Competition schedules for the Royal Welsh Spring Festival are available online now.

Being held on Saturday and Sunday, May 19-20, at the Royal Welsh Showground in Llanelwedd, Builth Wells, the Spring Festival, is gearing up to be the ultimate celebration of smallholding and rural life.

The weekend will be packed full of hundreds of hotly contested competitions with competitors coming from far and wide to be in with a chance of going home with a sought-after Royal Welsh title and rosette.

With nearly 400 classes, competitions and special awards for sheep, pigs, goats and cattle, many of which are for traditional, rare and native breeds, the Spring Festival livestock schedule is available on the RWAS website.

Including new large black classes in the pig section, additional young handler competitions, novice sheep showing classes and a chance to have-a-go at stock judging, there’s an opportunity for everyone to get involved.

“We are really enthusiastic about our competitions” says Keith Brown, chief steward of the Spring Festival pig section. “We already have a very impressive number of entries each and with additional classes on offer we hope to attract even more first class animals.”

For those more interested in everything equine, this year’s Spring Festival horse schedule, also available, has nearly 120 classes. As well as the show jumping, working hunters, CHAPS Mid Welsh Regional Show, British Miniature Horse Society, Donkey Breed Society, and Veteran Horse Society classification, this year the society has affiliated to even more breed societies.

This means that there are more chances to qualify for further competitions, including the Moorbennhall Irish Draught Youngstock Challenge qualifier, the Blue Chip & Irish Draught Horse Society (GB) £2,000 Challenge, the Classical Ladies Side Saddle Qualifier, the British Arabian Championships 2018 and the Veteran Horse Society Supreme Final.

There are also new classes for foreign, world and rare breeds within the heavy horse and shire section, along with a new novice section which includes classes for lead rein, first ridden, show hunter, retrained racehorses and ridden cobs or cob type.

“Livestock and horses have always been at the heart of the Royal Welsh Spring Festival and we are delighted that competitors, new and old, continue to support this celebration of smallholding and rural life,” says Kay Spencer, honorary Spring Festival director.

“With such an excellent number and mix of classes throughout the two days, there is something for everyone to get involved with and enjoy.”

Along with all the livestock competitions, the festival will be packed full of interesting things to see, delicious food and drink, live music, country sports, shopping, demonstrations and fun, have-a-go activities – the perfect day out for all.

The closing date for both livestock and equine entries is April 3. For copies of the schedule and entry forms, visit rwas.wales