ALMOST 200 cattle were entered into this year's show and with 68 different classes they came in all shapes and sizes.

In preparation for the show's keen eyed judges the huge variety of cows, bulls, and calves all went through a vigorous beauty routine. Tim Jeffrey, of Huby, explained the unusual makeover his herd of Highlanders went through before their appearance at the Ryedale Show.

He said: "We give the cattle a good wash with a power hose to start with. They have got two coats of hair, one which acts like a thermal blanket and the other which is a shaggy outer coat. We use the power hose to make sure we get through both coats.

"After they have dried off we give them a comb through, which can be quite hard as their outer coat gets knotted very easily." Mr Jeffrey has 16 highlanders in total, one of which is seven week old Bobby, who featured on Television in front of the Queen at the Great Yorkshire Show.

As herd after herd were sprayed with shampoo and brushed down with combs the cattle were gleaming and ready to head into the ring.

One cheeky 16-month-old bull was being brushed down by handler Claire Beal, who was hoping for a repeat of the success they had in his debut show at Malton earlier in the month where he won first place.

Bugga-lugs is a Blonde Cross Breed from Yedingham with a pale golden coat, and is described by Miss Beal as a bit "frisky".

She said: "He is from a mixed animal farm. We have taken animals to shows before, and we thought he would do well. Malton was the first show he had been to and he did really well.

"He doesn't live with the other cows at the farm in case he gets a bit wild, and a walk him round for half an hour every day so he gets used to being handled.

"In preparation for the show I gave him a good wash down with shampoo, and since we have been here I have fluffed his tail and cleaned his hooves. I just hope he doesn't go too wild.

"There is a lot of hard work that goes into preparing cattle for shows, and a lot of hours behind the scenes. It is all worth it though as the atmosphere here is brilliant."