Bleating the competition: Sheep take to the tracks in a race of woolly jumpers

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Ewe can't do that! The sheep racers at Cannon Hall Farm. Five races are held at the farm every day throughout the holiday season

As far as fence racing goes, it's not something ewe see every day.

The four-legged competitors assemble at the start line, preparing to tackle jumps such as the Bechers Brook, The Chair and The Canal Turn.

However, these are not race horses competing at Aintree's Grand National. These competitors are slightly more woolly in their approach.


Baa-my: The farm's most agile sheep are put through their paces on a racecourse mimicking Aintree's Grand National


A farm in South Yorkshire has resurrected the baa-my attraction of sheep racing.

With teddy bear 'jockeys' strapped to their backs - and motivated by a bag of cereal at the finish line - 25 of the most agile ewes at Cannon Hall Farm, in Cawthorne near Barnsley, have been trained to navigate a 250-metre course, complete with 20-inch high hurdles.


Fleeced: Punters can place bets on the races, which are a new attraction at Cannon Hall Farm


'The sheep like it and it’s quite good fun - they can run as fast as a person, especially once they get to the finish line where they know a cereal treat is waiting, they want to get there first.

'It’s the first time we’ve trained sheep for racing. We’ve found it quite challenging getting them to go in the right direction.'

The races will be held at the farm until September 4 when the sheep will leave behind the hurdles and return to their usual routine of eating grass all day.


source: dailymail