The UK's SheepDog Resource
March 10
South West Bulletin March 2010
Aza Pinney was a giant among sheepdog handlers and as a journalist wrote many pieces about the art and craft of shepherding and Trialling - as his many obituaries will testify. It was at the World Trial in 2008 at Llandeilo that I finally met this legend whereupon he demonstrated his kindness to me by supporting my endeavours to get the Training Booklet not only off the ground but accepted by the ISDS. Having been acquainted with the Agricultural Training Board ‘Blue Book’ many years ago, he immediately understood my desire to upgrade and update this training aid to an acceptable 21st century version. It followed that he helped with the fine tuning. He retained such an eternal ‘boyishness’, a courtly manner, was totally charming and I liked him very much. He is missed.
Turning now to new life there are a plethora of puppies in the south west!
Huntaway Front page girl, (lying down, January Edition ISN) Doone McCall of Tavistock has produced another cracking litter, this time by NZ import Sam – standing on Hugh’s right in the photograph – 4 are bitches, 5 are dogs. Colours vary from black and tan to black and brindle. Recommended! Price on enquiry, please contact the McCalls on 01822 870221 – apologies to the McCall’s and any one who tried to call the wrong number in the January ISN.
David Grant of Chudleigh’s bitch Skye – Derek Scrimgeour’s Jill by Scrimgeour’s Ben – has produced 6 bitches and 3 dogs by the late Tom Cox’s Nap. This is Skye’s third successful litter. Contact David on 01363 877400.
Young Rob Faulkner of Babcary, Somerset, is proud to announce that his registered bitch, Pearl, has given birth to her first litter of 10 puppies – five bitches and five dogs. These are by Eyri Rock who, you may remember, did very well at National, International and World Trials during the 2008 season. It was on Boxing Day that Pearl, of the sweeping tail and loving eyes – one blue, produced her master class. Rob, who is just 14 years of age, has looked after them since that time – including the night shift! We saw them at five weeks and all are thriving well; Pearl looks magnificent and still full of milk. Puppies have been supplemented with Goats milk as, fortunately, several of the family herd produced kids at the same time.
It should be noted that although, essentially, a working dog, Rob at 14, trials locally with Pearl and Eyri Rock’s new handler, Kyle Cox, also 14, is also earning praise for the command of his dog and style of trialling. Still early days for both of them but these two young handlers are off to a flying start. We, therefore, can be comforted that the future of shepherding and trialling is safe in their hands!
You will see a formal notice of these puppies with further information, in the advertising pages of this magazine and on the ISDS website in the new Readers Advertisement section of the Home page. To contact the Faulkners’, call Rob on 01458 223463. Or - robskifaulkner@yahoo.co.uk
There is also one remaining dog pup out of Merril Fox’s bitch Gem by Rob Hawke’s Mac.
Merrill’s contact is 01300 341867. Both Norman Delgarno – 07815 178606 and Trevor Hopper 01872 501886 have puppies available out of Cornish Trialling bitches. All ISDS Registered.
Having downsized her flock considerably, Sue Watson, 07807 907280, South Somerset, now has a five year old Registered bitch looking for more work. Good with other dogs, a good ‘stop’, willing to learn, has can work cattle, is loyal and good natured. Might make a good starter dog.
Nursery Trial Season
It has been a bit of a trial getting the Trials completed so far! Cannot imagine how the Triallist’s of the north and east have been coping! Venues have been very cooperative with changes of date etc.
You can keep up with the various changes of date and venue on the excellent www.bearwoodfarm.co.uk which is the brainchild of Julie Tucker and Lesley Lock who are now firmly established as the organisers of Nursery Trialling in the south west.
In the end it was only the Molland Trial at Kim Dart’s that had to be cancelled after two attempts when the weather won!
