:00:23. > :00:26.Welcome to the third day of this year's Royal Welsh Show. Wednesday
:00:26. > :00:31.is the day of Champions, when the best of the best fight it out for
:00:31. > :00:34.top honours. And, of course, Wednesday is Cob day, when the most
:00:34. > :00:40.impressive horses in the country give an electrifying display around
:00:40. > :00:43.the Main Ring. It's a day of Supremes in the
:00:43. > :00:48.Cattle Ring too, as we find out who will be crowned the Supreme Dairy
:00:48. > :00:52.Cow Champion of 2012. There are reputations and prestige at stake.
:00:52. > :00:55.And I'll be escorted round the Show by a farmer with a very famous face
:00:55. > :00:58.- Dan Lydiate of the Newport Gwent Dragons and the Welsh rugby team
:00:58. > :01:01.will be taking me around his favourite corners of the Show.
:01:01. > :01:04.All this week I've been helping a family to prepare their dairy cows
:01:04. > :01:07.for the ring, so I'll be watching the Supreme Dairy competition with
:01:07. > :01:17.interest as well! And I'll be meeting the next generation of
:01:17. > :01:23.
:01:23. > :01:26.showmen and women as I join the I'm at the Pig Ring to watch the
:01:26. > :01:30.Supreme Pig Competition and with me is a family that I first met here
:01:30. > :01:40.at the Show three years ago, the Nicholas Family. Rachel, Mark and
:01:40. > :01:46.
:01:46. > :01:51.Catherine from Raglan. In 2009, Catherine had leukaemia,
:01:51. > :01:57.but that did not stop her help prepare the pigs for the ring. I
:01:57. > :02:04.was delighted to see her back this year and with a new little helper.
:02:04. > :02:11.It is lovely to see you back with a new edition. How old is she? She is
:02:11. > :02:21.11 weeks. Talk about starting young! Catherine, tell me about the
:02:21. > :02:30.pigs you have got this year. How many did you bring? 4. When I first
:02:30. > :02:38.met you, you had a pig called Harmony. How old is she now? 6.
:02:38. > :02:47.you going to go into the ring today? Yes. What do you have to do?
:02:47. > :02:52.Show my pig. It is so lovely to see her looking so well. She is a lot
:02:52. > :03:00.better now. She is growing and having a normal life. She is a
:03:00. > :03:06.really determined little girl, isn't she? Very much. The story
:03:06. > :03:09.could have been a lot different. Being able to go to the shows and
:03:09. > :03:16.do what she enjoys has really helped bring her on. Even through
:03:16. > :03:23.the treatment, she was determined to get into the show rings. Yes, we
:03:23. > :03:33.travelled every day so she could do the show. It worked, that is the
:03:33. > :04:08.
:04:08. > :04:13.And if they judge awarded them at Then it was on to the Supreme
:04:13. > :04:23.Championship where Harmony took the top title. The first time they have
:04:23. > :04:25.
:04:25. > :04:31.ever won Supreme at the Royal Welsh. Congratulations. A Supreme pig.
:04:31. > :04:41.What a fantastic result. The first time you have ever won overall.
:04:41. > :04:43.
:04:43. > :04:50.it is amazing. And it all started with Harmony. Cathryn, well done.
:04:50. > :04:59.What do you think? Are you happy? Yes. Is there Rosette going to go
:04:59. > :05:03.up in your bedroom? Yes I. I think it has all been too much for
:05:03. > :05:07.Harmony. Well, if you remember last year, I
:05:07. > :05:11.stepped into the Show Ring with a sheep for the very first time.
:05:11. > :05:14.Trust me, it really isn't as easy as it looks. But the secret is to
:05:14. > :05:17.start young. And that's what the Young Handlers' competition is all
:05:17. > :05:20.about. The three Havard brothers - Gethin,
:05:20. > :05:22.Huw and Hywel, have seven children between them. Six of them are
:05:22. > :05:24.competing in the sheep Young Handlers' competition. Ffion and
:05:24. > :05:33.Nia are showing lambs in the intermediate section along with
:05:33. > :05:36.Iestyn and Iwan. Dafydd is a show pro who took Reserve Champion last
:05:36. > :05:40.year in the senior section and Megan is nine-years-old and the
:05:40. > :05:46.baby of the family and she's competing in the junior section.
