Exmoor Blondes

🏆Devon County Show 2024🏆

The Blondes stayed at home and let the Native boys have the spotlight this year:

Rosella Royal Ucal Z007 (For Sale)
🏆 1st 2023 Bull Class
🏆 Male Champion
🏆 Interbreed Reserve Junior Male Champion

Ucal then teamed up with Foxhill Caroline to represent the Angus’ in the Interbreed Pairs where they were shortlisted - well done to the Limousins & Highlands, Champion and Reserve.

George Vellacott’s Devon Bull:
Ashway William (For Sale)

🏆2nd 2022 Bull Class

We’re incredibly proud of how these boys behaved all week, and they’re now enjoying a well earned rest in the field.

Thank you to our sponsors, everyone who lent a hand while Abs hasn’t been well and to Devon County Show who, yet again, put on a wonderful show and with wonderful entries - long may they increase!

(See second post to see the happy boys!!)

South West of England Aberdeen Angus Club Aberdeen-Angus Cattle Society Devon Cattle Breeders' Society Devon County Show Mount Vets Farm Practice Chipmunk South West Ltd Dunn Bros SW Ltd Beth Ward William Awan Rob Burrington Hill Becky Hurd

Very chuffed with our first homebred Angus at his debut show!

• 1st Angus Bull January 1st - 28th February 2023
• Angus Breed Champion
• Native Champion
• Reserve Interbreed Champion

FOR SALE
⭐️ Rosella Royal Ucal ⭐️
Dam: Westwilmer Royal Lady V730
Sire: Linton Gilbertines Powerhouse T169

Thank you GTH - Agriculture & Sedgemoor Auction Centre - Greenslade Taylor Hunt & all Sponsors!
Aberdeen-Angus Cattle Society
South West of England Aberdeen Angus Club Dom Westcott

Happy Mother’s Day.. all different species included 🐮 ❤️

Happy Birthday to the boss! Thank you for everything you moo for us all! 🥳❣️🐮

Welcome to the herd..

✨EXMOOR UVATERA✨

Meaning - God Help Us!

Dam: Exmoor Penda Pp (Rupari Joiner)
Sire: Baltra Iceman

It normally takes a long time to name our calves as they have to meet the following criteria:
• Society letter for the year: 2023: U
• Follow the dam’s line: This follows from our foundation cow Joyful
• Our theme: Latin/Greek/Aboriginal/Maouri/ foreign names
. most importantly, we have to agree on the name! Luckily this was an easy decision for us as Joyful had real character and it’s safe to say that Uvatera is FULL of mischief and character!!

Slow progress is the reality..
After the footings were poured and luckily set, it rained…so much that it filled in the site.
Step 1
Pump it all out.
Step 2 shovel the debris out.
Finally the first corner blocks were laid!
Que the rain and repeat steps 1&2 again.
Eventually we got the blocks laid all the way around. Now just a couple lintels to go and one more block layer will see us at DPC allowing us to pour concrete into the cavity. A landmark when we get there!

Another day another new arrival 🥰 Exmoor Rhiniphina gave us a beautiful polled bull calf sired by Exmoor Polynices Pp (semen available)

We decided to give Rhini a hand as she wasn’t progressing as well as we hoped. Everything was presented right but he felt a little heavy which is probably why she couldn’t raise him from the bed. We attached the ropes and gave a pull. Once his head came out the rest of him followed with no trouble!

48kg which is big enough for a heifers calf and a 291 day gestation meant she cooked him a little longer than necessary!

The importance of being around when they calve! I left the shed as she was just starting, getting distracted by me and the second bag hadn’t dropped yet.
10 minutes later she started pushing. As you can see, toes were still in the bag. I was eagerly watching as the nose started to appear, it was then clear that the bag wasn’t going to split so I started running up to the shed. Snow slowed me down a bit and a steady walk across the pen so as not to startle Squidge sees me get there just in time to rip the thicker than usual bag.
You’ll notice that she knows something isn’t right!

Thankfully the lively bull calf was okay but had been pretty close to drowning in the fluid that was still inside the unbroken bag.

Adding cameras to the sheds has proved beneficial to both us and the cattle. They can be closely monitored without disturbing them and if something happens in the night you can watch through the recordings to see what happened!
🇬🇧 Mount Vets Farm Practice

Think I need to add a new Bobble hat to the Christmas wish list ! Our newest arrival needed it more than me!

Thank you Cornwall Pedigree Beef Calf Show for holding such a brilliant calf show!! Exmoor Tallulah ET stood 1st and Champion in the Blondes followed by Exmoor Tenille Pp in 2nd and Polgreen Tequila from P Kingdon and sons in 3rd. It all got a bit much for Tallulah in the interbreed and after a very short excursion at the back of the ring we retired disgracefully but Safely! You’ve got to remember that showing isn’t every cows cup of tea nor can it always go to plan!

Did you spot Exmoor Nephele on FarmingUK today?

When you turn on front camera and discover you’re being watched 👀 🐮

📸 Robyn Westcott

Clover hunting with the best bull!

A lovely report featuring our Supreme and Yearling Interbreed Champion, Samara (Pp).

