Day Three Royal Welsh Show

Welcome to the third day of this year's Royal Welsh Show. Wednesday

is the day of Champions, when the best of the best fight it out for

top honours. And, of course, Wednesday is Cob day, when the most

impressive horses in the country give an electrifying display around

the Main Ring. It's a day of Supremes in the

Cattle Ring too, as we find out who will be crowned the Supreme Dairy

Cow Champion of 2012. There are reputations and prestige at stake.

And I'll be escorted round the Show by a farmer with a very famous face

- Dan Lydiate of the Newport Gwent Dragons and the Welsh rugby team

will be taking me around his favourite corners of the Show.

All this week I've been helping a family to prepare their dairy cows

for the ring, so I'll be watching the Supreme Dairy competition with

interest as well! And I'll be meeting the next generation of

showmen and women as I join the I'm at the Pig Ring to watch the

Supreme Pig Competition and with me is a family that I first met here

at the Show three years ago, the Nicholas Family. Rachel, Mark and

Catherine from Raglan. In 2009, Catherine had leukaemia,

but that did not stop her help prepare the pigs for the ring. I

was delighted to see her back this year and with a new little helper.

It is lovely to see you back with a new edition. How old is she? She is

11 weeks. Talk about starting young! Catherine, tell me about the

pigs you have got this year. How many did you bring? 4. When I first

met you, you had a pig called Harmony. How old is she now? 6.

you going to go into the ring today? Yes. What do you have to do?

Show my pig. It is so lovely to see her looking so well. She is a lot

better now. She is growing and having a normal life. She is a

really determined little girl, isn't she? Very much. The story

could have been a lot different. Being able to go to the shows and

do what she enjoys has really helped bring her on. Even through

the treatment, she was determined to get into the show rings. Yes, we

travelled every day so she could do the show. It worked, that is the

And if they judge awarded them at Then it was on to the Supreme

Championship where Harmony took the top title. The first time they have

ever won Supreme at the Royal Welsh. Congratulations. A Supreme pig.

What a fantastic result. The first time you have ever won overall.

it is amazing. And it all started with Harmony. Cathryn, well done.

What do you think? Are you happy? Yes. Is there Rosette going to go

up in your bedroom? Yes I. I think it has all been too much for

Harmony. Well, if you remember last year, I

stepped into the Show Ring with a sheep for the very first time.

Trust me, it really isn't as easy as it looks. But the secret is to

start young. And that's what the Young Handlers' competition is all

about. The three Havard brothers - Gethin,

Huw and Hywel, have seven children between them. Six of them are

competing in the sheep Young Handlers' competition. Ffion and

Nia are showing lambs in the intermediate section along with

Iestyn and Iwan. Dafydd is a show pro who took Reserve Champion last

year in the senior section and Megan is nine-years-old and the

baby of the family and she's competing in the junior section.

Are you going to be competing against one another? But yes.

there any bad sports? My own, we all get on. Nobody is a bad loser

then? No. In this class today, there are four members of your

family. I am very proud. We have got two daughters in here, two

nephews in here. They need to be good at what they are doing. The

sheep will need to behave impeccably just when the judge is

catching his eye. This is a Ffion's big moment I. She has got to

influence the judge. There is Nia. This is a big opportunity for her

to impress. Iestyn is just 11. The lamb is very young. Iwan is a rugby

player. It is a nervous wait for a lot of parents. I hope that at

least one of them will come forward. It is Nia. Weldon, Nia. She was

very confident earlier. That is no surprise. These really are tense

moments. They really are tense Nia, I can see you are very happy.

You are beaming from ear to ear. How do you feel? It has been a lot

of hard work preparing but it has finally paid off. Congratulations.

You were amazing. Coming up in tonight's programme:

Rachael will be on tender hooks along with everybody else in the

Cattle Ring to find out who will be crowned Supreme Dairy Cow this year.

And we'll see how Rhys has got on helping the Davies family to

prepare their dairy cows for the competitions.

