Livestock are lining up for the chance to show what they're made of at this year's Kent County Show - and this year there are record breaking numbers of them.

From sheep to cattle and goats, farmers and their animals are all vying for one of the prized rosettes.

This year, the show has some 434 sheep entries, which is a record and a record breaking 62 wool entries too.

Livestock are judged on their physical traits such as muscle, structural correctness, frame size, style and balance and visitors can watch the judging and see who wins.

In the Wool Tent you can also see judging of the wool competitions, run by British Wool - one went on to win Reserve Champion in the national Golden Fleece Competition last year. There are also demonstrations of spinning, dying and weaving wool by the Kent Guild of Spinners, Dyers and Weavers and in the Poultry and Egg Show you can see ducks and chickens with a range of colours and plumage and some rare breeds.

Catch the grand parade of livestock in the Astor Ring at 2.30pm on all three show days.

The showground also has a working show dairy, which is used for the milking competitions and afterwards the milk is collected by the Cheesemakers of Canterbury and made into the Kent County Show cheese.

Joseph’s Amazing Racing Pigs will tackle a course of hurdles in a race to be the first to the trough. With six rare breeds, including Gloucester Old Spots and Saddlebacks, catch the sprinting porkers in the Cattle Ring at 1pm and 3pm on all three days.

A regular at the show thanks to its popularity is the Sheep Show with a cast of different breeds of sheep with names, one of which is shorn during the show and their finale involves the sheep show shuffle, when they dance for the crowd. Kent Young Farmers’ clubs will also be bringing more than 300 competitors to the show, with farmers aged from 10 to 26 busy caring for their animals from rabbits to cattle. They also have some fun, staging a tug of war, mock stock auction and fancy dress and It's a Knockout on the Saturday.

The animals are just part of the events, which includes the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, Titan the robot, local produce and some 300 competitions and activities.

ROYAL RIDERS

The Queen has entered three of her horses into this year's show, competing in the Ridden Hunters, Hunter Breeding, Sport Horse Breeding, and Riding Horses classes.

They were entered by Katie Jerram-Hunnable, an accomplished horse producer, on behalf of the Queen.

See them compete at: 8am in the West Ring, 10am in the Standen Ring and 3.30pm in the West Ring on the Friday and 11.15am in the West Ring on the Saturday.

There's also lots of other equine entertainment, including side saddles competitions, demonstrating the elegance of the age old tradition on the Saturday in the Astor Ring, and the heavy horses, who you can see in action in the ring and also at rest in the Heavy Horse Village, which is next to the Astor Ring.

There's also some hot and steamy activity with the Farrier Competitions when you can see expert blacksmiths make and fit horseshoes on their animals in the show's purpose-built forge.

DETAILS

The Kent County Show, organised by the Kent County Agricultural Society, is on Friday, July 6, Saturday, July 7 and Sunday, July 8 at the Kent Showground at Detling near Maidstone.

Ticket prices cost £20.70 in advance and £23 on the gate, £6.30 for children in advance and £7 on the gate and £45 in advance for a family of two adults and two children, and £50 on the gate. Online discounts finish at 11pm on Thursday. Under fives go free and car parking is free.

To book, call 01622 633060 or visit kentshowground.co.uk/visit/buy-your-ticket