How could I have forgotten the sheep?

The Big E Fairgrounds are quite large, and there's often more than one activity going on during any given weekend. While we were there for the reining show for instance, there was also a dog show and a sheep show.

The brother of one of the young women with the Crystal Farm group was showing his sheep, and their mother was there to help him. Much to Kate's consternation (she's a teen... need I say more?), a bunch of us went over to say hello, and see what a sheep show was like.

I could not have imagined in my wildest dreams the reality that is a sheep show.

First of all, the sheer noise of it was overwhelming. I'm not sure how many sheep were there, but I'm pretty sure they all had something to say.

Some of them were wearing fly sheets.

Oh, and be careful where you walk. Maybe sheep aren't worse than horses in that respect, maybe there were just so many sheep in that confined space that it just seemed like there was not one bit of the floor that hadn't been peed on or pooped on... but holy mother of god, that was a lot of poop and pee.

Given that, it wasn't nearly as smelly as I might have expected... there was ventilation, the exhibition hall they were in had windows that could be opened.

Figuring out what they were being judged on was another puzzle. The people showing the sheep (they seemed to be mostly teens or young adults) held them, the judges walked around and chose some out of the lineup, there'd be more shifting around, the judge would choose some more... but what the criteria was, was a complete mystery to me. I asked Kate's mother afterwards, and she said it was mostly judged on grooming, and though some used professional groomers, her son did it himself, a fact of which she was quite proud.

There were a lot of what I can only call grooming stations scattered within the hall - about 3 1/2 feet long by about 2 1/2 feet wide, they were little platforms that once the sheep were attached to the tie-down on it, had a lift that brought them up to a comfortable level for the clipping/grooming to commence. There were a lot of sheep on those things, and they all seemed a bit affronted, and vocalized their displeasure.

An uoccupied grooming station to the left front.

These photos are just a tiny corner of the whole exhibition hall. I didn't even take any photos of the classes and the judging.

I think I lasted about ten minutes in there before the assault on all my senses was just too much. I have no idea how those people stayed there the whole day.