We were all up early at Raise Lodge, on this rainy day. We were off to a sheepdog trial up in Northumberland! It was great fun to watch, even though it rained. Derek ran Lynn and Jett, and Ludi ran her Meg.
The course had a complicated outrun. If you sent left, your dog had to cross a farm road and navigate a fence corner that stuck out into and interfered with the dog's path, which was uphill. To go left the dog needed to neatly bend out around the fence corner. If you sent right, there were other trees, some farm buildings that some dogs were confused with, more uphill, and also crossing the farm road but at a higher point. The draw back to the pens and buildings was very strong if sending to the right. A few dogs got lost up in the farm buildings up the hill when sent right. My photos of the course taken only with my phone did not turn out very well, especially in the rain on a dark-ish day.
Once the dog picked up the sheep, the course became a bit more standard (the outrun was tricky enough!). The drive crossed the farm road again, and the at-hand work consisted this day, at least of split and then pen. Few were able to pen. The sheep were tricky Texel crosses with a breed name I didn't quite get. But the sheep were consistent, healthy and challenging. The sheep were from the farm where the trial was held. And the sheep's owner/ farmer did the setout up top.
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| Trial sheep in the exhaust pen |
Besides Derek's and Ludi's dogs, our favorite was Paul Turnbull's Mirk pictured above. A lovely rough coated dark dog under such good command. Wow. A nice team! There were also lots of big heavily coated dogs (Northumberland style border collies) who were neat to see but we talked about how they would never make it in our area back home with so much coat.
Derek had a nice go with Lynn, but did not have time to pen. Ludi also had a nice go, but time was up at her shed. Jett had more trouble (he is young) on the outrun, but Derek worked him through some issues. Very nice dogs running, overall. Beautiful country, near lots of Roman historical sites (Hadrian's Wall), horse country and tons of sheep everywhere.
The Northumberland group puts on a series of trials and had a full schedule set up for the year. It left Gloria and I wishing for so many trial opportunities so close to us as this, despite the low-budget no frills event (no porta potties).
We stopped on the way home for tea, which was nice. Soup helped me (still nursing that darn head cold) to feel better! Then we went out to dinner with everyone. So much fun. :-)
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