Shear genius! British woman, 34, smashes world’s sheep shearing female record by buzzing her way through 370 sheep in eight hours after strict training regime in the gym

• Farmer Marie Prebble, from Kent, has set a new world record for sheep shearing
• The new champion sheered just over 46 sheep every hour for eight hours 
• It was adjudicated by judges from the World Sheep Shearing Records Society

A British woman has set the new world recording for sheep shearing after buzzing her way through 370 sheep in just eight hours.

Farmer Marie Prebble, 34, managed to shear a sheep every one and a half minutes – or just over 46 in an hour, breaking the female world record.

Ms Prebble has been shearing sheep since she was young as a result of growing up on a farm in the Kent countryside but it was only in recent years that she found a calling in the close-knit world of shearing.

Expert cutters, such as Ms Prebble, travel the world to ply their trade, efficiently and skillfully removing heavy coats of sheep and just like any other athlete, she has to undergo gym sessions, a training plan and the right diet to keep on top form.

She said: ‘It becomes quite addictive. It’s just the sort of skill that you just want to get better and better at because you’re constantly learning.’

Kent farmer Marie Prebble, 34, has broke the women’s world record for sheep shearing by buzzing her way through 370 sheep within an eight hour window. She sheared a sheep every one and a half minutes which equates to just 46 in an hour

The Kent farmer has competition. A competitor from New Zealand is already scheduled to challenge her for the crown. Fellow sheep shearer Sacha Bond plans to take the title on February 4 2023 

Alongside breaking the world records, sheep shearing has become a full-time job for the Kent farmer.

She added: ‘I’ve always called myself a sheep farmer who does a bit of shearing but actually I’ve tried to become more of a sheep shearer now, and sort of qualify myself as that by working for different contractors.

‘You can travel the world with it, you can take it as far as you want to once you’ve got that skill.

‘I think the best part about the job actually is the people, because it is such a globally connected community. You’ve got that skill you can pretty much travel anywhere and everyone really supports each other.

‘I feel like this is almost the beginning for me in terms of how far I could take it, because it’s something you can always improve on, you can always learn more and always get better at, so it’s like any sport I suppose.’

Ms Prebble planned to shear 400 sheep in the eight hour window, narrowly missing her target. She said: ‘I feel like this is almost the beginning for me in terms of how far I could take it, because it’s something you can always improve on, you can always learn more’ 

Farming runs in Ms Prebble’s blood. Her family has owned a farm in Kent for centuries and she has been shearing sheep since she was young. It as only in recent years, however, that she decided to take it on competitively 

The men’s current record holder is Ivan Scott, from Donegal, who managed to shear 744 sheep in the allotted eight hours back in 2012

Despite smashing the world record, the achievement fell slightly short of her goal to shear 400 sheep within the four hours.

No existing women’s record stood prior to Ms Prebble’s attempt in Cornwall, but she is not without competition.

A competitor from New Zealand is already scheduled to challenge her for the crown. Fellow sheep shearer Sacha Bond plans to take the title on February 4 2023.

Ms Prebble added: ‘I’ve been shearing for ten years but I’ve not done very much in that time.

‘So these last couple of years I’ve really made it my mission to get as good as I can in that time available, which means being around the right people and going to work for certain contractors and travelling off the farm quite a bit more.

In order to stay on top of being the fastest female sheep shearer, the 34-year-old has a strict training plan, undergoes gym sessions and follows the right diet

‘Since the start of the season, which was the end of April here, I’ve pretty much sheared every day.

‘But also, to train for something like a world record I was in the gym pretty much every day doing a lot of mobility, some strength training, following a training plan and eating right, just keeping my mental focus on the task at hand.’

The sheep shearing record was adjudicated by the World Sheep Shearing Records Society with judges from Australia, South Africa and Wales watching Ms Prebble shear each sheep.

Months of planning, preparation and training were involved prior to the event.

The world-record holder added: ‘There’s a lot of rules you have to abide by in order for it to qualify as a world record attempt.

‘It’s not just like any other shearing day, the sheep had to have an average fleece weight of three kilos, the quality of the shearing is assessed, and from an animal welfare perspective you have to make the whole job as good as you can possibly get on the day.’

The men’s current record holder is Ivan Scott, from Donegal, who managed to shear 744 sheep in the allotted eight hours back in 2012.

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