:05:46. > :05:53.Are you going to be competing against one another? But yes.
:05:53. > :05:59.there any bad sports? My own, we all get on. Nobody is a bad loser
:05:59. > :06:06.then? No. In this class today, there are four members of your
:06:06. > :06:10.family. I am very proud. We have got two daughters in here, two
:06:11. > :06:13.nephews in here. They need to be good at what they are doing. The
:06:13. > :06:22.sheep will need to behave impeccably just when the judge is
:06:22. > :06:30.catching his eye. This is a Ffion's big moment I. She has got to
:06:30. > :06:40.influence the judge. There is Nia. This is a big opportunity for her
:06:40. > :06:45.
:06:45. > :06:52.to impress. Iestyn is just 11. The lamb is very young. Iwan is a rugby
:06:53. > :07:01.player. It is a nervous wait for a lot of parents. I hope that at
:07:01. > :07:08.least one of them will come forward. It is Nia. Weldon, Nia. She was
:07:08. > :07:18.very confident earlier. That is no surprise. These really are tense
:07:18. > :07:34.
:07:34. > :07:40.moments. They really are tense Nia, I can see you are very happy.
:07:40. > :07:46.You are beaming from ear to ear. How do you feel? It has been a lot
:07:46. > :07:53.of hard work preparing but it has finally paid off. Congratulations.
:07:53. > :07:56.You were amazing. Coming up in tonight's programme:
:07:56. > :07:59.Rachael will be on tender hooks along with everybody else in the
:07:59. > :08:03.Cattle Ring to find out who will be crowned Supreme Dairy Cow this year.
:08:03. > :08:05.And we'll see how Rhys has got on helping the Davies family to
:08:05. > :08:08.prepare their dairy cows for the competitions.
:08:08. > :08:11.For one farmer from Mid Wales, this year's Six Nations Championship was
:08:11. > :08:20.very special indeed because not only was he on the winning side,
:08:20. > :08:23.but he was voted the top player of Dan Lydiate is the Welsh rugby
:08:23. > :08:27.team's top tackler, taking out the biggest and the fastest from
:08:27. > :08:30.opposing teams. But when he's not involved in internationals or
:08:30. > :08:33.playing for his club, the Newport Gwent Dragons, Dan is never happier
:08:33. > :08:43.than when he's tending his livestock on the family farm in
:08:43. > :08:48.
:08:48. > :08:53.I am Dan Lydiate and this is my family farm in Mid Wales. It is a
:08:53. > :08:57.500 acre sheep farm. Because of the rugby these days, I come back
:08:57. > :09:02.whenever I can and help out so it is nice to help and have a break
:09:02. > :09:08.from the hustle and bustle of the Rugby rife. It is nice to slow the
:09:08. > :09:12.pace down a little bit. Me and my brother will the 4th and
:09:12. > :09:16.5th generation farmers in this farm so it is nice to have a little bit
:09:16. > :09:23.of history there as well and hopefully we will go on to farm
:09:23. > :09:26.together when I retire from rugby. It is a hard working lifestyle but
:09:26. > :09:30.it is enjoyable as well. Your neighbours are just across the
:09:30. > :09:35.valley and if they ever need a hand you help them out and vice-versa so
:09:35. > :09:39.it is a nice way of life, even though it can be hard and you are
:09:39. > :09:43.working in quite harsh environments sometimes. But if you are born and
:09:43. > :09:47.raised in that environment, there is nothing better.
:09:48. > :09:52.There is a lot of manual labour on the farm and plenty of the fields
:09:52. > :09:56.to run around full fitness. If you are on the field and you make a
:09:56. > :10:01.good tackle, some time that gets a mention. He is from a farming
:10:01. > :10:08.background so he is bound to be strong. I am proud to come from a
:10:09. > :10:12.farming background, it is something I will always come back to as well.
:10:12. > :10:17.Welcome to the Royal Welsh Show. am happy to be here. I have brought
:10:17. > :10:20.the weather as well so everybody seems to be having a good time.
