Learning the secrets from the masters at Netherton YDP workshop

We’ve all said it, including myself, “Oh I’m too busy” or “I’m too tired”. If anyone could have been forgiven for using those excuses it would have been the Netherton team. After spending three days at the National Show in Kelso, the last thing they surely wanted to do was host a YDP workshop. But such is the testament to the enthusiasm the McLaren Family have for the breed and the youth programme, they were all there with smiles on their faces and treated the youngsters to a fabulous day.

William McLaren Junior was last year’s Society President and was a driving force in pushing the Youth Development Programme forward. Both Senior and Junior were on hand to impart some of the wisdom that has made Netherton a household name over the years and their National Show victory the day before was a prime example of their success. Joining the team for the day were Ian Anderson, a veteran stockman with numerous success stories to his name and Stuart Thompson who has been through the YDP system attending the final and coming third in 2008.

As with all the workshops this year, we had numerous well behaved cattle to work with and I did think it was brave to let the youngsters loose on the show team, especially as they are out again this week. We started off splitting into smaller teams with the first group making halters with William Snr and Ian. I did find it very entertaining listening to all their stories from their many years in the showing world and think those kinds of things are priceless.

The other group went with William Jnr and Stuart to start work on the cattle. They washed their calves the good old fashioned way with lots of buckets of water and were shown how to use the blower and the pressure washer and then practised the quick release knot, I think that lesson helped some of the more mature attendees too. The groups swapped round and more halters were made and cattle washed. It never ceases to amaze me that after making a halter at least one person has to try it on themselves.

We stopped briefly for lunch and while we had a captive audience in the farmhouse kitchen, William Jnr gave a little talk on health. I say little, we had laughed beforehand that five minutes would be enough be I think he managed to make it last about 20! But Health is a complicated matter and all the facts do need to be covered. After lunch the weather wasn’t so kind to us. After spending a little time ‘persuading’ a little heifer to go in the clipping crate the heavens opened and we had to move inside, despite me saying ‘it’s only a passing shower!’

It was then Ian Anderson’s turn to do his stuff. We had asked Ian along as he is great at clipping cattle. There is such an art to it that I never tire of watching an expert clip and hopefully the participants will have seen the tremendous difference that it can make to an animal. The heifer Ian tackled had a lovely fluffy coat, so he was able to show the youngsters what to emphasis and what to hide and the heifer came out looking like velvet.

It was then the turn of the participants to have a go and again they were let loose on the show team and thankfully they all did a fine job. Having clipped the heads and tails it was time to do the show preparation seminar, now here’s where I learnt a few tricks. William ran through how he would turn out winter and summer coats and then everyone had a go. William really did let us in on some of his top secrets and that’s what these workshops are all about, you will need to enter the YDP for us to share them with you.

We finished the day with the ring craft seminar where everyone got to take something out and walk it around the yard. Funnily enough everyone always wants to take the Red heifer out and one young lady did such a good job that she has been asked to do it Grantown Show.

It was yet again another great workshop with huge thanks going to all the McLaren Family, Ian Anderson and Stuart Thompson.

As this is my second year in the job I am seeing some of the youngsters coming around for the second time. It is incredible how much they change in a year and how they grow in confidence and ability. To achieve their Certificate in Animal Care and Presentation they have to gain showing experience with an Angus breeder and it is always nice when you help them find someone for one show to see them at the end of the season still helping those people. But that’s what it’s all about and I think young and old gain something form the experience. Off to the North of England workshop this week where yet another member of the McLaren team will be on board.