Day 1 Royal Welsh Show

The Royal Welsh Show marks a very special place in the Welsh

agricultural, horticultural and social calendar. Some 8,000 animals

and over 200,000 human visitors transform this rural mid Wales town

into this, one of the most spectacular occasions of the year.

Welcome to the 2011 Royal Welsh Show, now in its 107th year. We'll

bring you the very best of the week's events, from the electric

atmosphere of the Main Ring, to the quiet elegance of the Horticultural

Marquee. I'll be taking up my favourite

position alongside the Cattle Ring, but we'll also be exploring the

whole Showground, meeting with old friends and familiar faces as well

as some of the bright young stars of the future.

The showmen and women of the Royal Welsh always make exhibiting an

animal look easy. This year I've got the privilege - the rather

terrifying privilege - of stepping into the ring to show an animal for

the very first time. I think I'm going to discover that it's not as

easy as it looks. On Monday morning, it's the Beef

Breeds that start the proceedings in the Cattle Ring. With 15

Pedigree breeds on display, all bathed and buffed, it's a terrific

sight. The Battle of the Beef is friendly, but fiercely competitive.

One breed drawing global attention here this year is the British Blues,

once known as the Belgian Blues. Rhys Millichap from Tonyrefail is

showing his own British Blue cattle here for the very first time and is

This is a really impressive display. Party nerves this morning? Very bad.

I was up at 5am this morning. a lot of work. Yes, it is a lot of

work. It is not just today, it is months before. Tell me what you are

brought to the show this year. have brought a four-year-old cow or.

She has got a good track record. You what 23. I had been told that

you are one to watch for the future. How did you get started in all

this? I started off about eight years ago. I bought my first car

with my birthday money when I was 16. They were something different.

There was not a market for the pride -- the pedigrees in South

Wales. I thought it was the best times -- best time to start. I hope

you can control the nerves and good luck. He is in the Main Ring. I had

bumped into his parents, Catherine and David. How is he getting on?

is early days. It is a very strong class. The it is a strong turnout

this year. Yes. The judges are casting their eyes over them again.

He was quite nervous beforehand. Do you get nervous on his behalf?

I do. We are wishing him the best and supporting him the best we can.

This is his world. He sleet -- he wakes up, talking about cattle.

an exceptionally strong class, the four-year-old cow came second in

her class. Congratulations. You must be really

pleased. There was a lot of moving around. Yes, she was moved back.

But I am very pleased. She did you proud. Yes.

The Royal Welsh is the largest display of sheep breeds in the

world. There are people in this ring who have been doing it for

decades. So there's not much about sheep they don't know. Me, I'm more

used to slithery snakes than woolly ruminants - but later on today I'm

going to be competing with the best of them, thanks to a family from

west Wales who trust me to look as if I know what I'm doing.

It is back-to-school for me today. How long have you been showing

sheep? Six or seven years. How many this year? Third T2. I am keen to

get on Today. What is the first task of the day? Finish the cup of

tea and out to the shed. Goodness me. Do not tell me I have to do

this. Therefore, that ammendment falls., you do not have to do this.

Is this the sheep I am going to be showing. Is he over there? It is

that one over there. Hello! You do not look as if you will be half as

much trouble. Am I wrong? Yes! he a bit of a handful? Yes, I am

afraid so. This is so much harder than it looks. Can you imagine if I

had a bigger sheep. It is so strong. The sheep is doing OK but he has a

long way to go! Girls, the Show is in full-swing and I'm really

getting quite nervous now. you'll be fine. We've got to get

you ready and looking the part. One thing we didn't mention, you're

actually showing one of our best Balwen sheep. So I'm letting you

down if I don't do it justice? Pressure's on. And whilst I learn

the tricks of the trade with these sheep experts, throughout the week

we'll be divulging some of the trade secrets of the exhibitors in

other sections. Find out how to make a cow

perfectly fluffy later on in the programme!

Birds of a feather certainly flock together in the Royal Welsh Fur and

Feather Pavilion on Monday morning. Some 850 poultry and 240 pigeons

have come from every corner of Wales and beyond, ready to be

judged. One who hasn't travelled too far is Gethin Lewis from

Rhayader. It is just as well that you have not far to come. How many

have you got? About 30 in total. What is that one? What time do you

have to get here? I usually have to get here quite early, around 7am.

The time soon flies! How long have you been doing this? Since I was

about seven. What do you enjoy about it so much? I enjoy the

experience of winning competitions and prizes. It is such a lot of

hard work. I would think that you have some help. Yes, I have some

help from my aunt and my friends. Your mother does not like birds

very much. It is a struggle to get her anywhere near them. This is

your mother. It is nice to meet you. What is it about the birds that you

do not like very much? I do not like the feel of the feathers. I

really do struggle. I really have to psych myself up to come in here.

When they are flapping in each cages, I do not like that at all!

If he needs any help, I will put the gloves on and probably just

hold one of them to help him. But we have always supported him in his

hobby and his interest. You will be glad to know that the judging is

just about to get started. That means that we can go! Best of luck!

