Over recent years, with no county event being held in Carmarthenshire, the extended farming community across West Wales greatly look forward to the third week of August to attend the three-day Pembrokeshire Show.

Most farmwork is set aside - the winter cereals have been harvested and the spring sown varieties are not yet ripe enough to harvest - so, with excited anticipation (not least amongst the scores of the primary school children all of whom will have received a one day pass) the family have a a rare opportunity to socialise and meet up with old friends -perhaps for the first time since last year’s show!

The success of many months of careful planning, meetings of various committees and the briefing of stewards lead up to the big event and high hopes of wall to wall sunshine and yet another record gate.

Sadly, nothing always goes according to the best laid plans and the absolute deluge from many inches of rain on the eve of the show was something that could not possibly have been anticipated.

Exhibitors braved the deluge to prepare their stands, livestock breeders got soaked as they unloaded their animals and all of the grassed areas of the showground soon became absolutely sodden.

The day dawned brightly but such were the adverse ground conditions that visitors had to be hastily diverted to alternative car parks on the far off runways and busses used to bring the disabled forward to the ticket booths.

Nonetheless an enjoyable day ensued with a pretty good attendance of locals and holidaymakers to the area. The same could be said for the second day where, despite a ‘not very good’ weather forecast the rain remarkably stayed away until almost 4 pm.

Of the show itself, several innovations were introduced and there are others in the pipeline, not fully appreciated by everyone, but time will tell. The usual host of special attractions had wide appeal amongst the young and there are plans to relocate the busy young farmers section.

Other special features from a farming angle was the seventh Welsh National Show of Simmental cattle and a demonstration of robotic milking which was viewed on Wednesday by Lesley Griffiths, AM, Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs.

A revised programme meant that some of the intended parades of horses and cattle in the main arena were cancelled as were a number of the top horse jumping classes.

At the time of going to press on Thursday, the crowds were again arriving in defiance of the powers that be who were suggesting that the weather would be ‘a mix of sunshine and showers.’

Early championship results:

HORSES

Welsh Pony (Cob type), Section C - P. and J. Denning; res - J. Williams.

Welsh Mountain Pony, Section A - S. Tibley; res - E. W. and D. Davies.

Welsh Pony, Section B - A. S. Davies; res - K. Williams.

Welsh breeds, shown in hand - P. and A. Jones.

Welsh part-bred - A. Voyce.

Palomino - L. Russell; res - R. F. Bowen.

Working Hunter Pony - R. F. Bowen; res - A. Voyce.

Arab, part bred - C. Mackness.

Pony Breeding - Newnham & Godden.

Show Hunter Pony - J. E. Turner; res - A. Charlesworth.

DAIRY CATTLE

Group of three - Ayrshire; res - Holstein.

Team of five - Jersey; res - Ayrshire.

Ayrshire - S. P. R. and I. Reed; res - P. G. and S. G. A. Williams.

Holstein, heifer - G. T. Lewis.

Jersey - G. Llewellyn and Co; res - J. Evans.

Dairy Shorthorn - A. and C. Batchelor.

Brown Swiss - M. and S. Williams.

BEEF CATTLE

Simmental - A. Davies; res - D. Jones.

SHEEP

Texel - C. Reed; res - G. Williams.

Lleyn - D. W. and C. F. Morris; res - D. and B. Vaughan.

Poll Dorset - D. Lewis.

Report and pictures

by Meyrick Brown