As coats are clipped and tails are tweaked, livestock live their best lives strutting their stuff at this week's Kent County Show - its 90th year.

Livestock are a highlight and are as popular as ever with visitors.

If you want to know more about breeds of sheep though, you won’t do better than to stop off and see the Sheep Show, this year at the Country, Game and Canine Area.

The guys and their sheep have been invited back to the show for more than a decade due to popular demand.

Their show that lasts about 20 minutes, and you’ll meet the woolly stars, learn about their breeds and personalities, watch one be sheared... and see them do the “sheep shuffle".

Ginger Sutton and the team, headed by Richard Savory, take you on a journey through the breeds - though anything can, and occasionally does, happen.

Ginger said: “Each of the breeds has something unique about them. If something goes wrong, you have to just roll with it. People love it when something goes wrong anyway.”

“I’ve had one just leap off the stage and run off during a show; another come up the steps too early as he’s so keen. You get all sorts.”

Of the “dancing” which for Ginger’s chaps is to the dulcet tones of Jamelia, can take days or weeks to master.

“All the sheep have the same moves, but some pick it up quickly, some take longer. Lenny here took a day, he just went for it,” he said.

“They’re pets. They do it for reward, just like any animal.”

The reward is their usual food mixed with molasses - a sweet treat. And by pets he means that once their dancing days are done they go to the Blue Rinse Paddock where they live out their days, which can be anything up to 17 years.

Demonstrating shearing is important so visitors can see it needn’t harm the animals, and is necessary to stop them getting fly strike and infections.

Catch them in the Country, Game and Canine Area at 10.30am and 3.30pm on all three days of the show.

The show has a small working dairy on site, which has milking competitions. It’s the perfect time to see cows being milked as well as a chance to ask experienced farmers about the process milk goes through from udder to shelf. When not being milked the dairy cattle spend their days in the main livestock marquee on site.

You can see livestock relaxing in their pens throughout the show, as they are on site before the gates open and throughout the day. On all three show days, there will be the Savills Grand Parade in the Astor Ring at 2.30pm There will also be a Championships Parade at 11am on the Saturday in the Goat Area.

There are lots of chances to admire equine beauties including the Heavy Horse Village. Visitors can see the majestic and powerful horses in a specially-built stable area.

Look out for the Heavy Horse Turnouts in the Astor Ring each day. The teams will perform at 12.45pm on Friday, while the pairs will be in the ring at 11am on Saturday and the singles at 12.45pm on the Sunday.

The show has a new equine timetable with 10 new classes and 25 Horse of the Year Show qualifiers - it’s the only show in the UK to have an International Trial included in their timetable this summer.

For family activities and free fun at the show click here

DETAILS

The Kent County Show organised by the Kent County Agricultural Society, will be at the Kent Showground in Detling, near Maidstone, on Friday, July 5, Saturday, July 6 and Sunday, July 7.

Gates open at 8am each day. Tickets cost £23 on the gate for adults, £7 for five to 15-year-olds and £50 for a family, with under fives going free. Parking is free.

Visit kentshowground.co.uk for more details or call 01622 630975.

Read more: All the latest events across the county