The Shepherd Queen of Wildberg – that sounds like the title of a fairy tale or an operetta. I don’t want to glorify anything fairytale-like here, but it is remarkable that a centuries-old tradition, a former shepherd’s guild meeting – and 300 years ago there were actually only shepherds, no shepherdesses – had the shepherd’s run for men and women in its program right from the start. We are talking about the year 1723 – a stage for women in the early 18th century was a real rarity. What sounds like progress and equality today was probably more of a showcase for the shepherd families back then, as the shepherd’s run festival also served as a marriage market. The conditions for taking part in the shepherd’s run have remained the same: Minimum age of 14, full-time shepherd or shepherdess, or child of a sheep farmer residing in Baden-Württemberg and at least 200 registered sheep. But nobody has to marry strategically here anymore. Today, women from shepherd families are increasingly choosing careers such as veterinarian, sheep shearer or farmer. Female shepherds compete against their male colleagues in competitions such as performance herding with their herding dogs and a foreign flock of sheep.
From shepherd’s daughter to professional shepherdess
The invitation to the shepherd’s race on September 9, 1841 expressly demanded that “only decently dressed girls may take part in the race”. How long the skirts and how modest the blouses were back then remains uncertain. What is certain, however, is that they ran barefoot across stubble fields or meadows. In 2024, a total of 13 women aged between 14 and 29 took part in the Shepherdess Run, which is officially only called the Shepherdess Run in Wildberg, while Bad Urach and Markgröningen still call it the Shepherdess Run today. Before the start, they were introduced with short biographies. Their careers ranged from animal farmer and sheep shearer to veterinary medicine, and several professional shepherds were also included.
The shepherding profession remains a male domain to this day. It is true that the proportion of women is slowly increasing, encouraged by young talent programs and the growing interest in sustainable agriculture. Nevertheless, women still only make up a small proportion of full-time shepherds.
Shepherd Queen Jana
14-year-old Jana Deufel from Heinstetten wins the shepherdess race in 2024. She is the first to reach the narrow finish gate, which is built so that only one person can pass through – clearly showing who is ahead. Jana had already triumphed at the young breeders’ championships a year earlier, and now she has won the title of Shepherd Queen of Wildberg. Jana comes from a family of sheep breeders: Her father regularly competes in sheep shearing championships, and her older sister Nele now even represents Germany in international competitions.
The Shepherd’s Run in Wildberg honors the shepherding profession in all its facets and has been doing so for 300 years. Find out more about the concentrated tradition at the Schäferlauf in Wildberg. And last but not least, a weighty detail in terms of equality at the Wildberg Shepherd’s Run: In the traditional rooster dance, women also lift their male dance partners up to knock the water glass – the symbolic rooster – off the board.
The research trip was supported by Schwarzwald Tourismus
