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TEAM HOLSTEIN UK PREVIEW T
Photography by Richard Hodgson
he European Championships at Colmar will see the cream of European Holsteins presented for judging, including a team from Holstein UK. The Journal caught up with chief selector John Gribbon to learn more about the team heading to France later this summer. Selection for the team started just over a year ago, with John Gribbon, Lynden Bustard and Carl Smith tasked with picking a team to represent Holstein UK, narrowing a wide range of cows down to just 15.
Mr Gribbon says the task was not an easy one and many of those cows which didn’t make the team missed out by the narrowest of margins. “The first six animals were easier to select with some well known winners from leading shows. The heifer selection was completed on the final day with the addition of the youngest member. But the second calvers were the most difficult with many great young cows in contention, the last day of selection gave us two top drawer young cows which have resulted in contenders for all three classes.”
Cows in their third lactations had been penned in for a few months, he adds. “Two mature cows have been selected to compete.
“It gave me great pleasure to select animals from herds that are not commonplace around shows. Competitive red and whites proved more tricky to find, but we have picked a great young heifer and the UK Dairy Expo champion will be flying the flag for the UK,” explains Mr Gribbon.
Covering a total of nearly 1500 miles during their selection process the trio of selectors were broadly unanimous in their choices.
“Heading to Colmar to compete
UK Dairy Day champion Berryholme Infloence Linda 3 is fresh in her sixth lactation and has been selected as the mature cow to compete.
in the first calver class is Icow Riverdane Lis Ruby. Calved about six weeks when The Journal went to press, she is daughter of 2015 All Britain winner Abbeyhouse Gold B Ruby 2. She is joined by Woodhey Atwood Sally. Both great young heifers,” says Mr Gribbon.
“Also in this class will be Firstlook Aftershock Ricki, the reserve intermediate champion at UK Dairy Expo. This is a great bodied heifer with an exceptional rear udder. Wyndford Atwood Grey 90, a really young looking heifer with a great udder, is another great animal added to our selection. She is out of a Terling cow purchased many moons ago by Mr Maddocks.” To complete the first calver section, the selectors went for Riverdane SVS Atlee from Riverdane Holsteins, the champion heifer at UK Dairy Expo and honourable mention overall. “SVS Atlee is hard to fault in body with a great rear
udder.
“In the second calvers we had so many great cows to pick from, some breeders were unlucky not to have their animals picked, but the four going will be big contenders. Look out Europe.”
The first of these is Evening Stanleycup Jennifer. “She is an exciting young cow with style and hard to fault. Another young second calver is the Atwood daughter Icow Huddlesford Princess, a young cow with a great side view.
“Joining them is Newbirks Jazz 1584, champion at Western Show and many times a winner as a heifer. She is a real contender with a super udder and ring style.”
These three are similar and should be on the shortlist for our group of four, adds Mr Gribbon.
“The final second calved cow is Riverdane Sid Jolie. She is a daughter of 2011 European champion, the immortal Castel James Jolie.
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