The latest herd book is back from the printers and available at £10 plus postage. Contact Alison Bunning on alison.bunning@btinternet.com
Castle Douglas 2020 Sale
A small number of Riggit Galloways will be for sale at the Wallets Marts Castle Douglas Sale on Friday 30th October 2020 after the Belted Galloway Sale. For more info and to download the sale catalogue, click here. Please note, covid restrictions apply and purchasers must register at 48 hours before the start of the sale. The sale will be available to view online and online bidding and telephone bidding will be available.
Animals include:
Croft Mackintosh
RG2018/053 (UK586392/200019) Black born 11/12/2018
Lovely marked Riggit bull with a good temperament. Great conformation. Available for export to mainland Europe.
Mackintosh at Westmoorland Show 2019
Mackintosh, Summer 2020
Croft Snowdrop
RG2018/054 (UK586392/100018) Black born 28/11/2018
Beautifully marked riggit heifer ready to go to the bull. Naturally reared with fantastic conformation.
3 Riggit Galloway Steers from Mr Laurie
15/17 months old
Online Riggit Show 2020: CHAMPION & RESERVE
We are pleased to announce that we have selected our Champion and Reserve Champion from the many outstanding entries in our online show.
Champion: Riland Ranger
Riland Ranger, a bull owned by Beth McVerry in New Zealand is our overall champion and winner of the Hatherland Trophy. Many congratulations Beth.
Reserve Champion: Stonehouse Goldeneye
This beautiful cow, owned and bred by the Richardson family will be presented the new Cherrybank Shield.
Alison and Harriet would like to thank everyone who entered. We have really missed meeting up with all our Riggit friends at the jamboree this year, but we’re glad we have seen so many great cattle.
Online Riggit Show 2020: RESULTS
A huge thank you to all who entered cattle for our online show this year. It’s been truly a pleasure seeing such a good number of top quality Riggit Galloways. You made our job very difficult. The results of classes 1-4 are below. We will publish our Champion and Reserve Champion, winners of the Hatherland Trophy and Cherrybank Shield, tomorrow.
Class 1 Bull, any age
1st Riland Ranger, owned by Beth McVerry
2nd Stonehouse Hawfinch, owned by Neil Helestine
3rd Stonehouse Godwit, owned by Patrick Laurie
4th Stonehouse Harrier, owned by SJ & M Richardson & Son
Class 2 Cow, in calf or with calf at foot
1st Stonehouse Goldeneye, owned by SJ & M Richardson & Son
2nd Stonehouse Chiffchaff, owned by SJ & M Richardson & Son
3rd Stonehouse Bittern, owned by Neil Heseltine
4th Ashdown Bellis, owned by The Conservators of Ashdown Forest
5th Stonehouse Grey Partridge, owned by Julie Walker
6th Cherrybank Parisa, owned by Beth McVerry
Class 3 Heifer, born after 31st July 2017
1st Stonehouse Jenny Wren, owned by SJ & M Richardson & Son
2nd Stonehouse Kestrel, owned by SJ & M Richardson & Son
3rd Stonehouse Kittiwake, owned by SJ & M Richardson & Son
4th Sherberton Heather 4th, owned by Robert McConnell
5th Hatherland Juliet, owned by Martin & Denise Craggs
6th Cherrybank Pizzazz, owned by Beth McVerry
Class 4 Calf, either sex, up to 9 months old
1st Ashdown Eyebright, owned by The Conservators of Ashdown Forest
2nd Cherrybank Silver Mist, owned by Beth McVerry
3rd Woodfield Angel, owned by Julie Walker
4th Stonehouse Long-Tailed Tit, owned by SJ & M Richardson & Son
Highly commended for most picturesque scene
Craig Barbara, owned by Patrick Laurie
Online Riggit Show 2020: ENTRIES
Watch the video below to see all the entries in our 4 classes of the Online Riggit Show 2020. Animals appear in age order. Results to follow soon.
LAST FEW DAYS LEFT TO ENTER VIRTUAL SHOW
The Riggit Galloway Virtual Show 2020 final entry date is 31st July. If you haven’t already please send your entries to riggitshow@gmail.com. See below for entry requirements. Thank you.