:10:20. > :10:25.have already been mobbed at the Showground but this is home turf
:10:25. > :10:30.for you. Yes, I have seen a lot of old friends from school so it is
:10:30. > :10:34.nice to catch up with old friends and make new ones. We are usually
:10:34. > :10:38.in training at pre-season now but I really miss coming to the show so
:10:38. > :10:43.it is nice to have a look around this morning. You are going to take
:10:43. > :10:53.me to your favourite part of the show. We are going to have a look
:10:53. > :10:58.
:10:58. > :11:01.at all the new shiny tractors. It Did you know that it's compulsory
:11:01. > :11:04.to wear a bowler hat when stewarding or judging at the Royal
:11:04. > :11:07.Welsh Show? The bowler hat was invented in 1849 and, by 1850, was
:11:07. > :11:17.used in shows throughout the country as a form of status and
:11:17. > :11:18.
:11:18. > :11:23.identification. As you can see, All this week I've been finding out
:11:23. > :11:28.exactly what it takes to prepare a dairy cow for a competition. And
:11:28. > :11:31.believe me, it's been a shock. This is not a nine to five hobby.
:11:31. > :11:34.Families and teams of showmen often stay up all night tending their
:11:35. > :11:38.cattle and sleeping in the cattle sheds, so when I joined the Davies
:11:38. > :11:48.family on Monday night, I didn't really have any idea what was ahead
:11:48. > :11:53.
:11:53. > :12:02.I saw that tail going and I know to get in this straight away. Don't
:12:02. > :12:12.drop it. Now we know what we are in full. Has she got to go for
:12:12. > :12:20.
:12:20. > :12:27.milking? Yes. Let's go. I tell you what! I am glad I spend
:12:27. > :12:32.all those hours in the gym now. Presumably, this gets quite messy.
:12:32. > :12:37.We try to give it as clean as possible but before it goes in the
:12:37. > :12:47.ring, we will make sure the tale is nice and fluffy. Once we have got
:12:47. > :12:49.
:12:49. > :12:57.Do you think I missed my calling in life? I am not sure. A bit more
:12:57. > :13:07.practice, maybe. Hopefully you will stay with us all
:13:07. > :13:10.
:13:10. > :13:16.There is no end to cleaning up after these cows. It goes on and on
:13:16. > :13:21.and on. There will be no sleep. I am back this morning because I
:13:21. > :13:30.did not have the stamina that some of those guys have got. They have
:13:30. > :13:34.been up the entire night and I am keen to see how they got on.
:13:34. > :13:39.We watch them at 3am at this morning and then we put them back
:13:39. > :13:49.into lie-down. You must be getting really stressed out. I am going to
:13:49. > :14:05.
:14:05. > :14:15.leave you to it. Good luck. I am I was milking her last night and
:14:15. > :14:22.
:14:22. > :14:25.she got a first. Absolutely fantastic! Weldon! -- well done!
:14:25. > :14:28.And don't forget tomorrow night, we'll catch up with Rhys and the
:14:28. > :14:31.Davies family for their reflections on their week at the Show. But now,
:14:31. > :14:41.it's time for one of the big highlights of the week - the
:14:41. > :14:43.
:14:43. > :14:53.Supreme Dairy Cow Championship. You have a vested interest here. We do
:14:53. > :14:54.
:14:54. > :15:00.have an interest in the cow. Slightly partisan, looking on.
:15:00. > :15:07.will forgive you. Do you think she can prove she was not just a one-
:15:07. > :15:12.off? She has only calf's for 14 days. It was a big ask for her to
:15:12. > :15:19.come here. She looks the part. She is good enough but this is strong
:15:19. > :15:24.competition. Is your main competition from the Jersey?
:15:24. > :15:31.Probably. The jersey is or standing cow. I am joined by somebody who
:15:31. > :15:37.knows the dairy industry, one of the biggest dairy farmers in Wales.