No exhibitors are allowed in the Pavilion whilst the judging happens

but our cameras have had special permission to see behind the scenes.

Each bird is examined individually. And after much deliberation and

scrutiny, the prizes are awarded, but the competitors won't know the

results until those doors are re- opened.

It is so awful. Where are we going next? Look! That is fantastic.

have three firsts, two seconds and a third. You must be thrilled.

I am. A has that inspired you even more for next year? Yes, I will be

back next year. Fantastic. Very well done. Congratulations.

You want to look at the head. Plenty of soap! To get them clean,

we need to get them really white. We used white soap and rub on.

is night -- nice and white. We like to have the white cattle looking

white. Still to come on tonight's programme, the coloured horses make

a pretty patchwork in the Horse Ring. And in the Horticultural Tent,

things are blooming. 3000 horses are competing at the

Show this year. Whilst the Welsh horses and ponies captivate

spectators around the Main Ring, there are some other hotly

contested classes in the Horse Ring. One mother and daughter team hoping

to take home a coveted red rosette is Jane and Imogen Purcell White.

They've come all the way from Sussex with their Coloured Pony,

Amakane Painted Lady, better known at home as 'Pippa'. The first time

I came to the Royal Welsh Show was last year. It was better than me

could have ever expected. We had such a fantastic time. We would not

miss it now. It is a brilliant show. Imogen is my daughter. She is 15

years old. She has done this pony on alone. She has been doing it

through rain, hail and snow. She has an incredible Trust with the

pony. The pony came over last year from Ireland. It is a three-year-

old. It came over really green, Rhyd snorting. It is a different

pony now. Imogen has created a really special pony. She does

everything for me. I really love her. She jumps, she can do showing.

She is just a fantastic pony. She How are you feeling? Ready to go?

Yes, she has settled down now. icy you are lunching her. You are

setting off some steam? She is very in experienced, so we have got to

take that into account. COMMENTATOR: We are starting off

with the ponies. So, here we are, 8 o'clock in the morning, and there

is nothing else to do that offer moral support! The yes, just hope

and pray! The pony is going quietly. It is just a case of keeping out of

the way of the other horses. One horse is screaming, so we do want

to get near that one. It is only her 5th show. And that is a very

big show. There is lots going on. Why do you like coloured horses so

much? I had a fantastic cupboard pony when I was a child. I did

everything with her. She was very rare in New Zealand in those days,

where I grew up. She took me to go top. It was a love-affair with

coloured horses. Imogen has moved up to 5th. We are

thrilled to bits. Big show, begat Whilst the competitions and

displays make this Show a spectacle, it's the people who make it great.

There are certain faces that have become part of the fabric of the

show. One of those is Patrick Tantrum, Chief Steward in the

Cattle Ring. How long have you been doing this job? 48 years. That is

long-service! I was a running boy in the early years, I was helping

to pen of the cattle - - if pen of the cattle and put the cards have

an front of them. I then moved to being in charge of the cattle ring.

I have to praise the stock men. The corporation we get from them is

unbelievable. I treat this almost as a birthday party. I love to see

all my friends and I had made so many over so many years. So, you

are the birthday boy! It makes your job damages you as well. Yes, yes.

We have a marvellous band of helpers. We're just one very big

team. Everybody has got their set jobs, but if anybody gets into

difficulties, they will immediately go and help out the other people.

Thank you for taking time out to talk to us and I will come back and

see you on your 50th year. I hope Still to come tonight, when

racehorses become a showman, and the Llanwenog sheep. If you miss

anything you can catch up on iPlayer. Horses are extraordinary

animals that have been domesticated and trained by humans for millennia.

Here at the Royal Welsh we can see some of the best-trained show

horses in the country. But training a racehorse is a very different art

to training a horse for the show ring. This year, a Retraining of

Racehorses Class has been introduced to the Royal Welsh for

the first time, and I've come to find out more.

Rachel Thomas from Bridgend has been competing in Retraining of the

Racehorse classes in other shows for a few years now with her ex-

racehorse Sherkhan. This retraining the racecourse is a new competition.

How does it work? Every year there are about 4000 horses do, do

training and we need to find another job for them. It is all

about retraining a racehorse of the track to turn it into a horse that

can do another job. Today the class is aimed at a show horse, so we are

trying to turn it into a show horse. High tea you then turn that into a

competition? What are they looking for? This took me into show horse

class they are looking for a horse that moves nicely and anything you

would look for in a standard show horse class. Today the judge will

actually write the exhibits and he will have a feel. This is a

beautiful horse. What is his racing history? He ran on the flat and he

was pretty useless, finishing last tour last but one on every occasion.

