025 consisted of a smaller number than usual.  We’ve successfully used CIDRs for a number of years and this year proved no different – our ewes all lambed within a week and with great outcomes. Mainly doubles, two singles, one triplet and one quad. With a 60/40 spilt of ewe lambs and ram lambs. As I’m sure you’d all agree, one of the best qualities a Jacob holds is their natural ability to ‘”just get on with it” –  again, proven with us here when all but one lambed by themselves with no intervention needed.

Young handlers at Steph Jasper’s Treven flock in Cornwall

I’ve always loved how Jacob lambs get up on their feet quickly, and ewes are always attentive, maternal, and milky, a quality that I feel is sometimes lacking in other breeds. With our first batch lambed and attended to, it will soon be time to turn our attention to our next batch, all of which are pure Jacob ewes crossed with a Dutch spotted ram. For us, in the last 2 or 3 years, this has proven a successful cross. We like the Jacob ewe – milky, motherly and easy to keep, crossed with a Dutch spotted ram that’s meaty and stocky. The lambs that they’ve produced have proven to be just so –

Jacob looks (that people still find attractive) and a meaty carcass, resulting in a better finishing lamb and as a bonus they come back with no horns – which proves perfect for our children who are very keen on showing, but not so keen on the horns resulting in the perfect young handlers sheep.

As always, we’ve enjoyed our lambing so far, and now look forward to the next batch of cross lambs and then very soon we’ll be looking back to the pure batch to make a selection for the upcoming shows. Devon County, in the middle of May, isn’t as far away as it once seemed. Happy lambing one and all.

Lambs at the Treven flock in Cornwall

 

SOUTH WEST REGION

Regional Contact Member – Richard Fenwick

Julia Staughton with her prize winning ram lamb at Okehampton Show

It has been a quiet couple of months in the South West with members focussed on selecting rams for tupping and making sure their ewes are in the best condition they can be as well as selecting lambs to rake through a potential show sheep for next year.

On a personal note, we have relocated with our Camel Valley flock from Cornwall to Somerset, swapping a sheltered site with quick draining alluvial soil on the banks of the River Camel for a windy hillside with poor draining clay and a very different selection of grasses. It is already interesting to note the very different challenges and management strategies that come with a different environment. It makes one realise that although members have much in common, they all have to develop their own strategies for managing their sheep on the land they have.

Kerry Gaden’s champion and reserve champion sheep at Okehampton Show

In the South West, members use a variety of strategies to determine when their ewes will lamb in the spring. There have been quite a few informal discussions about the advantages and disadvantages of different strategies whether it involves sponging, using CIDRs or just letting nature take its course. We have opted for the latter approach but have found lambing to be very spread out, leading to problems with pre-lambing feeding, weaning and managing Heptavac injections.

Kayleigh Rennie’s champion shearling ewe and Riley Marsh’s reserve champion ewe lamb at Dorset County Show with the judge, Simon Jones

We are keen to avoid hormone based intervention and are keen to lamb at a time when spring grass is beginning to grow, but wanted to achieve a much reduced lambing season. Taking advice from other South West members, we have managed to greatly tighten up our tupping window which will reap benefits in the spring. As well as making sure our ram was in good condition, we employed two new approaches. The ewes had access to a Denis Brinicombe Super Tup Tubby and they were put onto fresh pasture about three weeks before being joined by the ram. It was with considerable satisfaction that nearly all the ewes were sporting distinctive raddle marks within a 7-day window. Hopefully lambing will be more straightforward next year and interrupted nights will be kept to a minimum.

South West members are keen to get together pre-Christmas and a suitable date will be circulated in due course.

At Woolsery Show Chris Slee’s ram was champion with Steph Jasper’s shearling ewe reserve

SOUTH WEST REGION

Regional Contact Member – Richard Fenwick

Success at the English National

The South West was well represented at this year’s inaugural English National Show at The Royal Three Counties Show. Chris Fisher and Chris Slee made their way north and were both pleased to be well placed in a number of classes. Particular congratulations go to the Sparnham flock which was placed first in the classes for aged Ram, aged ewe, pair of sheep bred by the exhibitor, female champion and best English exhibit with their home bred aged ewe winning the reserve breed champion. Hopefully their success will be an encouragement to others to make the journey north to enter next year.

Aged Rams dominate County Shows

Strong entries from across the region ensured that both county shows were a celebration of the breed. Well done to breed champions, Halsbury Sanpellegrino at Devon County Show and Duxmore Ace at The Royal Cornwall Show from the Halsbury and Kezmor flocks respectively.

