Congratulations Duffryn!

[wagra dexters]

Great news! I am very pleased to learn that Woodmagic Petrel at 14.5 years of age has become the first female in UK to score Excellent in her linear classification report. I think 2 females have scored Ex here in Au, I will check that, but nevertheless Petrel is one of very few cows in the world to have achieved such results. Beryl will be smiling about this one, her dear "Split Ear" having maintained such quality through so many years and calvings proves the overall stamina of this grand little lady. Congratulations Stephanie and congratulations Petrel.
What a wonderful tribute to Beryl!

[Broomcroft]

Yes, well chosen Stephanie.

This is the lady herself (I hope, tag 86), taken in 2009 at Beryl's farm:

[wagra dexters]

Here in Au we have progeny criteria requirement before Ex can be acheived. Bulls must have 5 daughters scoring VG (85 or more), and cows must have had 3 or more normal calvings. Yesterday a bull we sold 9 years ago, 11yo Wagra Wedgwood by Woodmagic Hedgehog 4th, scored Ex with 6 daughters scoring VG. The owner was particularly gratified by the positive comments made by the HFAA classifier.

[Broomcroft]

Well done Margaret .

[wagra dexters]

Oh woops, sorry Stephanie, I made a mistake! Wedgwood is by Wm Hedgehog 3rd, not your boy. Hedgehog 4th is his uncle, not his sire. Thank goodness for DNA PV, although in this case of mistaken identity they are oceans apart, so to speak!!

Thank you for your kind words Clive but if we really had done well we would not have sold him all those years ago!! He is a very lucky boy. He belongs to the biggest Dexter herd in the country so not only does he get to live longer than most bulls but he is also still fully employed.

[Broomcroft]

Here's another photo of Petrel suckling her calf that has been posted on the US Dexter Forum, courtesy of Kirk. I don't think the calf will starve .

[Saffy]

Thank you Margaret and Clive,

Woodmagic Petrel (D) has now also been assessed by the chief assessor Michael Parkinson who also found her to be Excellent. His words were. "She has phenomenal legs and feet and the best udder I have ever seen on a Dexter!" Not bad for a cow that has had 13 calves. Not so surprising in a way as Beryl bred for milk and for milking amongst other things, a big thing for me on first seeing her herd was cows with decent udders, similar to the ones I had on my milking herd! Well done Beryl, you knew what you were doing!!!

Stephanie

[Mark Bowles]

Well done Stephanie, congratulations,a wonderfull achievement for yourself and Beryl.

[Saffy]

Thank you Mark.

Stephanie

[Denise]

that was Great News - Stephanie - I heard it from Burnside Stud on facebook yesterday - he was bragging because he has one of her daughters......

I am so pleased for you (and Beryl) and Marg W too! And me because I do believe in Woodmagic!

Fan-bloody-tastic !!!!!

[Duncan MacIntyre]

Denise, was I bragging? I hope not, just pleased to see a Woodmagic cow doing so well, and at the same time explaining to everyone why I am posting a pic of someone else's co on my facebook page. Here is wot I rote:-

I am so pleased to see a Woodmagic cow assessed as excellent, but particularly as we own a daughter of Petrel, Woodmagic Peahen 3rd. I mean to have the Burnside herd assessed in due course, but I don't think Peahen 3rd will equal her mother except when it comes to torn ears!

The strange thing about that mother and daughter is that mother was known by Beryl as "Split ear" and her daughter is "torn lug" to me, both having torn tags through - I don't think it is genetic

It is good to see more herds going for linear assessment, I have great hopes for it as a tool for Dexter breeders, not just using the overal score but the breakdown of how it is arrived at - it lets us see the animals strong and weak points, so for instance if a herd has poorer feet then a bull can be looked for with good feet to improve the next generation. Using Holstein UK to do this maybe seems a bit outlandish, but they are doing other breeds too and the assessors are highly trained and independant.

I hope to have my herd, or at least a number of them, assessed in 2013.

Duncan

[Denise]

Duncan - wasnt over the top at all - it was just very exciting news! Will look forward to hearing what the assessors have to say about your "girls" when they have their "classos" done. linear classo is a very useful tool - because they look at structure and traits. And, because they are NOT dexter folk, they come in with a "clean" attitude - if u know what I mean.

[Rob R]

I've just read *this* in FG too, they've got the name right this time though, Stephanie!

[Mark Bowles]

Just read through the paper and didn't see it at first. Page 50. The society sent out a press release with a photo, if this is what FG have taken the info from then they have chopped it down considerably, poor journalism! They didn't even specify the score the cow got (EX91)

[Saffy]

It does take a bit of finding Mark! I don't think they took it from the Press Release as I had given them some info but then they asked for more - about 250 words to put in the news area and so I gave them lots, including a bit about the society and the assessment programme. I gave them a bit more than they required as they always chop it but this is a hatchet job and yes they did ask for a photo and so I had expected them to use it - a pity. They said may do a feature on my herd later this year, so I may be lucky, we will see!

Stephanie