:15:37. > :15:42.This is a tremendous sight today. It is a fantastic day. One of these
:15:42. > :15:45.cows will become a champion but they are all champion -- champions
:15:45. > :15:54.in their own way. The industry is going through considerable unrest
:15:54. > :16:03.at the moment. Yes. The dairy industry at the moment is facing a
:16:04. > :16:13.crisis. The judge has tapped its winner. The Ayrshire has won.
:16:13. > :16:22.would not have been my first choice. I am tending to lean towards the
:16:22. > :16:29.Holstein as it breed. -- as a breed. I am sure there will be a lot of
:16:29. > :16:36.partying tonight. Congratulations. I can't believe it. Some great cows
:16:36. > :16:44.against us today. And Ayrshire taking the championship. That
:16:44. > :16:52.doesn't happen too often. You took the Holstein championship though.
:16:52. > :17:02.am glad we won that. After celebrate now? I might have to have
:17:02. > :17:06.
:17:06. > :17:09.a couple! $WHITE And still to come: Dan
:17:09. > :17:11.Lydiate will be taking Rachael to his favourite spot on the Royal
:17:11. > :17:14.Welsh field. And I will be taking up my
:17:14. > :17:17.favourite spot to see the spectacular Senior Stallion Cobs as
:17:17. > :17:20.they compete and own the ring. It's Wednesday, and the birds have
:17:20. > :17:29.flown. The Fur and Feather pavilion changes from feather to fur, and in
:17:29. > :17:33.come the guinea pigs, the hamsters, the pets and the rabbits. Nowhere
:17:33. > :17:35.else will you see a greater variety of beautiful bunnies than here at
:17:35. > :17:38.the Royal Welsh. Sarah and India Matthews are Royal
:17:38. > :17:41.Welsh regulars. Mum Sarah has kept rabbits ever since she was a little
:17:41. > :17:44.girl, and India who's eight has been a member of the British Rabbit
:17:44. > :17:53.Council since she was five. They both keep Mini Rex and Harlequin
:17:53. > :17:57.rabbits, and shower them with care and affection. As a hobby, it's
:17:57. > :18:04.nice to have something you can relax with because we have a busy
:18:04. > :18:14.business. It is nice to be involved with something that's extremely
:18:14. > :18:17.
:18:17. > :18:27.different. Young children love rabbits. But some people have been
:18:27. > :18:29.
:18:29. > :18:39.showing rabbits for 60 years. There is a cross section of society.
:18:39. > :18:39.
:18:39. > :18:49.like -- they like a soft teddy bear. They have long ears. They have a
:18:49. > :18:52.
:18:52. > :18:57.tale but not all rabbits tales are white. All my rabbits listen to the
:18:57. > :19:05.radio and they like listening to the Archers. If you had a rabbit
:19:05. > :19:11.and it was a bit scared of you, you can leave the radio and it will
:19:11. > :19:20.hear other people's voices. I love to keep them because it is nice for
:19:20. > :19:30.a child to grow up with a pet. have got four rabbits here today.
:19:30. > :19:36.
:19:36. > :19:41.What are they called? Rio, Z Rowe. You have been trying to develop
:19:41. > :19:50.this particular colour. How difficult is that? It is a hard
:19:50. > :19:57.colour to produce. There are supposed to be like a chequerboard
:19:57. > :20:02.all with a strike. This rabbit has not got that but we are working
:20:02. > :20:10.towards it. Good luck to all of them. We were off -- we will keep
:20:10. > :20:20.our fingers crossed. We are delighted with our results. We've
:20:20. > :20:27.
:20:27. > :20:37.had some firsts and seconds. We're very pleased. One of our rabbit's
:20:37. > :20:42.
:20:42. > :20:45.13 seconds and two firsts and one junior Diploma. I am very pleased.
:20:45. > :20:48.Did you know that us shearers during the shearing competitions at
:20:48. > :20:51.the Royal Welsh shear 3,000 sheep? The sheep come from farms all
:20:51. > :20:54.around the area, and are kept back especially for us to shear them in
:20:54. > :21:03.the competitions. They must have been really hot at the beginning of
:21:03. > :21:06.the week! Earlier in the programme, Dan here
:21:06. > :21:16.offered to show us round some of his favourite features on the Royal
:21:16. > :21:18.
