The Breed

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BETTER BREEDING AT BALLYHAHONE

by Rodney Magowan

Richard Henderson

In 1990 a 14 year old Richard Henderson founded the Ballynahone Pedigree Texel Flock on the family farm near Tobermore, Co Londonderry.

Less than a decade later he had brought home the Royal Ulster Texel Championship from Balmoral Show and established a sound reputation for producing quality stock. Growing up on a farm with commercial ewes, mainly half Texels, put back to Texel tups, Richard was quick to appreciate the market friendly characteristics of our carcass breed.

Foundation pedigree Texel ewes were acquired from John Moore at Beragh, Co Tyrone and run with a very useful stock ram bought from Co Antrim breeder Alex Thompson of Islandmagee.

As Richard recalls that ram, Kilcoan Beano, did a lot of good in getting the Ballynahone flock off to a sound start. By 1997 the Henderson family were heading to the Royal Ulster with Richard’s first entry, a son of Kilcoan Beano, who won fourth place for a delighted teenager.

That year the decision was taken to concentrate on pedigree breeding as the commercial flock was dispersed and Richard won a red rosette with a ewe lamb at Ballymena Show. An excellent example of good judgement as this prizewinner was to become mother of the 2003 RUAS champion.

Always seeking to make steady improvement in livestock performance year on year Richard Henderson combines an eye for stock with an educated appreciation of the science of genetics. Thus new stock rams continue to be sourced each summer and flock recording has been the norm almost since the flock was founded.

Richard won the 2000 Royal Ulster Championship at Balmoral Show with this Ballynahone ram lamb sired by Springhill Expert.

1999 saw Richard, by then an IT student at Queen’s University Belfast, taking the Northern Bank Texel Championship at Balmoral with a gimmer. This daughter of Cambwell Darky was later sold in lamb at the NI Texel Sheep Breeders’ Club 21st. anniversary dinner for 1500gns. One of the twins she was carrying proved to be Sweetwall Gigolo, one of the most influential Texel rams used in Northern Ireland.

The 2000 Royal Ulster made it two in a row for Ballynahone Texels when a ram lamb sired by Springhill Expert took the championship. This widely fancied young tup was then sold at Lanark for a flock ram lamb record price of 3,200gns to the Ettrick & Douganhill Flocks.

At Balmoral Show 2002 Richard took the reserve championship and the following summer exhibited the champion Texel, which went on to win the reserve interbreed championship.

A line of success, which continued in 2004 with another Texel Reserve Championship at the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society’s Balmoral Show on the outskirts of Belfast. 2004 was also the first year Texels took the interbreed pairs championship with Richard’s Reserve Champion part of the team. In just five years and before he turned 30 the Londonderry breeder has taken three Royal Ulster championships and two Reserve Champions.

The 2004 Royal Ulster was by far the best year for Ballynahone Texels at Balmoral with two first places, one second and one third prize plus the Female Championship, Reserve Male Championship and Reserve Overall Champion. Happily these successes at both the Royal Ulster and numerous county shows have been followed by financial reward in sale rings across Northern Ireland, Scotland and England.

CARLISLE

A first visit to a mainland sale with stock to sell saw Richard at the Carlisle second sale in 1998 when he topped the market with an April born ram lamb. However it was several years before the quiet spoken Ulsterman was seen again selling stock at a mainland event. He simply sees no point in taking anything other than toppers to major mainland sales.

At Balmoral Show 2002 Richard took the reserve championship

At Lanark in 2004 Ballynahone’s first entries since 2000 averaged £1700 over four ram lambs. Two of these, both embryo transplants, made 3000gns each. Closer to home another Ballynahone Texel, a Sweetwall Gigolo daughter, was top female at the Northern Ireland Premier sale in 2002.

Taking a young man’s fresh approach to pedigree breeding Richard not only uses recording as a breeding tool, but also makes excellent use of ET technology. The 2004 crop of ET lambs proving especially pleasing.

Enthusiastic as ever Richard has built on this consistent success in show ring and sale ring by investing in two much admired stock rams, the 10,000gns Castlecairn Kennedy and Glensire King Kong, second placed ram lamb at Carlisle in 2004. Their progeny is sure to create considerable interest in the show season to come.

Despite suggestions he has no interest in life other than making Ballynahone Texels the best in the breed Richard Henderson does find time for other activities. A pedigree Limousin herd was recently established and the second bull sold from the herd topped the autumn sale in Dungannon at 5000gns. The following spring the new owner took the bull to Perth where he was Reserve Champion and sold for 7,500gns.

Even more of a shock to his Texel peers was the revelation that Richard Henderson holidayed in Thailand last July and missed the Society’s 30th Anniversary Show at Glenarm Castle.

However his alibi was strong. Richard and new bride Cleona were honeymooning in the Far East. Ballynahone Texels cannot come first all the time even for this young man who has achieved so much so soon.