This past weekend Switzerland hosted the 2013 All European Championship Show and sent a clear message to the world that NO ONE puts on a better SHOW than Europe. Think of it as the Olympics meets Cirque to Soleil and you have the 2013 All European Championships. From the outstanding cattle to the amazing production the 2013 All European Champion truly was the GREATEST Dairy SHOW on earth in 2013.
The Winners
Similar to the greatly anticipated battle at the 2012 World Dairy Expo between the great Harvue Roy Frosty and RF Goldwyn Hailey (Read more: World Dairy Expo 2012 Holstein Show: A battle for the ages), the 2013 All European Championship Show had its own much anticipated battle between DECRAUSAZ IRON O’KALIBRA EX-94 from Switzerland and ASHYLYN VRAY EX-94 from Spain. It didn’t disappoint. As predicted the Grand Championship came down to these two great cows with O’Kalibra taking Grand and Vray taking Reserve.
Decrausaz Iron O’Kalibra
Class 9 winner, Sr & Grand Champion – 2013 All European Championship
In his reasons Judge David Boyd from Ireland commented that he thought O’Kalibra, exhibited by GS Alliance and Pat Conroy, could walk in any show ring in the world and compete. Many show experts agree 100% with his declaration. Two separate polls on Facebook demonstrated that the world agrees with him. O’Kalibra certainly would give the great RF Goldwyn Hailey a run for her money. With her outstanding fore udder, sweep of rib and strength of pastern she would certainly make it a very interesting class competing with Hailey’s outstanding balance, size and dairyness throughout. (Watch for more to come on this topic or click here to participate in our Facebook poll)
Decrausaz Iron O’Kalibra
Class 9 winner, Sr & Grand Champion – 2013 All European Championship
LLERA ARIEL GOLDWYN (SPAIN)
Class 8 winner – 2013 All European Championship
Another show favorite that caught the eye of cattlemen was LLERA ARIEL GOLDWYN. For many she is the definition of the modern Holstein cow with her dairyness through the front end and snuggly attached udder that is high and wide. She certainly won many fans at the show. Also getting a lot of attention from Spain, who went on to win the much-coveted top country class, was HUDDLESFORD DUPLEX MEDORA. This silky black Duplex daughter rose to be Intermediate Champion over some outstanding young cows from Ponderosa Farms of Spain (Watch for our upcoming feature article with Ponderosa who had 5 Top 5 placing animals).
Huddlesford Duplex Medora (Spain)
Class 6 Winner and Int. Champion – 2013 All European Championship
A young cow with a very bright future is the Junior Champion C.M.E GOLDWYN VANITY (Note for North American readers at this show ALL animals are in milking form so Junior Champion is more like a 1st or 2nd calf cow). This young cow had the X factor that Judge Boyd was looking for. He loved her depth of fore rib over her classmate and Reserve Junior Champion SOUTHLAND ALEX CAROLA 11.
Complete 2013 All European Championship Show Holstein Results
C.M.E. GOLDWYN VANITY (Italy)
Jr Champion Holstein – 2013 All European Championship
Suard-Red Jordan Irene
Grand Champion 2013 All European Championship
The Red Holstein Show was very much dominated by the host country Switzerland with SUARD-RED JORDAN IRENE taking Grand Champion honors. This great Ja-Bob Jordan daughter used the power of her outstanding mammary system to take top honors in a show that featured many outstanding young cows.
Suard-Red Jordan Irene – Grand Champion 2013 All European Championship
Complete 2013 All European Championship Show Red Holstein Results
The Show
While some would argue that even the winners of some of these classes would not sit top five at World Dairy Expo or the Royal, one thing that this show does dominate over North America is the entertainment production value that even the emotional story of Ebyholme Goldwyn Marcia winning reserve at the Royal could not compete with (Read more: The 2012 Royal Winter Fair Holstein Show: One of the greatest stories ever told!).
From the ring environment that is custom developed for this show to the passion the breeders in Europe have for this show, the whole experience is was like something you would expect at an expensive production like Cirque to Soleil or the closing ceremonies of the Olympics.
From the ring environment that is custom developed for this show to the passion the breeders in Europe have for this show, the whole experience is was like something you would expect at an expensive production like Cirque to Soleil or the closing ceremonies of the Olympics. At times the final class for champion country (a walk in class in EU compared to a points class in North American competitions) with appreciation presentations and flag passing ceremonies to the next host France in 2014 seemed to take a very long time. However, a lively ring announcer and a suspenseful environment made even that an enjoyable experience for the over capacity crowd. That same enthusiastic crowd went on to show the world how well they can party late into the night. Where no fewer than 2,000 people taking part in a typical Swiss dish: the fondue and some fine refreshments.
From the great camera angles combined with the very professional in ring cameras combined with the outstanding music and exceptional ring announcer the experience was riveting for all.
Not only was the experience outstanding for those in attendance but also for those who watched online. With a limited capacity of 2000 viewers (1500 on the Bullvine alone) streaming online the show did an amazing job showcasing itself to the world. From the great camera angles combined with the very professional in ring cameras combined with the outstanding music and exceptional ring announcer the experience was riveting for all. At one point that we had over 200 people on our website who were not able to watch, constantly hitting refresh hoping to get a chance to see this amazing event. (Click here to watch the highlight video)
A capacity crowd was on hand for the 2013 Swiss European Sale. Sale highlights include: 14,700 – Morsan Showdon Red, the daughter of the Goldbull Christian is a granddaughter of Blondin Redman Seisme and is the only female descendant of Seisme in Europe.
The Bottom Line
With the 2013 edition of the All European Championship show now complete Europe has sent a clear message to the rest of the world and specifically North America. They are a serious force on the world scene. All who attended or watched online saw high quality cattle and an amazing production. There is no question, from a presentation stand point, that the 2013 All European Championship Show was certainly “the greatest dairy show on earth”
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I agree, at least until Oct 2013.