HYB Weekend Rally
The South West HYB Club is gearing up to host this year’s HYB Weekend Rally from 11th to 13th August, when young breeders from across the UK will descend on Somerset for a wide range of activities involving learning, development - and of course, plenty of fun!
National Competitions, ‘bongo’s bingo’ & so much more on offer for the 2023 festival themed HYB rally
Alongside the competitive element of the weekend, there will be plenty of other activities to take part in, including practical workshops and mini competitions. This is all part of HYB’s objective to develop vital skills in the next generation to enhance knowledge and understanding of cattle breeding and management. The event also enables the members to meet, network and make friends with other passionate young breeders.
On Friday 11th August, HYB members will arrive at Cannington College, where they will enjoy a whole host of games and activities on the college’s sports field – a chance to break the ice with the other members attending the Weekend Rally. After this there will be a night of Bongo Bingo – HYB style, with a chance to win prizes.
Saturday will see young breeders compete in the highly-anticipated National Reasoned Stockjudging and Linear Assessment competitions at Davlea Holsteins, by kind permission of Ian and Max Davies. Once the competitive element of the day is complete, members will take part in Laser Tag shooting. There will also be workshops for those members not competing.
Saturday night promises to be a great opportunity for the young breeders to relax and enjoy themselves at the festival themed party with live music. A highlight of the Rally each year is seeing which club has been the most creative with their fancy dress; we’re looking forward to seeing some imaginative outfits for this year’s Festival theme.
Another highlight of the weekend is the ‘Field-2-Foto’ competition which will take place at Puxton Park, by kind permission of Alistair Mead, on Sunday 13th August. For this challenge, teams of five are assigned a calf, which is supplied by local herds and picked at random during the weekend. Calves arrive basically clean, and halter broken. The team puts its best clipper forward, with their score going towards the team total – and also puts them in the running to win the prestigious National Clipping Competition. Two members then wash the calf, before the entire team gets involved with the final preparation. Then one member undertakes the showmanship element of the
Naomi Lewis, National HYB Co-ordinator for Holstein UK, commented: “The Weekend Rally is one of the highlights of the HYB calendar. It is so important that our young members can get away from their farming lives to enjoy the positivity and passion of their friends and other young breeders.
“With its diverse range of activities, learning opportunities and chance to meet with friends, members leave the event with valuable knowledge and life-long friendships. Our objective at HYB is to encourage enthusiasm amongst young Holstein breeders and support them as they progress their farming careers and showing skills.”
If you would like to find out more, contact your local Club Coordinator or Naomi on 07593 440428 / naomilewis@holstein-uk.org