For one farmer from Mid Wales, this year's Six Nations Championship was

very special indeed because not only was he on the winning side,

but he was voted the top player of Dan Lydiate is the Welsh rugby

team's top tackler, taking out the biggest and the fastest from

opposing teams. But when he's not involved in internationals or

playing for his club, the Newport Gwent Dragons, Dan is never happier

than when he's tending his livestock on the family farm in

I am Dan Lydiate and this is my family farm in Mid Wales. It is a

500 acre sheep farm. Because of the rugby these days, I come back

whenever I can and help out so it is nice to help and have a break

from the hustle and bustle of the Rugby rife. It is nice to slow the

pace down a little bit. Me and my brother will the 4th and

5th generation farmers in this farm so it is nice to have a little bit

of history there as well and hopefully we will go on to farm

together when I retire from rugby. It is a hard working lifestyle but

it is enjoyable as well. Your neighbours are just across the

valley and if they ever need a hand you help them out and vice-versa so

it is a nice way of life, even though it can be hard and you are

working in quite harsh environments sometimes. But if you are born and

raised in that environment, there is nothing better.

There is a lot of manual labour on the farm and plenty of the fields

to run around full fitness. If you are on the field and you make a

good tackle, some time that gets a mention. He is from a farming

background so he is bound to be strong. I am proud to come from a

farming background, it is something I will always come back to as well.

Welcome to the Royal Welsh Show. am happy to be here. I have brought

the weather as well so everybody seems to be having a good time.

have already been mobbed at the Showground but this is home turf

for you. Yes, I have seen a lot of old friends from school so it is

nice to catch up with old friends and make new ones. We are usually

in training at pre-season now but I really miss coming to the show so

it is nice to have a look around this morning. You are going to take

me to your favourite part of the show. We are going to have a look

at all the new shiny tractors. It Did you know that it's compulsory

to wear a bowler hat when stewarding or judging at the Royal

Welsh Show? The bowler hat was invented in 1849 and, by 1850, was

used in shows throughout the country as a form of status and

identification. As you can see, All this week I've been finding out

exactly what it takes to prepare a dairy cow for a competition. And

believe me, it's been a shock. This is not a nine to five hobby.

Families and teams of showmen often stay up all night tending their

cattle and sleeping in the cattle sheds, so when I joined the Davies

family on Monday night, I didn't really have any idea what was ahead

I saw that tail going and I know to get in this straight away. Don't

drop it. Now we know what we are in full. Has she got to go for

milking? Yes. Let's go. I tell you what! I am glad I spend

all those hours in the gym now. Presumably, this gets quite messy.

We try to give it as clean as possible but before it goes in the

ring, we will make sure the tale is nice and fluffy. Once we have got

Do you think I missed my calling in life? I am not sure. A bit more

practice, maybe. Hopefully you will stay with us all

There is no end to cleaning up after these cows. It goes on and on

and on. There will be no sleep. I am back this morning because I

did not have the stamina that some of those guys have got. They have

been up the entire night and I am keen to see how they got on.

We watch them at 3am at this morning and then we put them back

into lie-down. You must be getting really stressed out. I am going to

leave you to it. Good luck. I am I was milking her last night and

she got a first. Absolutely fantastic! Weldon! -- well done!

And don't forget tomorrow night, we'll catch up with Rhys and the

Davies family for their reflections on their week at the Show. But now,

it's time for one of the big highlights of the week - the

Supreme Dairy Cow Championship. You have a vested interest here. We do

have an interest in the cow. Slightly partisan, looking on.

will forgive you. Do you think she can prove she was not just a one-

off? She has only calf's for 14 days. It was a big ask for her to

come here. She looks the part. She is good enough but this is strong

competition. Is your main competition from the Jersey?

Probably. The jersey is or standing cow. I am joined by somebody who

knows the dairy industry, one of the biggest dairy farmers in Wales.

This is a tremendous sight today. It is a fantastic day. One of these

cows will become a champion but they are all champion -- champions

in their own way. The industry is going through considerable unrest

at the moment. Yes. The dairy industry at the moment is facing a

crisis. The judge has tapped its winner. The Ayrshire has won.

would not have been my first choice. I am tending to lean towards the

Holstein as it breed. -- as a breed. I am sure there will be a lot of

partying tonight. Congratulations. I can't believe it. Some great cows

against us today. And Ayrshire taking the championship. That

doesn't happen too often. You took the Holstein championship though.

