Congratulations to the Royal Highland Show Supreme Young Handler

Royal Highland Show Supreme Young Handler, Rhianydd Davies with her Highland heifer, competitor sponsor and judge

There can be no doubting of the superior standard and ability of the young handlers coming through the ranks. The quality and showmanship saw six young star performers compete for the Dalchirla Trophy, which was first presented in 2019. They included the supreme from the Sheep section along with winners from the Goat, Beef and Dairy sections, also a Shetland Pony and Clydesdale.

Judges Robin Orr and daughter Caroline Morton were very impressed with the standards, with the title going to the Beef Section Winner Rhianyyd Davies exhibiting a Highland heifer from the Caradog fold in Wales. ‘The beef cattle winner was on the button as soon as she came in the ring. She had her heifer brough out to perfection and she was always paying attention to where the judges were and to how her animal looked.’ said Mrs Morton.

Rhianydd is 16 and has just finished her GCSEs, choosing Geography and Cookery as her options. She also did a day a week studying Agriculture in Gelli Aur College.

She lives with her parents in a house built on her grandparents small holding near Ammanford in Carmarthenshire. They run the Aman flock of Texel sheep, who are the current Texel Champion Flock of Wales. She also has some ewes with her sister under the Tyrcan prefix.

Her other grandparents own Carreg Cennen Castle and farm near Llandeilo. They have the successful Carreg herd of Longhorns and are one time breed record holders. It was when she was showing Longhorns that we met her. In 2019 she prepared Grav, our bull calf, for the Highland Cattle Club of Wales competition at the Three Counties show in Malvern where she came second. She hasn’t looked back since!

She also likes playing football. She has represented Carmarthenshire Schools for three seasons and has been awarded the ‘breakthrough player’. When she turned 16, she qualified to play Ladies football and made her debut for Ammanford Ladies in the West Wales Cup Final a couple of days later.

She has won many young handler classes, championships and points trophies in the past few years. She won her class and was Reserve Champion in the Royal Welsh and was Champion at Stars of the Future in Stirling in 2022. Earlier this year she won the Carmarthenshire YFC Rally preparing a beef calf gaining full marks in the process.

Having come second in her two previous attempts, winning her class and in going all the way to overall young handler champion at the Highland this year, means she is absolutely over the moon! We are extremely proud of her for all she has achieved in the Highland Show this year as well as over the previous years.