Horses that haven't been any good often tend to get overlooked and

didn't get good homes. We found him on a Welsh hillside in he was

really thin. We felt sorry for him so we bought him and hope that we

could retrain him. Unfortunately, he has been with us now for six

years and he still hasn't gone because he has been really good.

he is now a appearing at the Royal Welsh Show! Have you got high hopes

for him today? I have really don't know. Racehorses can be very

unpredictable. He has already won once this year, but I would love

him to win on home soil. At the end of the day, it is only one person's

opinion, so as long as it goes well we can ask for any more. Best of

luck! Whilst Rachel and Sherkhan are old hands at competing in this

kind of showing class, Petra James and her horse, Laugharne Park, have

never, ever stepped into a show ring before! This is your first

time here, isn't it? So you're starting at the top! Something like

that. Preparations have been going well. He is fairly calm, but we

will see. He are more used to eventing. Is that a very different

discipline? It is more individual. You're on - - you are in the ring

on your own. To be with a group of horses is more daunting then when

you are a single. In the retraining to race was class today there 18

horses entered. It is a lot of horses. What was this was buzz bike

racing history? Not very good. Three races on the flat and three

over the hurdles and he never did very well. But, let's hope he is

better here. After a very rigorous competition, Rachel and Petra were

placed 4th and 5th respectively, both in their top of their class.

That that very tough, Rachel. was very tough. We were really

peered through our paces. He is a fairer judge. Petra, your first

time here. What type of experience was it? I was so glad he kept the

lid on it. He was fresh in there, but he kept his cool and did me

proud. He behaved really well. They are quirky creatures, likely to

blow at any moment! The Horticultural Marquee is awash

with colour. From radiant roses to fabulous fuchsias, each and every

flower here has been grown with this day in mind, the day of

judgement at the Royal Welsh. One man who knows more than most about

exhibiting flowers at the Royal Welsh is Gareth Davies from Brecon

who's been competing here for an amazing 40 years without missing

one single year! But Gareth doesn't just like showing off his floral

creations here at the Royal Welsh, his garden at home is also the

Today is one of those days in the calendar that I have probably been

thinking about for 12 months. For the last 18 years we have opened

our garden under the National Garden Scheme. It gives me at

targets, I know why have to get my The key to my enjoyment is the fact

that growing from seed, going from cuttings, perhaps in the autumn are

from January and February, you are seeing the development from the

beginning. You see the plants and you think, that is it, that is what

I was aiming for! The Royal Welsh Show has a very important place in

my hearts because I started exhibiting in do show 40 years ago.

The Royal Welsh Show has been an opportunity to rub shoulders with

lots of other people who exhibit, to chat, to socialise and have a

bit of fun. I love working up there as well, seeing the people coming

and going. I am hoping to take some fuchsias, some roses, it all

depends on the weather! Some other pot plants, foliage plants,

begonias. That is what I hoped to be able to do.

Still, Gareth, what an incredible mix of colour! You have got the

little Mini standards there. The large bush varieties. Our range of

colours from the red and white, through the lavender and purple,

the pinks. Gone are the days when you just had red and purple. One of

the things I have always wondered, you're so clever you to produce

these beautiful blooms for us at this time of year because recently

we have been getting very early summers, which means that the Royal

Welsh Show is actually quite a tonne in the year. It is a very

good point. You have got to try and hold things back a little and try

to prune at the plants at the right time. You have got to keep them in

a temperature at a minimum of 40 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter

and in during that the plants grow very quietly so they're off to a

head start in the spring. By the time you get here to the show, it

is about the theatre of the display. That is eye-catching. This has long

tubular flowers and despite the sub-tropical appearance. It has a

tendency to flower right through until the frost, but then in the

winter I have to give it more water than they do the others because

this that could stop rising and it could just drive off completely.

What ever you are doing, it is working! Very impressive prizes for

you this year? 13 first prizes! Congratulations to you and your

wife. Since I'm going to be showing a

sheep at the show I thought I'd spend as much time as I can down

here in the sheep section, watching the experts at work! I've come to

meet Huw and Lynwen Jenkins and daughter Heledd, who are exhibiting

What makes this breed so distinctive? It is milky, with the

good mothering instinct. It is from a small village in West Wales

called Lan ml - - Llanwenog. police and tips for showing a sheep.

Always hold the sheep on the right side, so the judge has to go round

the other side. I didn't know that! You might have saved the day

When they say behind its every great man, there is an even better

women. To be honest, I would prefer to be out there. I am more nervous

standing here. How is it going? Ram is looking quite good. It is

one few Jews out of the field in the middle of the week. He will be

new to this game, but hopefully he will do all right. So, you have

been at this for 2 1/2 RS night. You must be shattered. I am going

to sit down now! I had the second, a third, a 4th, and two fifths.

knee in the bank for you! Hopefully it little bit, but it is not about

the money. You have had a good time today? Absolutely great.

Congratulations. Well my moment of reckoning is

about to come. Very shortly I'll be going into my class. See how I get

on in tomorrow night's programme. All I can say is wish us luck!

It's been a magnificent opening day to the Show. We will be back again

tomorrow night on BBC Two Wales, but at the earlier time of 7.30pm.

In addition, Daf and Caryl will be live from the showground tomorrow

morning from 8.30 on BBC Radio Cymru. If you miss any of our