The Cheviot Sheep originated in the Cheviot Hills on the border between England and Scotland. Recognised as a hardy sheep as early as 1372, Cheviots did well in the bleak, windswept conditions with their strong constitution, easy lambing, well developed mothering instinct and fast maturity. The Cheviot ewe can be found grazing up to 3,000 feet and is expected to live off the hill throughout the year.

The main purpose of the breed is the production of quality lamb. The draft ewes were originally crossed with the Border Leicester to produce the famous Scotch Half-bred; now the Bluefaced Leicester is also used to produce the Cheviot Mule. These crosses when put to a teminal Suffolk or continental sire, produce good quality butchers’ lambs.  

The Border Leicester breed was developed in 1767 in Northumberland.  The Culley brothers from Glendale were initially responsible for bringing the Dishley Leicester bloodline into the area. They initially crossed these sheep with the local Teeswater breed but other farmers on the Border started crossing in some Cheviot blood. This led to two variations nicknamed the “Bluecaps” and the “Redlegs”.  The Border farmers preferred the hardier redlegs and by about 1850 this variation of the Dishley Leicester became known as the Border Leicester.

As a pedigree animal the Border Leicester lends itself to all farming systems, whether commercially producing large quantities of half-bred females or for those wishing to produce their own replacements and butchers lambs from a small flock. This versatility allows farming systems of all sizes to market a quality product, whether marketing breeding stock for the commercial farmer or producing quality meat for niche markets and the butchers’ trade.

Crossing a Cheviot ewe with a Border Leicester tup produces a Scotch Half-bred lamb. This combination presents great hybrid vigour, combining the mothering abilities of the Cheviot hill ewes with the prolificacy of the Border Leicester tup. 

Scotch Half-bred classes were introduced to the Yetholm Show around 1873. Until the mid 1900’s the breed was exceptionally important and formed the basis of many lowland flocks throughout the Borders. The post-war advances in mechanisation on farms led to increasing amounts of grassland being cultivated with arable crops, with a resulting demise in the number of Scotch Half-bred sheep.  

Blackface sheep were introduced to the Show in the early 1900’s being a popular hardy sheep suiting the harsher local hill conditions.

The dominant lowland sheep now is a Greyface or Mule ewe which is the prodigy of a Bluefaced Leicester tup and a Blackface ewe. Lambs from the Greyface ewe generally have excellent conformation and grow to good weights.

The working relationship between a shepherd and his dog is astonishing to watch. With a few simple commands, the dog makes gathering sheep off a hill a far simpler task. Shedding an odd sheep off from the main flock becomes a realistic proposition that a man alone would find nigh impossible to achieve. The bond between man and dog is not surprising when you consider the number of hours they spend together working with sheep.

There is evidence of collie trials at the Show from the early 1900’s.  Today’s format involves bringing sheep from a release pen and herding them into a collecting pen. The aims of the collie trials is to promote good handling of the sheep with a minimum of stress for them as well a good handling of the dog, to promote its utility and sport, and to secure and select the best working lines. It reflects “collecting style”.

There have been competitive stick classes at the Yetholm Show for over 100 years with all the sticks being handcrafted by the exhibitors.  The shanks of sticks are normally made from hazel. Decorative heads are generally crafted from horn or elm burr.

Since 1992 we have been privileged to host the “Scottish Champion of Champions” competition. The “Best in Show” from all the shows in the country qualify to enter this end of season championship and there is always a fine range of sticks on display.

The Show report from 1923 includes results from running, quoiting, wrestling and putting the ball competitions and the sports programme formed a large part of the Show up until 1991.  

The Show was part of the circuit and came at the end of highly contested seasons. The handicap system for the running competitions allowed professionals to compete against amateurs, often with surprising results! 

Nowadays we have the annual Brae House race and organise children's sports as part of the afternoon’s main ring entertainment.  

Since the early 1900’s the Industrial Tent has been a major part of the Show. Baking, preserves, handicraft, photography, flower and vegetable classes all attract many entries of a very high standard.  Adverse weather conditions throughout the years has played havoc with the marquee on many occasions and in the early 1990’s Committee members took the decision to let the marquee down before it blew away.

Vintage tractors and machinery were first introduced to the Show in 1998. The classes have been extended over the years to include cars, landrovers, stationery engines and hand tools. The Vintage Tractor Parade is now an established tradition and vital part of the Main Ring entertainment.