Joint winners top beef judging at North Devon Show A small but quality entry of cattle and sheep battled it out for the top honours at Umberleigh Barton Farm last week

North Devon Show

I haven’t quite found the words yet but we are absolutely over the moon with Exmoor Samara (Pp)

Samara wasn’t happy at just winning her breed section and pushing her big sister Exmoor Ripple Effect Pp into Reserve Champion.
She instead strutted her stuff and went on to win
🏆 Overall Junior Interbreed!!🏆

If you thought that that would be enough for the little end of May born heifer you’d be wrong..

🏆JOINT Supreme Interbreed Champion with Poole Limousins (Tom Hilsdon) was where she left it! 🏆

We are lost for words with how well this homebred polled heifer is doing!
Thank you for everyone’s support and comments. Exmoor Blondes may only be a small herd but we are proving that you can still be mighty and that every victory means so much!
British BlondesGalloway & MacLeod LtdCHD Cattle Foot CareMount Vets Farm PracticeSashes By Kate & Kate's Keepsakes Cornish Mutual The Prince's Countryside FundBeansy Payne Robyn WestcottEdward DownAbbie WestcottApril Westcott

💥We took Two Heifers and came away with Two Separate Reserve Interbreed Titles! 💥🏆🍾🎉💥 Mid Devon Show

Exmoor Ripple Effect (Pp) stood Champion in the Any Other Continental section against some great company!

Exmoor Samara (Pp) went forward to represent the Blondes in the Junior Interbreed. Even though she was giving away a lot of time, being 24th of May born, she powered her way to stand
💥Reserve Overall Junior Champion 💥 to Killerton Limousin’s 1/02/21 born Bull Killerton Soliver! We were ecstatic to say the least!

It was now Ripple Effects (Pp) chance to shine! And shine she did! Standing 💥Reserve Continental Interbreed💥 to the Limousin bull! The final stage came for the Supreme Interbreed and the quality of cattle were giving our judge Mr Clive Roads a hard time. He tapped Patrick Greeds Limousin bull Supreme but his reserve was not an easy choice! After walking Ripple Effect and her competition back and forth, explaining to the public how hard a decision it was he finally picked a reserve and tapped out Mr&Mrs M&D Cowells Devon heifer Eastyard Camellia!
We were gutted to have just missed out but we’re over the moon to have achieved what we did!
Massive congratulations to everyone competing as the quality of cattle were exceptional as always!

We know we brought the best heifers home especially after they behaved so perfectly in the Grand Parade with their little leaders! 🥰
Mount Vets Farm Practice
Galloway & MacLeod Ltd
CHD Cattle Foot Care
Sashes By Kate & Kate's Keepsakes
Sophie Baxter
British Blondes

Exciting adventures ahead for Radda!! 🥰 We wish his new owners all the luck in the world and can’t wait to see what he can do for them! 🍀

Finally getting to our Devon County Show post!
We took our first show team of polled blondes out and they didn’t disappoint!

Exmoor Rhadamanthus (Pp) (ET) won his bull class and then went on to take the Male Championship for the second Show running!

Exmoor Samara (Pp) won the junior heifer class!

Exmoor Ripple Effect (Pp) who is due to calve at the end of the year, won her senior heifer class. She then, in a very close championship, went on to stand Reserve Female Champion and Reserve Breed Champion behind Doncombe Madhu.

Saturday saw the Interbreed classes, and although we weren’t the judges cup of tea we were pulled onto the front line with both of our heifers! The quality of cattle was brilliant and congratulations to everyone who exhibited! It was so great to be back! Thank you to everyone and their wonderful comments towards our cattle!
Below are some pictures taken by the very talented William Awan and Chris Adamson. Galloway & MacLeod Ltd CHD Cattle Foot Care Mount Vets Farm Practice Moocall Sashes By Kate & Kate's Keepsakes British Blondes

Last night we held our first showmanship workshop and bbq since Covid-19 kicked off! This time it was for the local Young Farmers Club! Luckily it had cooled down enough for them to hone in their skills ahead of the summer shows and SWA Competitions!
Best of luck to everyone that came, we look forward to seeing you in the ring!

Keep your eyes peeled for our next workshop! Everyone is welcome regardless of experience!

Brilliant to be back showing at The Royal Bath and West Showground with Exmoor Rhadamanthus our home bred polled bull.

⭐️Champion Male
⭐️Reserve Breed Champion

Really pleased with how well he’s behaved on his very first outing!
Thank you to Robyn Westcott for making Raddas beautiful bed!

Massive congratulations to Doncombe Blondes on Gaining Breed champion with Madhu and Shilpa
Mount Vets Farm Practice
CHD Cattle Foot Care
Moocall
Bath & West Shows

We’re in and settled at The Royal Bath and West Showground! Pop by and say hello!

Our foundation cow showing you what you can breed if you use Exmoor Polynices Pp. This is one of our polled heifer calves Exmoor Tinopai who is sired by our homebred polled blonde bull Polynices Pp. Jolly is the first British bred polled blonde to become available through Artificial Insemination.
We think she’s a cracker at 7 weeks old and certainly can’t wait to see how she grows!