Judges Report:

Thank you to the committee for inviting me to award my first set of CCs. It was a great honour to judge so many excellent Ridgebacks & my sincere thanks go to all the exhibitors for such an enjoyable day. Thank you to my two stewards for keeping me organised.

I have not commented individually on ridges as I found all acceptable. Generally mouths were good & temperaments were excellent. I am a great believer that feet are of paramount importance in an endurance hound & I was disappointed to see so many that were not correct & I’m afraid this did cost some exhibits higher places. I was looking for a balanced, free, active stride & found it in my principal winners, however, some exhibits were moved far too fast for the environment which meant they were not able to get purchase & so ‘threw out their back legs’ making them unbalanced & giving them a tendency to run & fall onto the forehand.

BIS was Barnard’s Ch Jockular Lord Leonti at Tsjakka; RBIS, Storey & Piehl’s Kiromol Midsummer Spirit; & BP, Davis’ Hesslewell Heartthrob.

MPD (3,1a) 1 Davis’ Hesslewell Heartthrob, lovely puppy at 7 months. Clean lines & very neat all through. Good classic head, correct ear & eye set & nice flat skull. Promising arch to neck leading to good front & correct angulation Tight feet, set on correct pasterns. Enough bone, depth & width for age & growing very evenly. Lovely body shape with good underline & topline. Enough arch to loin & coming off the croup nicely. Lovely rear angulation & well let down hocks. Moved with purpose for one so young, showing a nice stride. Will watch him with interest & pleased to award him BPD & BP; 2 Maidment’s Amahle Alo, 8 month old true wheaten puppy, looking a little bum high at the moment & everything needs to tighten but absolutely at the right stage for his type & showing lots of promise. Good head of nice proportions with kind eye. Lovely length of neck & arch. Good front & rear angulation. Correct feet & pasterns, well let down hocks. Good body shape, showing nice length & promising depth but needs to settle into his frame. Excellent true movement when he settled. Would like a little more confidence but with such sympathetic handling I’m sure this will come.

PD (3,2) 1 H Heartthrob. JD (3) 1 Canon & Wickstead’s Hespa Kir Royale to Abayomi, lovely type of correct proportions. Masculine head conveying good expression with nice dark round eye. Good strong neck leading to well laid shoulders, good forechest. Super bone & feet with correct pasterns. Balanced depth, width & length of body with good ribbing & loin. Correct rear angulation with good second thigh & well let down hocks. Excellent movement showing drive & true down & back; 2 Cox’s Gens Julia Loretto Always The First at Carlincox, I like the overall clean stamp of this young dog. Beautiful head with kind expression & eye. Super length & arch of neck with good front & lay of shoulder. Good length & depth to body with proportionate width, good topline & nice over loin. Correct rear angulation & strong side gait. I felt he would benefit from more strength through the hocks as inclined to twist on the down & back; 3 Aitken’s Sonstraal Blood Red Baron at Saadani.

YD (2) 1 Reid’s Rottzridge Augustin, a very raw youngster who would benefit from some ringcraft but a lot to like & when he came together he moved beautifully showing balance & drive. Good masculine head showing typical breed expression. Lovely neck leading to good shoulder & front. Excellent pasterns & feet. Nice body shape of correct proportions, well ribbed & good loin. Correct tail carriage. Good rear angulation, well developed second thigh & well let down hocks. I hope his owners continue to show; 2 Aitken’s Sonstraal Blood Red Baron at Saadani, very different stamp & still needs to do a lot of maturing. Upstanding male with kind head, neck of good length & arch. Good forechest. Body of good length & nice topline when he relaxed into it. Came into his own on side gait but had a tendency to run & move close. ND (1) 1 S Blood Red Baron at S.