Riggit Galloway Cattle Society Virtual Show 2020
We are pleased to announce a Virtual Riggit Show. This is a chance for any member to enter their Riggits in an online show. Entries are open to all registered Riggits. There is no requirement for them to be haltered. Two photos are required for each entry: one side view and one rear view. Photos can be taken anywhere - in a field, on a hillside - anywhere! We only ask that they are fully registered correctly marked Riggits and you are a
paid up member of the society. There are no entry fees.
There are 4 classes:
Class 1 Bull, any age.
Class 2 Cow, in calf or with calf at foot.
Class 3 Heifer, born after 31st July 2017.
Class 4 Calf, either sex, up to 9 months old.
1st and 2nd prize winners from each class will then go on to be considered for Champion and Reserve Champion.
Champion to receive the Hatherland trophy. Winners will be announced in August and featured on the website and in social media.
How to enter
Photos should be emailed to riggitshow@gmail.com
If entering more than one animal, please send each entry in a separate email.
Include:
Class
Animal Name
Animal Sex
Date of Birth
Registration Number
Owner Name and Address
All entries to be received by 12 noon on 31st July 2020. The entries will then be made anonymous and forwarded to our judges Alison and Harriet Bunning.
Do please consider entering. This is intended to be a fun way of exhibiting your Riggits and a chance for anyone who hasn't considered entering a livestock show to have a go.
Newsletter Autumn 2019
Welcome New Members
Robert McConnell of Ballymena, Co Antrim, has waded straight into the world of Riggits with purchases from the Hatherland and Sherberton herds. Notably, he has secured ownership of Clifton Hawthorns last calf, a marked yearling bull by Craig Dougal. We wish you all the best of luck with them Robert.
And the Society congratulates long-time Associate member Gemma Bounds on her upgrade, now she owns Riggit heifer, Hatherland Juno. Gemma has had 6 first place tickets through the summer showing Juno, who is going to continue living at Hatherland due to Gemma’s lawn not being big enough.
News from the USA
The fate of Riggits around the world has been varied since long before the inception of the RGCS. And so it continues. While we started our own herdbook, and then began keeping a register for our colleagues in New Zealand, breeders in Germany carried on without hindrance, and one or two in Canada have been building numbers. There are moves there under consideration to formally register Riggits as such.
Lately, some animals have been appearing- and retained- in Australia, although where they’ll be registered remained a matter of some discussion. This is all good and moving forward.
But in the US there have been hardly any Riggit Galloways reported. A handful of cattle keepers are wanting to head in a Riggity direction, registering them as ‘overmarked’ Whites under the AGBA (American Galloway Breeders Association) rules. But to the dismay of those concerned, these rules have instead lately been
tightened to exclude Riggit animals, leaving breeders with an interest wondering what to do. Whether there is impetus to start their own herdbook as a stand-alone group, or ask their Northern neighbours to add them to a future register remains to be seen.
We are feeling for you folks, having trodden similar paths.
Hatherland Finlay led by Jeremy at Royal Norfolk Show
Showing
Riggit Galloways have once again been showing their shaggy heads in public across the country.
In the Southwest, The Mid Devon show in August saw several Riggits in the AONB classes. Alison Bunning and Alison Geen lead Hatherland Hestia and Sherberton Dory to take 2nd and 3rd respectively behind Colin Hutchings imported black Galloway, in the cow/heifer class. Then Mrs Bunning took top honours in both junior heifer and pairs classes, and your secretary led Sherberton Erik to a first in the bull class, and subsequently reserve champion.
Other successes for Hatherland included heifer Hestia and her calf taking Rare Breed champion at Dorset County, and winning pairs classes at both Dorset with Juno and Jovian (heifer and young bull).
In the East, Jeremy Perkins had a very successful outing for the Two Mills herd, at the Royal Norfolk Show. TwoMills Mary (White Galloway) took Supreme Champion in Any Other Native Breed Class, while Jeremy’s
Riggit stock bull ‘Hatherland Finlay’ took Best Male and Reserve Champion. They went on to take a Special Prize as best pair.
In the North, September saw the estimable Westmorland show include Riggit classes, alongside the National Belted Galloway classes. The Keiley’s ‘Croft’ and Robbie Galloway’s ‘Cardona’ herds both ventured down from North of the border. While the rain streamed incessantly the show went ahead. The Keileys put in a creditable
show, but were pipped in both male and female classes. Cardona’s stockman Ewen McRobert lead out ‘Barfil Bill’ to take top honours and champion Riggit. This topped their first summer showing Riggit Galloways, where they’ve created quite a splash showing beasts across Scotland.
