Class description:
Dates: October 10-12. Friday from 8am-5pm, Saturday 8am-5pm, Sunday 8am-2pm.
Cost: Equity pricing scale ranging from $250-$500. Scholarships available. Equity pricing and scholarships available courtesy of Fibershed (scholarship application deadline 9/12).
Accommodation: Dormitory accommodation is available for an additional $20 per night. We highly recommend staying on or very near the site for the class.
Details: The University of California Hopland Research and Extension Center is excited to announce this advanced shearing class. The school will feature the same immersive hands-on shearing training in a small group setting (maximum 9 students) that we utilize in our Sheep Shearing and Basic Care 101 course. This class, however, will be focused on the following three topics:
Crutching sheep
“Crutching” is the practice of removing wool from between the legs, around the rear end. Often farmers will want some or all of the belly wool removed in addition to the crutch, and all of these methods will be covered so that you are prepared for any of these requests from your customers.
Wigging Sheep
"Wigging" is the removal of wool on the sheep's face to prevent both wool blindness and the accumulation of vegetable matter (especially seed heads). In this course we will learn how to do it safely and efficiently.
Catch Pen Dynamics
This is the most important topic of the course as far as your body is concerned. Because the crutching process takes so much less time than completely shearing a sheep, you will physically have to handle and move many times more sheep in one day of crutching than you will in one day of shearing. In this course we will explore the methods and mindset necessary to limit the stress on your body while crutching.
Daily Physical Fitness and Injury Prevention
Each day before, during, and after class, we will have dedicated sessions where we take you through warm-up, stretching, yoga, and body care routines that have been designed specifically for sheep shearers.
Sheep Shearing Tune-Up (Time Permitting)
If there is extra time during the course, we will take you through exercises to sharpen your sheep shearing skills: specifically looking at footwork and positioning of the sheep.
Please note that this course –much like Sheep Shearing and Basic Care 101– is highly physically demanding, requiring your body to be in uncomfortable positions for extended periods of time. Guidance will be given to reduce discomfort, but registrants need to be aware of the physical nature of the class and come prepared.
Instruction Team
Lead Instructor: Owner/operator of Hollenback Shearing, Trevor Hollenback has been professionally trained and employed as a shearer in the United States, New Zealand, Australia, and Austria. His primary focus in shearing is limiting stress to both the sheep and shearer.
Lindsay Hollenback will also be supporting the class this year alongside Trevor. Her primary role will be to lead the class through group exercises and assist each student individually to keep everyone's body limber and strong throughout each course. She has an extensive background in dance, injury management, yoga, and massage therapy.
Alison Smith is the Principal Animal Health Technician at the UC Hopland Research and Extension Center. Alison is the sheep department manager for their flock of western whiteface sheep. She has been with HREC for 10 years and worked with sheep and goats in Mendocino County for over 20 years. She is also a fully licensed RVT (Registered Veterinary Technician).
You may also like the following events from The Hopland Research and Extension Center:
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Workshops in Hopland,
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