PGD (1) 1 McKinlay’s Azali Jamaa Azizi Tiberius, masculine head with good eye & earset. Strong forechest & lovely lay of shoulder with nice tight elbows. Good bone, excellent pasterns & feet. Nice depth of chest, good underline & topline, enough rise over loin & nicely off the croup. Balanced rear angulation. Moved out freely & true. LD (6,1) 1 Catharell’s Faahac Free N’Easy, liver nose of correct pigmentation & good eye colour. Lovely masculine head with good planes developing, good eye & ear shape & set. Enough length of neck with good arch leading to good shoulder placement & correct elbows. Correct bone & pasterns on excellent feet. Nice body shape with good forechest & depth of brisket, lovely topline, nice arch to loin & off the croup correctly. Good width to first & second thigh. Good turn of stifle & well let down hocks. Moved out well with drive & balance; 2 Lowson’s Kani Akilah Encane Hasani for Jengachenga, overall picture conveys breed type. Masculine head, with gentle expression. Strong neck leading to well developed front, good shoulder placement & elbows. Enough bone, correct pasterns & feet. Good depth & breadth of brisket, excellent forechest. Nice length of ribbing & good shape to body. Balanced rear angulation with very good first & second thigh leading to nicely let down hocks. Free & true on the move; 3 Aitken & Reid’s Gabisa Spotted Dick.

OD (9,4) 1 Barnard’s Ch Jockular Lord Leonti at Tsjakka, this hound fills the eye & he does not disappoint when going over him. He moved at one with his handler to show a beautiful long effortless stride which confirmed his condition & conformation. Balanced with the right amount of convergence on the down & back. Beautiful male head of good proportions & planes, with correct ear & eye setting & shape. Lovely clean, strong neck with nice arch leading cleanly onto the withers & super front assembly with correct angulation, forechest, elbows & brisket. Good bone, correct feet standing on good pasterns. Excellent body shape, showing strength but no coarseness all through, well ribbed, strong coupling, correct arch to loin & off the croup. Good tailset & carriage. Fantastic balanced turn of stifle, with excellent width to thighs. Strong well let down hocks. Delighted to award him CC & BIS; 2 Craven’s Hespa Henry Higgins, very stylish hound of good shape & balance. Nice head with developing planes, beautiful kind eye & good earset. Super clean neck showing strength & arch. Lovely front with good fore chest & good shoulder & elbows. Correct bone, pasterns & feet. Body of good depth & width, lovely topline & underline, correct ribbing, coupling, loin & nice off the croup. Another with good tailset & carriage. Well developed first & second thigh with correct rear angulation, leading to well let down hocks. Fluid, easy movement that was balanced & true. An overall picture of a beautiful fit hound. Happy to award him RCC; 3 Pyke’s Rozelridge Who The Man.

VD (4,1) 1 Aitken & Reid’s Ch Sonstraal Chocolate Storm, handsome strong hound. Kind head of good proportions showing padding to the muzzle. Round eye & good ear set & shape. Good length of neck conveying strength, with nice arch. Strong front with good lay of shoulder & tight elbows. Lovely bone & good proportionately correct depth, width & length to body. Excellent front pasterns on the best of feet. Level topline & nicely off the croup giving good tailset. Balanced rear angulation with good width to first & second thigh. Moved out with drive giving good side gait, in the class; 2 Hicks’ Ch Nuthouse Manhattan, strong hound with a very classic head of good proportions, correct eye & ears. Good neck leading correctly to withers & good front with nice angulation. Lovely bone, correct pasterns & good feet. Strong body, with super ribbing & nice arch to the loin & off the croup correctly with good tail carriage. Good rear angulation & strong well let down hocks. Presented in hard condition & moved out freely & true away & back; 3 Whiteside’s Morlingcourt Perfect Rogue.

MPB (6) 1 Maidment’s Amahle Aleshanee, very raw baby at 8 months old but so much to like about her. Kind expressive head which has all the correct proportions for age & type. Good eye shape & set, with correct ears. Lovely neck showing strength & length. Excellent front, good lay to shoulder & plenty of bone. Correct pasterns with nice feet. Lovely body shape, good topline & nice arch to loin with strong coupling, coming nicely off the croup. Good tailset & carriage. Lovely rear angulation with well let down hocks. All giving her a lovely long reaching stride, when she found it. Very promising & pleased to award her BPB; 2 Zhao & Grimshaw’s Vkloof Gaultier Ma Dame, I liked this sweet 9 month old puppy & I hope her handler becomes a little more relaxed so they can both enjoy being in the ring. Nice head & expression, kind dark eye. Super clean neck with good reach. Promising front & good lay of shoulder. Correct pasterns & good bone. Very balanced through the body with lovely clean shape, good topline & coupling. Nicely off the croup. Balanced rear angulations & strong well let down hocks giving true fluid movement; 3 Davis’ Hesslewell Heartbeat.