:21:18. > :21:25.Welsh showground. So Dan, where do we start? We have come across some
:21:25. > :21:35.famous silverware. Happy memories? It is nice to bring them up to the
:21:35. > :21:36.
:21:36. > :21:43.Royal Welsh Show and everyone can have their picture with them.
:21:43. > :21:47.we are in the machinery section. These tractors a brand new and a
:21:48. > :21:53.lot of farmers will try and get bargains out of the machinery
:21:53. > :21:58.dealers. It is nice to see what up- to-date on the market. Have you got
:21:58. > :22:02.used to the celebrity status yet? don't know about that. People
:22:02. > :22:07.really got behind the Welsh rugby team during the Six Nations and the
:22:07. > :22:15.World Cup. Everybody was to wish you well and everybody is enjoying
:22:15. > :22:18.it. -- everybody wants to wish you well. You were named player of the
:22:18. > :22:22.tournament in the Six Nations this year. I did not expect it but it
:22:22. > :22:31.was a massive honour. I could not have asked for a better season.
:22:31. > :22:35.Hopefully, it will continue. And do you fancy the Lions tour next year?
:22:35. > :22:43.You can't look too far ahead and you have to focus on at the next
:22:43. > :22:52.few games. We will see what happens. What about these chapters? --
:22:52. > :23:02.tractors. The I am hoping for responses to deal! -- hoping for a
:23:02. > :23:12.
:23:12. > :23:19.sponsorship deal! Thank you. horse I have got here today is
:23:19. > :23:23.Temptation. He has not missed many years. He is probably the oldest
:23:23. > :23:29.Welsh cob stallion that has been shown here. The George Prince of
:23:29. > :23:37.Wales Cup is what we all aim and try and win. It would be nice to
:23:37. > :23:42.win but I will be over the moon if we come in the first four of five.
:23:42. > :23:47.It is pretty special when the crowd starts getting behind you. That is
:23:47. > :23:55.when the butterflies start flying in your belly. It is the last
:23:55. > :23:58.chance to him because he is 22 years old.
:23:58. > :24:02.And so, here we are, one of the greatest spectacles at the Royal
:24:02. > :24:06.Welsh Show. This is the event that draws thousands of people to the
:24:06. > :24:08.Show on the Wednesday every year. The grand stand is full of cob
:24:08. > :24:18.enthusiasts, with the support building to fever pitch. These are
:24:18. > :24:44.
:24:44. > :24:48.This one is quite immature boy. -- quite a mature boy. I wish I could
:24:48. > :24:58.run around the ring with him today. But it is nice that my son has
:24:58. > :25:03.
:25:03. > :25:13.taken over. The judge has pulled up the first three and it looks like
:25:13. > :25:14.
:25:14. > :25:23.he likes the look of those. That 112 years ago. Where is Temptation
:25:23. > :25:33.now? That could change but he is 7th at the moment. This is a
:25:33. > :25:34.
:25:34. > :25:44.crucial moment. Let's hope for the best. Now he's going. He is moving
:25:44. > :25:57.
:25:57. > :26:07.That is the winner in this class. Temptation came 6th. I am over the
:26:07. > :26:10.
:26:10. > :26:16.moon. He is placed 6th in the senior stallion at the age of 22.
:26:16. > :26:26.So on to the stallion championship with a junior stallion those up
:26:26. > :26:31.
:26:31. > :26:36.against the senior stallion. -- Finally, the ultimate prize, the
:26:36. > :26:46.George Prince of Wales Cup, where the female champions and the male
:26:46. > :27:00.
:27:00. > :27:08.Third time lucky,. This is a special moment. She's fantastic.
:27:08. > :27:11.This is a very emotional time. is very emotional.
:27:11. > :27:13.It's been another wonderful day here at the Show. The Welsh Cobs
:27:13. > :27:18.have given us poetry in motion, while the other Supreme
:27:18. > :27:22.Championships have brought the day to an end on a high. Don't forget,
:27:22. > :27:25.we'll be back again tomorrow night on BBC 2 Wales at 7.30pm with
:27:25. > :27:28.another round up of the day's delights from the Show. If you miss