A local organisation is set to benefit from the generous donation of a SheepMaster ram – a new type of shedding sheep, an increasingly popular trend amongst some breeders – to be auctioned off at next month’s prestigious Sheepvention ram sale.

The donors have only been in the Western District for a matter of months, but stud breeders Gary and Judy Doyle are quickly marking their mark.

Since selling their stations near Wentworth in NSW and shifting south, the former shearer and his equestrian wife have bought a couple of properties, including their new Yulecart homebase.

And it suits the couple down to the ground, equipped with a first-class indoor horse arena and new sheep yards under construction for Gary’s sheep stud, Montarna SheepMasters.

The couple have decided to donate the ram, with proceeds going to the Hamilton Riding for the Disabled organisation, as a way of introducing themselves and their sheep to the area, as well as supporting a cause long close to their hearts.

Gary and Judy Doyle moved to Yulecart in April, bringing with them around 200 Sheepmaster ewes, along with stud rams.

One of the rams is Apollo, a $85,000 ram purchased in a syndicate with other SheepMaster studs from breed founder Neil Garnett’s Garnett SheepMaster stud in Western Australia.

Gary said Neil -who formerly owned the famed Collinsville Merino stud – developed the breed over 30 years from Danmara, Dorper, Van Rooy, White Suffolk, Finn, East Friesian, Kojak and Ultra White blood lines.

The breed was designed to be wool-free, highly fertile, easy care, functional sheep with food, not fibre, the focus, he said. The breed uses a visual scoring system to underpin selections, along with genomic data and breeding values.

Gary and Judy previously ran Dorpers in the far west of NSW, across 32,000 acres, but saw feet issues and declining fertility impact their profitability.

When successive droughts hit, the Doyle’s flock was reduced and Gary said the timing was right to look for a new direction.

After watching a Landline TV program about the Garnett sheep, Gary purchased six SheepMaster rams in 2018.

He said demand for the breed was strong and growing, and he hoped to build up to 450 stud ewes. Last year Montarna sold 50 rams, and will aim to have around 80 available this year.

The stud will offer rams on September 12 on-property and via AuctionsPlus. Some rams will also be on display at Sheepvention next month, with the especially selected ram to be sold via Elders in the ram sale.

Gary said the SheepMasters were quickly adjusting the life in the Hamilton district and he had high hopes for the breed. With shearing costs rising, Gary said many sheep producers were keen to see the SheepMaster breed “provide an alternative”.

“They are tough very fertile and can deal with any environment.”

Equestrian Judy, who has more than 30 years’ experience with the RDA organisation and who is a current RDA Australia board member, has quickly become a key new member of the Hamilton RDA volunteer team.

The Hamilton RDA has resumed riding days for local riders following a two-year hiatus due to Covid-19.

Hamilton RDA president Kate Dowler said the group was thrilled to have Judy and Gary join the local community, and thanked them for their generous donation of the SheepMaster sire.

“We are very pleased to have Judy now living in the Hamilton district, and she is already contributing a great deal, thanks to her expertise as an ‘Equestrian Australia’ and RDA Level 2 qualified riding instructor,” Kate said.

“Hamilton RDA thanks Gary and Judy for their magnificent gesture towards their new community, and as an organisation, we will ensure the funds raised go towards providing the best possible experiences for our RDA riders.”