Thank you Blake Goss of Goss Livestock in Leedey, OK for providing placings and officials for this class.
Placing: 4213
Cuts: 3-2-4
It’s 4’s look of maternal function and build that I’m drawn to. Here’s a stout skulled, bold bladed female that is great in her body shape and ultra-wide pinned. Yet what really makes her good in my mind is her ability to combine her added power with a balanced proportional look from the side and the most athletic and functional skeleton. Now don’t get me wrong, I love the look of design found in the calico gilt. She is so elevated and attractive while still being hinged looser about her lower joints and planting a stouter hind leg. But it’s as she comes and goes that I leave her 2n. She’s the narrower chested female that gets flatter about her blade and can’t match my class winners spread up high.
But even so, in a challenging intermediate decision it’s her advantages of design and flexibility that keep her in my top pair. She’s the female that is more laid back in her shoulder and draws back with more length out of her hip, and I especially like that she drives the ring with more reach and extension off both ends of her skeleton. There’s no question that 1 has some out-there pieces to breed around. She’s as stout headed, big hipped and as heavy structured as any. Unfortunately, the longer she goes her build becomes more problematic, as the straighter fronted, shorter hipped female gets tighter and more restricted.
Despite these criticisms, she’s still offers some unique pieces to work with and her extras of feature, shape and bone should be more valuable as a breeding piece. Now there’s no question that 3 is a big bodied, broody gilt that doesn’t fall short of power and skeletal dimension, but in a class of this caliber she’s quickly becomes the shortest faced, coarsest made and most off-balance female who forfeits to much quality to play any higher.