PB (4,1) 1 Hughson’s Gabisa Shiant, nicely shaped 10 month old liver nose. Expressive head of good proportions, correct eye colour for colouring & nice earset. Strong neck coming cleanly onto the withers, excellent front for age & balanced shoulders with good elbows, Nice depth & width of brisket with good ribbing & loin but a bit too steep off the croup for my taste. Balanced rear angulation & well let down hocks. Moved freely & true, showing drive; 2 Davis’ Hesslewell Heartbeat, correctly coloured 7 month old liver nose, who was giving a lot away in age but so promising. Good head of nice proportions, nice clean neck with good arch. Lovely shoulder, with correct elbow, good bone. Correct pasterns on nice feet. Lovely body shape with enough depth, length & width for age. Nice gentle rise over loin leading to good croup. Good rear angulation & beginning to show strength through well let down hocks. Moved out well; 3 Lowson’s Msingi Maarika for Jengachenga.

JB (6) 1 Storey & Piehl’s Kiromol Midsummer Spirit, lovely feminine bitch who for me conveys strength & stamina without coarseness. Beautiful gentle head full of breed type, good planes & proportions, lovely dark eye of good shape & set with correct ears. Long clean neck with good arch, coming onto the withers correctly. Lovely forechest & correct shoulder placement with tight elbows. Good bone & nice straight legs leading to good pasterns & the best of feet. Lovely body shape of correct depth & width, well ribbed, excellent topline, good coupling, correct arch of loin, coming nicely off the croup to good tailset giving correct carriage. Well developed width to first & second thigh. Lovely rear angulation leading to well let down hocks. Presented in excellent condition. All this was confirmed when she moved, showing effortless reach & drive. She stood away & I was delighted to give her CC & RBIS; 2 Maylor’s Mirengo’s Musola at Kamili, a nice clean bitch full of breed type. Kind head with lovely eye & ear shape & set. Strong neck of good length & good forechest. Enough lay of shoulder & nice tight elbows. Good straight bone & nice pasterns. Nice body shape with enough depth & width, showing strength through the topline & coupling. Lovely rear angulation & good width to first & second thigh, well let down hocks. Moved freely, nice stride, true away & back; 3 Mackfall’s Hespa Pina Colada.

YB (3) 1 Willunat’s Bovijo Bed Of Roses, larger stamp but lots to like & moved out with a super balanced stride & was very true. Feminine head with correct proportions & gentle expression. Nice dark eye of good shape & set, good ear carriage. Good length of neck coming onto the withers nicely. Good front with good lay of shoulder, elbows, pasterns & feet. Excellent depth giving nice body shape & good ribbing with strong loin, good topline. Balanced rear angulation, good second thigh & well let down hocks; 2 Edwards & Aldous’ Mukumbura Star Appeal, smaller stamp but nice expression from head of good proportions & kind dark eye. Enough front angulation, straight bone, & good feet. Very neat through the body with nice ribbing, arch to loin & good croup. Balanced rear angulation, with nice width to thighs & well let down hocks. Moved out freely & very accurately; 3 Rossiter & Fox’s Sonstraal Blood Sunrise.

NB (3,1) 1 Forrester’s Hespa Heart Of Gold, lots to like about this smaller slower maturing bitch. Correct head but still needs to break for true expression, good eye shape & set & ears correct. Nice neck used well on the move. Good forechest & balanced front & rear with good angulation. Good bone & correct pasterns on good feet, well let down hocks. Nice body shape with good length & beginning to show strength all through. Moved well, true away & back but would like a little more drive; 2 S Blood Sunrise, a different stamp & another who is slower to mature. Kind head with nice dark eye. Lovely neck of good length & arch. Very good forechest & balanced front & rear angulation with nicely let down hocks. Nice depth to body & well ribbed, good coupling. Moved well.