Barfil Bill led by Ewan McRobert at Westmorland Show
A Riggity Farmshop
Late news, we have just learned that Dorset breeders Patrick and Darlene Ford have been granted planning permission for their farm shop. No doubt Riggit and Belted beef will feature in this venture, and we wish them every success. Within hours of the news leaking out, rumblings had started that a future summer outing for the Society might have to be a return trip to Dorset, including a visit to this fine establishment.
Summer Jamboree
This summer, we were invited to visit Ashdown Forest in Sussex. Caroline Fitzgerald and her team – notably the ever affable Dan- made members very welcome, showing us their conservation grazing programme cross this unexpected home counties gem. Using Hebridean sheep, Exmoor ponies, as well as their growing herd of Riggits, the team are opening up a glorious mix of lowland heath vegetation, which would otherwise be losing in under thickets of birch. While many members think they have got problems with the public tramping everywhere and walking their dogs, this was an eye opener. The Ashdown Forest Centre was our base, and where we were generously fed and watered.
Further excursions over 2 days took us to the outstanding ‘Black Venn’ herd of Sussex cattle nearby, owned
by Elizabeth Buchanan, a nuclear bunker on top of Ashdown Forest currently being used for police training, and Wakehurst Place Botanical Garden, home to the ‘Millennium Seed Bank Kew’. The following day saw us motor a little way east, to visit the Surrey Wildlife Trust, and their cattle on Boxhill. Hosted by James Stoyles,
we were shown a very good – and growing- herd of Belted Galloways, along with one or two Riggits. We learned more about managing cattle in areas with widespread public access. Several members couldn’t resist the walk down from a viewpoint high on Boxhill, down to the pasture where several cattle were running with the bull, and yet more provender awaited delegates.
Taken altogether, it was yet another outstanding trip, and the Society is profoundly grateful to all of our kind hosts, assistants, and everyone who made it happen.
Westmorland County Show 2019
Despite the terrible weather, the Riggit show team put a big smile on and presented their cattle well to the judge William Wilcocks.
Two herds made the journey down from Scotland to promote the breed, the Cardona Herd owned by Robbie Galloway and shown by Ewan and Sharon McRobert and the Croft Herd with cattle owned/shown by Mollie and Daisy Keiley with help from Mum Katie and Dad David.
Many congratulations to the exhibitors and huge thanks to them and the other society members who made the trip and for working hard to promote our breed.
The results were as follows.....
Male
1st Barfil Bill (Cardona Herd)
2nd Croft MacKintosh (Croft Herd)
Female
1st Stonehouse Honey Buzzard (Cardona Herd)
2nd Craig Mollie (Croft Herd)
Pair
1st Barfil Bill & Stonehouse Honey Buzzard (Cardona Herd)
2nd Craig Mollie & Croft MacKintosh (Croft Herd)
Overall Champion
Barfil Bill
Reserve Champion
Stonehouse Honey Buzzard
Thanks to William and Emma Richardson for the results and photos.
Successful 2019 Jamboree!
News
A full and varied programme of visits was provided by Caroline and her team at Ashdown Forest. We had our summer meeting followed by a lovely lunch of Hebridean Lamb raised on the Forest and cooked by Ashdown Forest stock man Dan. This was followed by a tour of grazing sites where we saw their Riggit youngstock, cows and Stonehouse Dipper. We nipped into the National Cats Protection League Centre for tea and cake as the Hebridean sheep and the Heb Mules were grazing near by. A barbeque ended the day in a convivial fashion.
The following day saw visits to see Elizabeth Buchanan’s Sussex cattle, winter grazed sites at Wakehurst Place and a fascinating tour of the Sussex Police Training ground which includes a nuclear bunker originally dug as housing for a WWII transmitter. A visit to The Coach and Horses for dinner rounded off our day.
Friday saw us an hour away from Ashdown Forest visiting the Surrey Wildlife Trust’s herd of Belted Galloway Cattle at Boxhill Farm. This herd is also used on many sites for conservation grazing. Thanks to James Stoyles and his team for a very interesting visit.
As always very many thanks to our hosts and all those who offered us such wonderful hospitality. There are many photographs on the Riggit Galloway Facebook page.
The winter meeting is scheduled for Wednesday 12th February 2020. At the summer meeting it was decided to hold this at Stoneleigh in the RBST headquarters if possible. This is to be confirmed