Alan Bennett’s Trial in Hewaswater, St. Austell, South Cornwall raised 22 competitors and saw Alan come first and second in the Maltese with Jim and Gale; J. Penhaligon and Jill won the Driving with Alan second with Todd. Matt Carter with Jill and Blue won the Young Handler. It has to be said that the temperature at the bottom end of the field was minus 4degrees! But the freezing conditions were compensated with a thoroughly well built course and very nice sheep.
Ian Bickle’s Trial at Chillaton on 24th January postponed from the preceding Sunday raised 24 competitors and saw Jed Watson sweep the board with the first five places in the Maltese. Jed has a fairly large stable these days and is loyal to his West Country roots. Driving was won by Jim Nicholls with Kim, Ian Bickle second with Paddy. Matt Carter won the Young handler with his Blue and Jill.
The 31st January at Ian MacKay’s started in bright sunshine and competitors were in their shirt sleeves – 10 minutes later a snowstorm covered the field followed by bright sunshine until Tony Rofe took to the field when, again, it snowed heavily. (Photo of Tony and Beth)
The Mule lambs were OK if steadily held and worked by dogs that kept off them. As there were inclined to be tetchy, they may have been affected by the erratic weather – see above! For the Maltese, Jed Watson was First to Fourth with Jim Nicholls taking the final places. John Weaton and Ben won the driving while Jim Nicholls was second with Kim. This time Mark Hopper won the Young Handler with Tweed and Jack. Judges were Julie Tucker and Lesley Lock.
David Kennard is hosting the next Nursery Trial in North Devon, February 14th – weather permitting!
There will be Trophies presented after the last Trial of the season scheduled, which, at the moment, is at John Carters in Cornwall. –
Winter Novice No 1 Cup – Highest pointed dog in Nursery MX
R Sleep Led. Perpetual Challenge Cup – Highest pointed dog in Nursery Driving
The Philleigh Farm Cup – Highest pointed Lady Handler (any class, points from one dog only)
West Country Nurseries Cup – Highest pointed Young Handler (points form one dog only)
There continues to be positive responses to the Richard Montgomery Judging work shop and we are told that there is a DVD available with five Runs that can be Judged at a workshop – would someone please let us know whose this is and from where, please?
General comment about the Nurseries is that not so many are coming forward this year – maybe the weather or maybe just not many Nursery dogs around right now. But no doubt - Peaks and Troughs as ever. Young Handlers’ Matt Carter and Mark Hopper have each won two trials so it will be interesting who gets the awards in the Trophy stakes. This is the third season that the ’girls’ have run the West Country Nurseries and things are moving from strength to strength. Julie reports that the website is getting a lot of hits.
General News
Devon and Exmoor Sheepdog Society are thinking about their own website too and Julie will be a guiding light. All information about forthcoming trials and results also appear in the ISN and on the ISDS website. The South West new season opens with Ian Bickles Chillaton Hill Trial on 25th April. www.isds.org.uk/local trials has a list of all Society Trials. The new Schedule will be available towards the end of March – venues are still being confirmed.
John Carter will host his Open Driving Trial on 8th and 9th May at Trethern, Delabole underneath the Windmills – always hugely popular, with 2 different Trials fields running at the same time on both days – contact John on 01840 213339 by 1st May. The weekend later, 15th and 16th will be more John Carter Trials at Trethern.
It is anticipated that Katy Cropper, Ron McCrae and other national players will be at the Cornish Trials!
The Cornwall Sheepdog Society AGM will be held on 28th April at the Blue Anchor, Fraddon - as is traditional.
7.30pm start, food will be available. Membership is due on 1st April and the new Schedule will be sent on receipt of payment.
Somerset Training and Trialling Club AGM is to be held at the Fox and Goose, Charlton Adam at 7.30pm on Tuesday 13th April. Subscriptions will be then due.
Somerset held a successful Training Day last October – already reported – and plan to have two more. One is on Sunday 28th February – too late for those reading this but another is planned for 28th March. Please contact Club Secretary Alex Whiteley 01963 240618, for further information. Participants can practice on their own or if they have a particular problem there will be a number of more experienced shepherds and triallists on hand for advice.
