Eligibility of Exhibits
Exhibitors: Exhibitors must be current financial members of Australian All Breeds of Miniature Goat Society Inc (AABMGS).
Registration: Sheep competing in this section must be a recognised AABMGS sheep breed and registered with AABMGS as being owned by the exhibitor. Wethers must have parents registered with AABMGS.
Sheep can only enter the class of their breed and are to be entered into the correct age and gender. Individual breed requirements are listed in the breed descriptions on the AABMGS website (www.aabmgs.org.au). Foundation grade sheep are not eligible to enter shows. It is the responsibility of the exhibitor to fill in the entry form correctly and provide all the information required.
Biosecurity: All sheep brought to the show must comply with the biosecurity requirements listed below in addition to national and state legislative requirements and regulations. Any sheep found to have an infectious disease is to be removed from the show grounds immediately.
Inspections: All sheep entered will be inspected by a representative of AABMGS for compliance with the conformation requirements listed below prior to judging. Sheep not meeting these requirements will be disqualified.
Show Entries
Entry forms: Exhibitors must fill in an entry form and email or post it to the person listed on the show schedule by the closing date. Payment for entry must be made at the same time.
Show catalogue: Exhibitors are responsible for checking the show catalogue on the day and ensuring that all sheep are listed in the correct classes.
Risk: The exhibitor enters at their own risk. The Association accepts no responsibility for the loss of or damage to or by any exhibit.
Photographs and video: All exhibitors give permission for use of film, footage and images of all breed entries and individuals associated with those breeds.
Biosecurity Requirements
Responsibility of Exhibitor: The signing of the entry form for any exhibit is accepted as a guarantee that the animal specified is free from all disease as far as is known by the exhibitor, and in the case of infectious diseases being spread through or by an exhibit, the Exhibitor only, and not the Society shall be held responsible. All sheep brought to the show must be listed on the entry form and be competing in a class.
Brucellosis: All stud sheep must be from Brucellosis accredited free flocks. Entries will not be processed unless the Ovine Brucellosis accredited flock number is stated on the entry form. Non-breeding animals, e.g. wethers, will not require testing and Brucellosis accreditation but will be isolated from breeding animals.
Footrot: No entries to exhibit virulent footrot.
Lice: To prevent embarrassment and possible quarantine orders against flocks, exhibitors must ensure that sheep are free from lice infestations.
Fodder: All feed and water for stock is the responsibility of the owner. For hygiene and flock health reasons, all exhibitors are encouraged to provide their own feed and water containers for use at the show.
NLIS compliance: All sheep must be NLIS compliant. This means all animals must be tagged with an approved NLIS ear tag and accompanied by a completed National Vendor Declaration (NVD) or Weighbill. Failure to do so will result in the sheep being excluded from the show. When accompanied by their mother, lambs at foot can travel without being branded or earmarked if this is permitted by NLIS and state regulations.
Conformation Requirements
The following requirements apply to all sheep.
Teeth
- Teeth shall meet the pad evenly.
- There shall be no gap between the teeth and pad
Testicles
- All rams exhibited must be physically entire and have two descended testicles. All rams will be manually examined for soundness prior to judging.
- All wethers exhibited must have both testicles absent.
Showing
Showing: Exhibitors must arrange for sheep to be attended during judging.
All sheep are to be haltered and staged ready for judging by the required show time as stated on the AABMGS show day schedule. Halters are to be provided by exhibitors.
Judging and inspections will conform to the breed standards listed in the AABMGS website.
All sheep attending the show must stay for the duration of the show day and can only leave at the designated end time as stated on the show day schedule.
The show rules of the Hosting Show apply at all times in addition to these Sheep Show Rules.
Judges:
Judges’ decisions are final, and no correspondence will be entered into. The Judge has the right to transfer any sheep to another class if it is considered wrongly
entered.
Complaints: Any requests and/or complaints must be lodged with the Chief Steward on the day. Where the Chief Steward is not able to resolve the issue on the day, the matter will be
referred to the AABMGS Inc. Management Committee after the show.
Classes
Lambs: Lambs to have lambs teeth only. These criteria are defined in the newly approved National Definition of a Lamb.
Lamb at foot: Any ewe competing in a Lamb at Foot class must have a lamb of her own breeding at foot which is purebred or any grade lamb of her own breeding that she has produced.
Pairs and groups: Sheep entered in pair and group classes must have been bred by the exhibitor and can be drawn from other classes.
Sire’s progeny group: A Sire’s Progeny Group must consist of three sheep, any age, any sex, all by the same sire and owned by the exhibitor. The sheep can be drawn from other classes.
Novice: A novice exhibitor is defined as an exhibitor who has not won a class at a major show. The winners of these classes will be eligible to compete in the Championship classes. The awards in the Novice Classes will not be taken into consideration if there is a Most Successful Exhibitor award.
Interbreed: Where there is an Interbreed class, the best ram or ewe from each AABMGS sheep breed will be selected as Breed Champion and can compete with the respective Champions from each breed for the Interbreed Champion award.
Coloured Babydolls: Sheep competing in the Coloured Babydoll classes must be of an approved colour as stated in the AABMGS breed standard for Babydolls and contain no more than 50% white.