Kerry Gaden with her champion ram at the Royal Cornwall Show with judge, Mark Wakelin

South West Open Day

Members gathered at Treven Farm near Launceston, kindly hosted by Steve and Clair Cornelius and coordinated by Steph Jasper. We were very pleased to welcome to the meeting, Janet East, our new chair, as well as Clive Richardson, National Field Officer, who had travelled down from the Lake District to join us.

Chairman, Janet East, and Clive Richardson, National Field Officer, at the open day in Launceston, Cornwall

Chris Slee’s champion ram and Chris Fisher’s reserve champion ewe at Devon County show with the judge, Lyndon Trumper

Philip Warren speaking to members at the open day

Local butcher, Philip Warren, who has a countrywide reputation and supplies many of the top restaurants in London, gave us much to think about with a very informative and stimulating talk about trends in meat markets at a national level. He told us that we have the ideal breed to supply one of the few growing markets for lamb in the country, pointing out that slow growing, lean meat is much sought after among the Muslim communities, encouraging us, as a breed society, to work together to establish a reputation and a supply chain into this market.

Philip Warren brought his sculpture of a Jacob ram’s head to the open day

The younger attendees enjoyed an informative and practical workshop, being introduced to preparing a sheep for the show ring and the basics of handling.

Clive ran a very informative judges’ workshop which all attendees were welcome to attend. He gave us a very comprehensive overview of the finer points of judging, particularly focusing on how to rate the inevitable imperfections that we will always find in our sheep. Certainly lots to think about as we select our own show teams.

Thank you to PRJ Engineering for bringing along a good selection of Ifor Williams trailers for us to look at and for all the work, particularly by the Steve and Clair, for the amazing selection of food, which had a very local theme.

2026 National AGM coming to the South West

The region looks forward to hosting the AGM in 2026. Planning is already underway to organise flock visits and other activities in the Exeter area.

James Leonard’s champion ram at the Royal Bath & West Show

SOUTH WEST REGION

Regional Contact Member – Richard Fenwick

Success at the English National

The South West was well represented at this year’s inaugural English National Show at The Royal Three Counties Show. Chris Fisher and Chris Slee made their way north and were both pleased to be well placed in a number of classes. Particular congratulations go to the Sparnham flock which was placed first in the classes for aged Ram, aged ewe, pair of sheep bred by the exhibitor, female champion and best English exhibit with their home bred aged ewe winning the reserve breed champion. Hopefully their success will be an encouragement to others to make the journey north to enter next year.

Aged Rams dominate County Shows

Strong entries from across the region ensured that both county shows were a celebration of the breed. Well done to breed champions, Halsbury Sanpellegrino at Devon County Show and Duxmore Ace at The Royal Cornwall Show from the Halsbury and Kezmor flocks respectively.

Kerry Gaden with her champion ram at the Royal Cornwall Show with judge, Mark Wakelin

South West Open Day

Members gathered at Treven Farm near Launceston, kindly hosted by Steve and Clair Cornelius and coordinated by Steph Jasper. We were very pleased to welcome to the meeting, Janet East, our new chair, as well as Clive Richardson, National Field Officer, who had travelled down from the Lake District to join us.

Chairman, Janet East, and Clive Richardson, National Field Officer, at the open day in Launceston, Cornwall

Chris Slee’s champion ram and Chris Fisher’s reserve champion ewe at Devon County show with the judge, Lyndon Trumper

Philip Warren speaking to members at the open day

Local butcher, Philip Warren, who has a countrywide reputation and supplies many of the top restaurants in London, gave us much to think about with a very informative and stimulating talk about trends in meat markets at a national level. He told us that we have the ideal breed to supply one of the few growing markets for lamb in the country, pointing out that slow growing, lean meat is much sought after among the Muslim communities, encouraging us, as a breed society, to work together to establish a reputation and a supply chain into this market.

Philip Warren brought his sculpture of a Jacob ram’s head to the open day

The younger attendees enjoyed an informative and practical workshop, being introduced to preparing a sheep for the show ring and the basics of handling.

Clive ran a very informative judges’ workshop which all attendees were welcome to attend. He gave us a very comprehensive overview of the finer points of judging, particularly focusing on how to rate the inevitable imperfections that we will always find in our sheep. Certainly lots to think about as we select our own show teams.

Thank you to PRJ Engineering for bringing along a good selection of Ifor Williams trailers for us to look at and for all the work, particularly by the Steve and Clair, for the amazing selection of food, which had a very local theme.

2026 National AGM coming to the South West

The region looks forward to hosting the AGM in 2026. Planning is already underway to organise flock visits and other activities in the Exeter area.

James Leonard’s champion ram at the Royal Bath & West Show

Percy Clatworthy’s reserve champion ewe at the Royal Bath & West Show

Percy Clatworthy’s reserve champion ewe at the Royal Bath & West Show