The Christmas Trial was held on 28th December at Babcary. Hosts David and Wendy Dixon provided hot soup and mince pies which were gratefully consumed. A Nursery class was included in this trial as so many had been cancelled. The weather was clear and fine and the air– crisp! The sheep were reasonably biddable and some good scores were achieved/
Tony Griffiths and Sam just came in front of Graham Glanville and Max for the Open Driving. Maureen Capes and Mist (photo) with Ron Fouracres and Kim took the Nursery Driving. The Maltese Open was won by Graham with Jill, Richard Stock and Moss second while Merril Fox and Bob with Tom Besant and Nell took the Nursery.
A Committee meeting was held in January and this format alternated with a couple of social events seems to be the way forward for Somerset. Nine Trials with attendant venues were decided upon which will be the biggest number for the Somerset Club for quite a long while.
There are now 52 members of this Club
Moving away from the cold clime of Somerset to the warmer open spaces of Brazil we received an email from Mariana Barras – an article about her appeared early last year in the ISN. She was in very high spirits about the success of the Brazilian National Trials which were Judged by Ireland’s Simon Mosse. It was the first year that they had an International shed using 20 sheep and a double lift on the Open course. These results appear on www.abbc2005.com.br
Since Simon made his first trip to Brazil in late 2008 and Approved just over 100 Border collies, Mariana and her colleagues have been working hard with blood tests for DNA; CEA/CH and results are already to hand. There are now 155 approved ISDS dogs in Brazil!
We had hoped that West Country triallist Victor Pitts might have made it to these Nationals but he got held up somewhere over South America ……………
Just a final couple of bits – very sorry to learn that Roderick Hayes – the cheerful chappie from Witheridge – had a very nasty hip fracture on New Year’s Eve. Airlifted to hospital an’ all! Roderick was in a bit of a painful pickle for a while but with lambing now in full swing in the Tiverton area he never thought to enjoy it so much from his invalid bed! Family and friends are rallying around!
There is a new readers’ advertisement section on the ISDS Home page – you will find notice of the Eyri Rock X Pearl litter here as well as in the advertising pages of this magazine.
I know Christmas is over and done with for another year but we have persuaded the ISN Editor to keep the Advent Calendar on-line. It is fascinating! So many archive bits and pieces, some poetry, loads of photographs and so on. Catch it on the ISDS website and follow the ISDS News/ Historical link.
Jon Katz loves Border Collies. True! Jon Katz is American author of many successful books about his dogs. Amongst these is the Sunday Times acclaimed book ‘A Year of the Dog’ about the delinquent Devon who morphed into being the loving Orson but who later went ‘rogue’ and sadly had to be put down.
Jon lives in an area of upstate New York where the winters are brutal, the summers idyllic and joyful. Working with his collection of animals he has discovered much about his own idiosyncrasies, foibles and eccentricities. Emerging from some devastating personal issues a couple of years ago he has melded into a happy, fulfilled person still living on his upstate New York farm but loving himself much more and not giving himself such a hard time.
His books are a joy to read – maybe not for the traditional sheepdog handler who thinks of his dog as a dog - but for someone wanting to pursue the recently agreed notion that our love of dogs is as close to the mother/child bond as it gets, these books will talk to you in a way you never imagined. Jon lives at Bedlam Farm, West Hebron NY and can be found, daily, on his website journal www.bedlamfarm.com Details of how to find his books can also be found on this site but all the big book shops have them at around £7.00 each. I like that Katz is so into dogs!
And finally– sorry that I inadvertently suggested, in the last ISN that Hilary Jones, Chair of the D&E was not at the D&E Annual Dinner Dance – of course she was! Her hospitalisation had been put on hold at the last minute and with Jane Harper already primed to oversee the proceedings; Hilary kept a low profile – almost hiding, in fact!