A&P show offers attractions aplenty

Terrier racing, sheep shearing and a well-attended petting zoo were just some of the attractions at this year’s Winton A&P Show.

Crowds of people flocked to the annual event, held on Saturday, to spend a sunny Southland day outdoors.

• Netballer among shearing contestants

The 106th annual event ran through most of the day and offered opportunities for people to enter various events such as the pet competition, donkey and mule competitions, beef and dairy cattle competitions and more.

Ten-year-old Jack Eden, of Balfour, showed Becky, his Holstein Friesian, and came second in the Holstein Friesian calf class and fourth in the all-breeds calf class.

It was his first time showing on his own but he had trained with Becky to get her used to it, Jack said.

However, despite the training Becky did not want to be led around the ring when the time came.

At the pet competition, 3-year-old Hudson Forde showed off his 8-week-old fallow deer fawn, named Lethan.

His mum, Rosie McCarthy said he and the fawn were great friends and enjoyed running around together.

Winton A&P Association president Dellwyn Malcolm said the day was a success, with a "great crowd" of about 4500 people.

It was good to have the dairy and beef cattle back as they had not been allowed to show them the previous three years because of the M. bovis crisis, he said.