82-Lancaster Firming, Saturday, September 5, 1992
Hard Work. Goal Settin
Persistence Nets Championships For Reiffs
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Farming Staff
STRASBURG (Lancaster Co.)
It isn’t luck that allows Lyndon
and Lisa Reiff consistently to win
top honors for their sheep in coun
ty and state competitions.
“It’s hard work and a priority in
our lives,” said Lyndon, who esti
mates that he and his sister spend
three hours every day exercising
and feeding their sheep.
“For five years, we were at the
bottom and I mean the bottom
in every competition,” he said.
Through membership in the 4-H
club and by talking with other
sheep owners, the Reiffs learned
what to look for when purchasing a
sheep and how to improve it
through nutrition and exercise.
The Reiffs are adament in their
praise of Elvin Yeagley, a 4-H
leader. “If it wasn’t for him, we’d
never be where we are today,” he
said. ‘The 4-H Club is really
geared to help first-year members
learn to pick out a good lamb and
feed it well.”
Those who visit the Reiffs two
acre farmette in the wooded fring
es of Strasburg may suspect that
the Reiffs sheep are a bit pampered
in comparison with most sheep
raised in the county. The Reiffs’
sheep have their own playground
equipment. There’s a hugh
wooden ramp on which the sheep
play King of the Mountain. Hur
dles are placed sporadically in the
fenced off area for the sheep to
jump and play.
The play equipment isn’t avail
able merely to entertain the sheep.
The purpose is to encourage the
sheep to run and jump, which
develops firmness and muscle.
The sheep are not fed like most
sheep. Instead, they are led from
their pen to a garage where the
sheep must stand in an upright pos
ition to eat their meals. Standing,
Lyndon said that having the sheep feed in this position
builds muscle In their hindquarters. Feeding them individu
ally also allows them to make sure each one gets an adequ
ate portion of the nutrionally balanced feed.
according to Lyndon, stretches the
hind muscles and strengthens them
a positive quality in
competition.
The shqep are fed individually
on a special diet developed by a
nutritionist. “It’s top of the link
nutrition,” Lyndon said. “Our
nutritionist is a former veterinarian
who studied sheep and nutrition
and that has really helped us.”
Now that the Reiffs have a good
idea of the nutrition required,
Lloyd, the siblings’ father, often
figures out the minerals required.
The sheep are fed more protein
during show times and topdressed
with com.
“Because we feed them indivi
dually, we know exactly how
much each sheep is eating. That
way a bigger sheep can’t push a
smaller sheep away from the
food,” Lyndon said.
Seven years ago, Lyndon pur
chased his first sheep, a Dorset
named Hamilton. Lyndon built a
doghouse for him that he named
Hamilton Place.
“I picked him out because he
was cute,” Lyndon said. Surpris
ingly Hamilton was named reserve
champion pure coincidence,
according to Lyndon, “because
after that, I went through five years
of being on the bottom.”
He watched as two sisters from
New Holland consistently won top
awards for their sheep. As the
Reiffs’ sheep began to do better,
Lyndon and Lisa set a goal: to beat
the two girls from New Holland.”
With their sheep, the Reiffs
accomplished their goal of beating
the two sisters m competition.
Now, the Reiffs find that many
sheep exhibitors have set a goal to
beat them.
“The competition is good even
if it gets a bit rough at times,” Lyn
don said. “Nobody goes to a show
to lose. Some (exhibitors) don’t
Are Priorities
The Reiff family in Strasburg Include;, and Lyndon and parents, Lloyd and Lau
ra. Another son, Llr was not available for pictures.
Lisa Reiff watches the sheep as they jump over the hurdles placed intermittently In
the area fenced off for the sheep
like that we win so often. Some
accuse us of feeding the sheep ster
oids, but that isn’t true. Anyone
can do well if they want to. It’s a
matter of priority. Lisa and I put
aside sports and everything to con
centrate on sheep. Lots of kids who
show sheep are also into a lot of
other things, but we aren’t. Raising
quality sheep is what Lisa and I
choose to do and that requires
hours of work each day, not just at
show time ”
A large cupboard overflowing
with trophies and ribbons attest to
the fact that the Reiffs are success
ful with sheep. Each year, they put
away the trophies from the previ
ous year. The 1991 trophies
include a banner for showing the
Pennsylvania Farm Show reserve
champion.
“That was a major surprise,”
Lisa said. One that has set a new
goal for Lyndon, who is now deter
mined to win the Pennsylvania
grand champion trophy.
“1 realize that’s the goal of a lot
of others who got some good ones
(sheep) too,” Lyndon said. “In a
way it gets harder and harder to
win because other competitors are
improving their sheep also.”
Each time the Reiffs attend a
show, they take turns choosing the
sheep from the flock that they want
to show. Because judges have dif
ferent viewpoints on what makes
the best sheep, the choosing isn't
The sheep like to play King of the Mountain on this ramp.
easy. "Generally, we try to pick out The Reiffs estimate that they
four completely different sheep so enter shows every other week dur
that we have at least one the judge ing fair season. In addition to local
will like,” Lyndon said. fairs, they like the competition of
Lisa tends to pick out an average the big shows such as the Pennsyl
sheep that is considered a complete vania Farm Show, Keystone, and
package. Lyndon prefers a heavy the Jack PoL
muscled sheep with a big front
end
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(Turn to Pag* B 4)