PGB (6,1) 1 Hutcheson & Ogilvie’s Gabisa Margarita, lovely bitch full of type. Good head with correct dark eye & chiselling. Strong neck of good length. Lovely front & nice lay of shoulder, tight elbows. Good bone, correct pasterns & super feet. Nice depth & width with good ribbing & nice arch to loin. Correct rear angulation & nice width to thighs, leading to well let down hocks. Nice clean stride & true away & back; 2 Nelson’s Gabisa Woo Woo at Zougani, beautiful elegant bitch & litter sister to 1. A little finer all through but the same qualities apply as very little to choose between them. Just preferred the width of sister, who also moved with more drive. I’m sure they will swap places many times; 3 Hicks’ Nuthouse Hot Stuff.

LB (11,2) 1 Thomson’s Faahac Royal Faribaa, beautiful elegant girl. Super head of correct proportions giving lots of breed expression. Kind dark round eye & correct ear shape & set. Good neck with enough arch flowing onto good topline. Correct lay of shoulder, tight elbows & enough forechest. Liked her body shape; good depth, width, lovely length, well ribbed, strong coupling, nice arch to loin & good off the croup. Good tailset & carriage. Moved out with precision & ease; 2 Hurn’s Abayomi The Light Fantastic of Matikiridge, not a natural showgirl but lots of breed type & when she is collected she moves out with lots of drive & is very true away & back. Nice feminine head, correct dark eye & good earset. Good strong neck into good lay of shoulder, good bone, straight legs leading to correct pasterns & feet. Proportionate depth, length & width. Good topline, which she maintained, nice arch of loin & nicely coupled. Balanced rear angulation, good first & second thigh & well let down hocks; 3 Dick’s Gabisa Wonder Woman.

OB (11,5) 1 Storey & Piehl’s Kiromol Kendi, a real showgirl with the best of heads; lovely proportions, good chiselling, correct ears & dark round expressive eye. Strong neck with good arch, nice front assembly & enough lay of shoulder. Good elbows, lovely bone, correct pasterns & excellent feet. Strong topline & nice depth of brisket. Strong coupling, good arch of loin coming nicely off the croup. Balanced rear angulation, super width to first & second thigh, well let down hocks. Balanced effortless movement, very true & showing reach & drive; 2 Bates, McCarthy-Booth & McCarthy’s Gunthwaite Born To Be Wicked at Jarhiba, feminine neat type with gentle demeanour. Nice expressive head & kind dark eye. Good neck leading to strong front assembly, nice lay of shoulder & tight elbows. Enough bone, good pasterns & feet. Good length & depth, nicely ribbed, correct coupling & nicely off the croup. Good rear angulation with good thighs, well let down hocks. Moved well but would have liked more drive; 3 Hicks’ Nuthouse Never Say Never.

VB (4,2) 1 Hicks’ Nuthouse Martini, lovely 8½ year old veteran, lots of breed type & still showing strength throughout. Correct head with lovely chiselling. Kind dark round eye & correct ears. Clean neck of good length & arch. Good forechest, correct lay of shoulder, tight elbows & pasterns. Good depth to body with proportionately correct width & nice length. Underline & topline still strong. Nice ribbing, strong coupling with nice rise to loin & coming nicely off the croup. Correct tailset & carriage. Good turn of stifle, & nice width to first & second thigh. Strong well let down hocks. Presented in hard condition. Long effortless stride & true away & back. She never stopped showing & got better every time she went round the ring. Thoroughly deserved the RCC & BV; 2 Rossiter & Fox’s Sonstraal Gabby’s Dream, another with so much breed type. Classic head that is so correct. Nice length of neck with good arch. Super forechest, nice lay of shoulder, good bone throughout, still has strong pasterns & hocks. Nice length of body with good depth & width, well ribbed, comes nicely off the croup. Balanced rear angulation. Good conformation showed in her movement which still had length & was true.

HELEN MANSFIELD