Great Yorkshire Show judges share secrets of competition success

“The line between them all is so fine – you can’t pick between them. It just comes down to the little things really,” Amanda Burgess says.

All afternoon, Amanda has been walking up and down rows of smartly dressed children and equally well-groomed sheep.

Amanda has the difficult task of deciding who should win the Great Yorkshire’s Show’s Young Handler competition, for children aged between five and 16.

Participants are judged on their handling and presentation of their animal, as well as their knowledge of breed traits.

Some of the youngest competitors are far outsized by the animal they stand next to – although it doesn’t seem to faze them.

“As they get older, questions get harder. But for little ones, if they can tell me the breed and their age, they’re doing pretty well,” Amanda laughs.

She still learns new facts from the children every time she judges, she says – including some of the unusual prep that goes into getting sheep looking their best.

Methods vary depending on the breed.

Valais Blacknose sheep for example, often crowned one of the cutest-looking breeds, has a thick, very white coat that boasts almost perm-like curls.