am glad we won that. After celebrate now? I might have to have

a couple! $WHITE And still to come: Dan

Lydiate will be taking Rachael to his favourite spot on the Royal

Welsh field. And I will be taking up my

favourite spot to see the spectacular Senior Stallion Cobs as

they compete and own the ring. It's Wednesday, and the birds have

flown. The Fur and Feather pavilion changes from feather to fur, and in

come the guinea pigs, the hamsters, the pets and the rabbits. Nowhere

else will you see a greater variety of beautiful bunnies than here at

the Royal Welsh. Sarah and India Matthews are Royal

Welsh regulars. Mum Sarah has kept rabbits ever since she was a little

girl, and India who's eight has been a member of the British Rabbit

Council since she was five. They both keep Mini Rex and Harlequin

rabbits, and shower them with care and affection. As a hobby, it's

nice to have something you can relax with because we have a busy

business. It is nice to be involved with something that's extremely

different. Young children love rabbits. But some people have been

showing rabbits for 60 years. There is a cross section of society.

like -- they like a soft teddy bear. They have long ears. They have a

tale but not all rabbits tales are white. All my rabbits listen to the

radio and they like listening to the Archers. If you had a rabbit

and it was a bit scared of you, you can leave the radio and it will

hear other people's voices. I love to keep them because it is nice for

a child to grow up with a pet. have got four rabbits here today.

What are they called? Rio, Z Rowe. You have been trying to develop

this particular colour. How difficult is that? It is a hard

colour to produce. There are supposed to be like a chequerboard

all with a strike. This rabbit has not got that but we are working

towards it. Good luck to all of them. We were off -- we will keep

our fingers crossed. We are delighted with our results. We've

had some firsts and seconds. We're very pleased. One of our rabbit's

13 seconds and two firsts and one junior Diploma. I am very pleased.

Did you know that us shearers during the shearing competitions at

the Royal Welsh shear 3,000 sheep? The sheep come from farms all

around the area, and are kept back especially for us to shear them in

the competitions. They must have been really hot at the beginning of

the week! Earlier in the programme, Dan here

offered to show us round some of his favourite features on the Royal

Welsh showground. So Dan, where do we start? We have come across some

famous silverware. Happy memories? It is nice to bring them up to the

Royal Welsh Show and everyone can have their picture with them.

we are in the machinery section. These tractors a brand new and a

lot of farmers will try and get bargains out of the machinery

dealers. It is nice to see what up- to-date on the market. Have you got

used to the celebrity status yet? don't know about that. People

really got behind the Welsh rugby team during the Six Nations and the

World Cup. Everybody was to wish you well and everybody is enjoying

it. -- everybody wants to wish you well. You were named player of the

tournament in the Six Nations this year. I did not expect it but it

was a massive honour. I could not have asked for a better season.

Hopefully, it will continue. And do you fancy the Lions tour next year?

You can't look too far ahead and you have to focus on at the next

few games. We will see what happens. What about these chapters? --

tractors. The I am hoping for responses to deal! -- hoping for a

sponsorship deal! Thank you. horse I have got here today is

Temptation. He has not missed many years. He is probably the oldest

Welsh cob stallion that has been shown here. The George Prince of

Wales Cup is what we all aim and try and win. It would be nice to

win but I will be over the moon if we come in the first four of five.

It is pretty special when the crowd starts getting behind you. That is

when the butterflies start flying in your belly. It is the last

chance to him because he is 22 years old.

And so, here we are, one of the greatest spectacles at the Royal

Welsh Show. This is the event that draws thousands of people to the

Show on the Wednesday every year. The grand stand is full of cob

enthusiasts, with the support building to fever pitch. These are

This one is quite immature boy. -- quite a mature boy. I wish I could

run around the ring with him today. But it is nice that my son has

taken over. The judge has pulled up the first three and it looks like

he likes the look of those. That 112 years ago. Where is Temptation

now? That could change but he is 7th at the moment. This is a

crucial moment. Let's hope for the best. Now he's going. He is moving

That is the winner in this class. Temptation came 6th. I am over the

moon. He is placed 6th in the senior stallion at the age of 22.

So on to the stallion championship with a junior stallion those up

against the senior stallion. -- Finally, the ultimate prize, the

George Prince of Wales Cup, where the female champions and the male

Third time lucky,. This is a special moment. She's fantastic.

This is a very emotional time. is very emotional.

It's been another wonderful day here at the Show. The Welsh Cobs

have given us poetry in motion, while the other Supreme

Championships have brought the day to an end on a high. Don't forget,

we'll be back again tomorrow night on BBC 2 Wales at 7.30pm with

another round up of the day's delights from the Show. If you miss