Brompton Regis Sheepdog Trials
The Brompton Regis Sheepdog Trials held in July saw almost 80 competitors and their collie dogs taking part and almost £1,000 being raised for the Children’s Hospice South West. The event was organised by Pete and Jenny Stringer and hosted by the Cowlings at Ruglands Farm.
Cindy Cowling explains how the competition works: Competitors from as far as Dorset, Wiltshire and Wales have a choice of three classes: ‘The Novice Maltese X’,’ The Open Maltese X’ and the largest class, the ‘Driving Open’. The morning judge, Anne Williams, awards marks for ‘straight lines and tight turns’ through and around gates and obstacles. Five sheep are ‘gathered, driven, shed (where two unmarked sheep are split from the five) and finally penned. The handler’s dog also needs to be decisive and keep the sheep ‘flowing on’. Competitors are timed with placings going to sixth place and six points being allocated to the winner, down to one point for sixth place. Towards the end of the season, the top 150 sheep dogs in the UK are chosen to compete in the English National and from this group the best 15 from England, Ireland and Wales go on to the prestigious International Championships, which this year will be held in the North of Scotland. In addition, there is a new World Trial where qualifiers are taken from the National Points System.
The Sheepdog Trials are enjoyed by the locals and visitors alike. As well as soaking up the beautiful countryside and good company there is a marquee, run by the local ladies, which is transformed into a mini marvel of plants and homemade cooking, sumptuous cakes and other delicacies to tempt even the greatest of strong wills!
I met leading trialist, Jed Watson, who last year represented Wales in the World Trials and was placed sixth in the Supreme. He told me: “It takes about two and a half years to train a dog and I like a (male) dog with pricked ears and a bare (smooth) coat. I buy what is available and have around 15 or 16 collies at any one time.” So, what makes a good competitor? "A lot of practice and a level head!” Having started over 40 years ago at the tender age of just five or six, Jed has certainly had his fair share!
As we finished chatting Jed asked me to make sure to thank the landowners on behalf of the many competitors for allowing these events to continue. And with that he and ‘Bee’ his eager collie partner were headed for the starting post. With barely a sign from Jed, Bee was off, running fast, like an inky black blob down the side of a page, to settle and ‘lift’ her woolly prize.
If you would like to know more about the breeding, training and management of the sheep dog, The International Sheep Dog Society’s web page is a good place to start and can be found at www.isds.org.uk or www.allaboutsheepdogs.com. You do not have to own a sheep dog to become a member of the ISDS society or local Trial Society. You can just ‘Come Bye’!
Cindy Cowling
