By Tom Best

AS WE enter a new year, many a show committee will be bringing together plans to stage yet another event; for many, survival has been a major achievement and continuing to survive a challenge!

It is all the more commendable that Scotland’s major show organiser, the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society, should host a full day’s programme which recently brought together show organisers from far afield under the Scottish Shows Forum banner.

At a time when show organisers can do with all the help they can get, meaningful topics with good speakers as well as networking were surely welcomed.

Keynote speaker for the day was Aled Rhys Jones, assistant chief executive for the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society, who addressed the topic: Agricultural Societies and shows: where do we go from here?

The subject of a study which he has completed with funding from The Nuffield (UK) Farming Scholarship Trust, he was well qualified to speak to the topic having travelled the equivalent of twice round the world to visit some 27 major show grounds in 11 countries across four continents.

It is well worth seeking out his report which makes extremely interesting reading and also worth viewing his enthusiastic delivery of his study, which was caught on video at the Nuffield Farming Conference in December; it is no wonder that his lively and highly competent delivery should gain him the John Stewart Shield for the best presentation of all submitted for 2016.

Equestrianism is not singled out in the report, but several important points made have equine relevance which included a survey of visitors to the 2015 Royal Welsh Show.

Of the things they said they liked, livestock was in the top four selected along with atmosphere, variety and socialising, while horses was one of top next three along with animals and food.

As reassuring as this is, it’s a job to know how some of the questions which he poses in the report can be answered in equestrian terms.

Here are a few: Is showing still relevant? Is there a disconnect between the show ring and that which is wanted in today’s world? Is there room for innovation? How can we add entertainment value?

Can education feature especially in Scotland where the RHET initiative is considered by Aled Jones to be best practice in Britain?

The words of his report kept ringing in my ears as I pondered over an old 1926 show catalogue for the Western District of Fife Agricultural Society, formed as Dunfermline Farmer’s Society in 1765.

The society’s aims stated are: “…. to improve the different Breeds of Stock…. And to encourage Improvements and Discoveries – Cereal or Green Crops – Implements of Husbandry or other matters with rural affairs”.

Presidents and honourary presidents listed were the local gentry, while vice president and members of committee were prominent famers of the locality, as well as a few well-known businessmen associated with the farming community.

At that time the shows were held on the first Saturday of July. A bell sounded the start of judging, lunch break and parade; Townhill Silver Band (needless to say a relic of the old pit band from the village of Townhill) provided the music and the 1st King’s Dragoon Guards provided main ring entertainment. Looking through advertisements in the catalogue, I noted that a Fordson tractor cost £120 (with £1 equal to £55 today, this price equates to £6500); a self starter was £15 extra and demountable rims another £5.

A touring car cost £128, while a delivery van cost £130.

Livestock classes generally attracted a first prize of £1, second 10s and third 5s, when 12 pennies (d) made up a shilling and 20 shillings(s) made a pound.

Given that the country had just experienced the General Strike in May of that year and the Great Depression of the 1930s was soon to devastate the World as well as Britain, it is quite remarkable that prize money was at a real premium when the average weekly wage for a farm labourer was £1.11s.6d for a 50 hour week.

Just as today, show jumpers earned a good bit more with the ‘Horse Leaping’ competitions (Pace and style to be considered – obviously marked like our working hunters) at £10, £5 and £3 with a Lady’s class only £3, £2 and £1.

There were only six entries in the first class (two of which came from the Dragoons) and one in the ladies so the prize winners did quite well that day.

Interestingly, geldings and work horses were most popular in the Clydesdale section and the biggest class entry of the day was for the ‘Best groomed Work Horse or Mare and Best Kept Harness. Confined to farm servants whose masters are members of the Society’.

The single ridden class was for a ‘Cob or Pony 15 hands or under’ and there was a Shetland pony class where entries included one from the Fife Coal Company, Kelty.

There were four driving classes outwith the Clydesdale section: merchant/dairyman, single, pony under 15 hands and a Ladies’ Driving competition in which only the driving skills would be considered with no prize money but a special prize of a whip.

I notice that Ernest J Kerr of Harviestoun had no exhibits in the Shetland class (for which he later became very famous) but did post an entry in the singles driving class, no doubt with one of his Hackneys for which he was a noted breeder and exhibitor at the time.

There were 10 dog classes, interestingly including one for black and tan terriers and an extensive poultry section which included eight for pigeons; the turkey cock or hen class included two entries from Lord Elgin, a noted local landowner and forebear of the famous 7th Earl of Elgin Marbles fame.

The Earl supported the show in all sections, but not the home produce where the scones and oatmeal cakes had to be baked in a farm house.

Unsurprisingly for the era, entries outwith a 15-mile radius of the show ground were few and far between. Overall entries the previous years were recorded at: 1921 - 739, 1922 – 815, 1923 – 736, 1924 – 744, 1924 – 643 and 1926 – 610.

Bearing in mind afternoon entry to the show was 1s.3d (roughly 7% of the average farm labourer’s weekly wage), how things have changed.

One question required to be answered then which is still relevant today: Did the paying public have a good day out and would they return the following year? Many a modern-day show treasurer would love to know the answer.

A totally different subject, but one very close to my heart as regular readers will know, was covered recently in the national press and television.

I was delighted to hear that Fife Council has joined 33 other UK local authorities in banning sky lanterns and helium balloons on its land or at events supported by it.

It will also include a prohibition against them and mass balloon releases within the licence agreements for the lease or hire of any of its land or premises.

Hopefully, this will help raise awareness to everyone of the environmental consequences and dangers posed by these beautiful, but potentially dangerous, frills of entertainment.

Better still, hopefully it is also the first step towards the banning of fireworks in all but organised displays. Until then, equines and their owners won’t rest easy particularly on Guy Fawkes Night.