Oiled pigs and fabric-fresh sheep - judges share show secrets

"The line between them all is so fine - you can't pick between them. It just comes down to the little things really," Amanda Burgess says.

All afternoon, Amanda has been walking up and down rows of smartly dressed children and equally well-groomed sheep.

Amanda has the difficult task of deciding who should win the Great Yorkshire's Show's Young Handler competition, for children aged between five and 16.

Participants are judged on their handling and presentation of their animal, as well as their knowledge of breed traits.

Some of the youngest competitors are far outsized by the animal they stand next to - although it doesn't seem to faze them.

"As they get older, questions get harder. But for little ones, if they can tell me the breed and their age, they're doing pretty well," Amanda laughs.

She still learns new facts from the children every time she judges, she says - including some of the unusual prep that goes into getting sheep looking their best.

Methods vary depending on the breed.

Valais Blacknose sheep for example, often crowned one of the cutest-looking breeds, has a thick, very white coat that boasts almost perm-like curls.

So how can competitors ensure they shine a little extra?

"They can't use a hose pipe because it damages the wool," Amanda explains.

"So they bathe them and use non-bio washing powder that we use to wash our clothes in."

Her favourite part of judging is anticipating what answers the children might give.

"I have children myself, so I know that it can be anything," she says.

"I did judge a couple of years ago and I asked a girl what she would do with their prize win if she won today.

"She told me she wanted to go and buy an ice cream and I just melted my heart straight away. I thought, that's my winner right there."

Standing in a barn and surrounded by huge, dozing cows, James Weightman is looking forward to a drink after clocking off judging duties for the day.

Only a short while earlier, he decreed that Blelack Princess Carina, an Aberdeen Angus cow, was Beef Supreme Champion - the "biggest job in his judging career", he says.

"At the end of the day, we're looking for a beef animal, an animal which carries plenty of growth and power and plenty of meat in the right places," he explains.

"You're never going to find a perfect animal, but you're looking for ones that catch your eye and tick as many boxes as they can, and away we go."

Temperament is a factor, but "you don't bring animals with bad tempers here," he says with a chuckle.

"Over the years, we have had a runaway cow that has come off the lorry, first time away from home, got all excited and taken a runner.

"Fortunately, the animals in front of me today have all been wonderful. Even the calves have just behaved themselves."

As an experienced pedigree cattle farmer himself, his advice when judging animals is to be "be confident" in your decision.

"It's no good being shy," he says.

"You're never going to please all the people all the time. Normally it's well-mannered.

"Occasionally, someone will say 'I prefer this group that you put third, I would have put it first'. And that's personal opinion at the end of the day."

Over by the livestock stalls, Trisha Horsley - member of the Pig Committee and "general dogsbody" she says with a smile - is celebrating a personal win.

Her daughter, showing her Berkshire pig, has just won the Pig of the Year competition, continuing a family legacy.

"I've been showing here all my life. My grandfather showed, my father showed. I grew up here, more or less," she explains.

Pigs parade around the ring with their owners using a traditional board and stick to guide - but occasionally, things go awry and a pig makes a bid for freedom.

"I did have one at a little local show and it ended up in the Women's Institute tent under all the tables," she laughs.

"Can you imagine if it had knocked tables over? But we got it out and it was fine."

To prepare a pig to show standard, you have to "wash them and wash them, and they get dirty and you wash them again", Trisha says.

"For black pigs, you oil them so they shine and and white ones you just keep scrubbing and hope for the best."

According to her, shows are important educational tools, not only for the experts but for the wider public to understand farming practices.

"A lot of people have just a few pigs and they will look after their pigs better than they'd look after themselves sometimes," she adds with a laugh.

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