UK-Style Sheep Show

With traditional UK show classes, judges, breeds and style, you are well on your way to the whole experience

Register

Will the sheep be slick-sheared, haltered, and posed 4-H style?

Nope.

It is left up to the discretion of the shepherd, however, the NAHSS's stance is this:

some sprucing up is welcome, and most sheep will be shown in full fleece.

Pull 'em off the pastures, pick the burrs out, card ‘em up and take a little off here and there, and they’re ready to go!

or don’t!

Sheep coloring is fine as well.

Each breed will have its own standard for show dressage, but the judges have agreed on this:

they are looking for sheep with a reasonable amount of wool growth, so think May-shorn grown into September.

Neat, clean and tidy and as natural looking as possible.

For further clarification, research what your breed looks like in the UK showrings and go from there, that is what the judges are used to seeing.

This is a sheep show with commercial producers in mind!

Commercial shepherds do not need to be worried about halter training, slick shearing, or posing American 4-H style.

All sheep of a class will be put into a ring together, and the judge will get to work.

Sheep are shown loose, then when the best are picked for the top line up they are then held and slightly posed.

HERE is a great video of Herdwicks being shown in the UK!

Detailed Show Info

  • Breeds with their own classes are:

    North Country Cheviot

    Scottish Blackface

    Border Cheviot

    Black Welsh Mountain

    Herdwick

    Kerry Hills

    Mules and Halfbreds

    Bluefaced Leicester

    Border Leicester

    Any Other British Breed Category includes:

    Dorset (Horned and Polled)

    Lincoln Longwool

    Leicester Longwool

    Jacob

    Shetland

    Cotswold

    Shropshire

    Wensleydale

    Teeswater

    Hampshire Down

    Oxford

    Southdown

    Babydoll Southdown

    Romney

    Soay

    Wiltshire Horn

    Suffolk

    Texel *Not a UK breed but essential to the three tiered stratified breeding system

    ***All sheep from breeds with purebred registration should be registered.

    Exemptions will be made for UK breeds that are grading up, but even those sheep must be 80% or more pure.

  • All entries to be entered online via the Showman App:

    https://showman.app/shows#/the-north-american-hill-sheep-show-2d43

    If assistance is needed, don’t hesitate to call or email, we can register for you!

    All breeds will have the same classes:

    Ewe Lamb (2025 born only)

    Shearling (Yearling) Ewe (2024 born only)

    Aged Ewe- 2 years old or older

    Ram Lamb (2025 born only)

    Shearling Ram (Yearling) Ram (2024 born only)

    Aged Ram- 2 years old or older

    Reserve Best of Breed and Best of Breed Champion will be selected from all breeds of the six classes.

    All Best of Breed Champions compete for:

    Reserve Best of Show Champion

    Best of Show Champion

    New for 2025: Group of 3 class (2 females 1 male)

    The 1st places in the Group of 3 classes for each breed will go on to compete for Best Group of 3 Reserve Champion and Best Group of 3 Champion.

    There is also Youth Showmanship Classes!

    Ages 11-16 years

    Ages 10 & Under

    Age and breed of sheep does not matter for Youth, they will be judged on their attitude and handleability and may be asked questions by the judges.

  • Customize NAHSS rosettes as well as a number of vintage UK silver trophy cups for some Best of Breeds and the Best of Show. The trophy cups are revolving, like the UK, where you can win it, keep it for the year, and before the next year's show you will get your name engraved on it with 2026, and return it with the hopes to win it again!

  • Many hill sheep are wild, and the majority of the sheep that will be at the show are commercial ewes that live in their pastures with minimal handling.

    We are doing it in a traditional UK-style where the sheep come out of their pens and are put into the show ring with the other sheep in their class (so for example, your ram lamb will be walked into the show ring at the appropriate time with all of the other ram lambs of that breed), and the judge will take his shepherd's crook and keep them moving around in the ring to get a thorough look at them all. If your sheep is one that he points to, or selects in some way, you catch it and hold it in a line with the others that were selected and he will get a better look/feel and make a determination.

    This style of showing is different for everyone in the US, and the UK judges are doing a demonstration/explanation and Q&A the morning before the show starts to make sure that everyone is comfortable. The rings will not be too terribly large so as to not make it too difficult to catch sheep if need be, and we will also have catch gates to help corner. We don't want anyone to feel uncomfortable or "silly", all of us will look the same and the UK judges are completely used to it, many sheep in the UK are wild.

  • Each breed will have its own standard for show dressage, but the judges have agreed on this:

    they are looking for sheep with a reasonable amount of wool growth, so think May-shorn grown into September.

    Neat, clean and tidy and as natural looking as possible.

    For further clarification, research what your breed looks like in the UK showrings and go from there, that is what the judges are used to seeing.

    Real sheep, real shepherds, this is real life.

    Do what you feel is best for your breed and have fun, great judges know a good sheep when they see one, shorn or not.

    We understand that lab coats for exhibitors are now the "norm" in the UK, but they were not always, and we are instead going for more traditional, classy dress!

    For gentlemen, think button up shirt, slacks, cap and tie with vest if you so choose. Women? Possibly a skirt and blouse, blouse and slacks, or even a dress, it is completely up to the shepherd and comfort is key.

  • There is always risk when buying, selling, and showing stock, it is inevitable. The UK is proof that large amounts of animals can still be gathered together at shows, auction marts, and so on, and still be perfectly healthy.

    A vet is to check the stock over and give them transfer papers good for travel into the state of Michigan for 14 days. A vet will be on-site during the days of the show and will look for any sheep showing symptoms of contagious illness. They will not be sharing pens with sheep that are not from their farm, and the only time they will even come in contact with others will be very short lived in the ring.

    Everyone is more than welcome to put up light barriers in the pens (tarp, cardboard, etc.) so that they are not nose to nose.

    There is risk by showing at all- come at your own risk, and, most importantly, bring healthy sheep.

    The UK has standstill and isolation rules there: if you move stock on from a market or a show they have to be in isolation for 7 days and no stock can move back off a holding. Feel free to practice that following the show .

    The UK style of showing does not hold more risk than any other show, the only risk-less show is no show.

    Please know that we are taking every possible precaution that we possibly can to protect the sheep, and the UK style of showing is not an alien or outlandish way of showing- only to us Americans!

  • You will arrive at the Schoolcraft County Fairgrounds on Thursday, September 18th, for check in.

    Pens can accommodate 2 to 3 sheep per pen depending on size, with all sheep penned together from the same farm, with an empty pen between farms.

    We will check you in and make sure everything is correct and answer any questions.

    Your sheep will stay in the pens for the time of the show , with bedding being brought or purchased from the NAHSS during registration (if purchased, it will be there waiting for you). You will bring your own hay and water bucket, there is electricity and running water.

    The showring will be located outside without a roof, please plan accordingly for the weather.