Congratulations to our 2023 Pro Novice Champion and Reserve Champion!
Pro Novice Champion: Rain and Mary Thompson
by Mary Thompson
I can’t count the number of times I’ve witnessed a handler come off the trial field shaking their head, scuffing the ground, disappointment showing on their face, and growling at their wayward border collie, and saying; “well, she doesn’t do that at home”. And for the most part it’s a true statement. Many border collies are perfect at home, but when they arrive at a new unknown venue, with unfamiliar sheep they are often afflicted by anxiety, excitement, and so are their owners.
In Rain’s case the opposite of this is true. In May of 2023 I headed south to Kentucky to attend a new trial just west of Lexington hoping to get her paws wet with a small trial prior to hitting the big time at the Bluegrass. I wasn’t expecting much, at 18 months, Rain was not that good at home; too wide on her flanks, not enough push, wanting to head too much. But I figured she could use some field trial experience and just maybe she would learn something.
Well you can imagine my surprise when on a steep hilly field with somewhat stubborn Katahdins she ended up being 1 st and 2 nd in PN winning the overall. She also made it out to the sheep in the Nursery class (with a little help) which was basically a blind outrun. Okay I thought the other shoe will drop when we get to the Bluegrass. Surprise surprise, she ends up the Pro Novice Overall Champion there as well, and posts decent scores in her Nursery runs on the western sheep ending up in the 15 th to 17 th placement area in the four nursery runs.
She goes on to repeat these winning ways with PN Overall Championships at both The Handy Dog and Shepherd’s Crook. She fell off the rails a tad at Indian River, but ended strong with a 1 st place in PN at the Buckeye trial in Ohio. I decided to move her up to Ranch at this last trial for her second run, and she tied for first place with an 80. She also easily obtained her nursery legs for both her first and second nursery years.
I believe that in her case, not knowing the field, the sheep, or where the draws are in a new venue actually helps her running style; both her outruns and flanks are a little tighter, and the lack of draw by the sheep doesn’t trigger such a strong desire to cover. I come off the field shaking my head in happy amazement.
Now that she turned two, her performance at home is improving. She is driving better and holds the line, is still a wide out runner but doesn’t run the fence line, and she showed me at the last trial that a field without fences is not going to be a problem as there is a limit to how wide she will go. That is a relief! She was, and still remains a difficult dog to teach new things to, but once she’s got the new maneuver, she’s fast and accurate. Thanks to the OBCC and all the trial managers for hosting another great year of trialing in Ontario.
Pro Novice Reserve Champion: Sweep and Andrea de Kenedy
by Andrea de Kenedy
I wrote previously about my two Nursery prospects for the season. Sweep is the one who came through for me; the other is a puzzle I have yet to crack!
Sweep has proved to be everything I hoped for when I started him. He is cool-headed, has natural pace, and reads his sheep well.
I entered Sweep in Pro-Novice in the last two Ontario trials of the season, with few expectations. He did well enough at Shepherd's Crook, in absolutely miserable weather conditions, that I also threw him into the two Nursery classes at Indian River “for the experience”, and to make up the numbers. In the event, and much to my surprise, he did well enough to become the 2023 Pro-Novice Reserve champion, and also qualified for the USBCHA Nursery Finals, placing second in both trials.
Though he is not yet two, Sweep will now have to run in Open in next season’s Ontario trials, which means we will need to spend the offseason extending his outrun and refining the shed. My other winter project will be taming his kennel mate!