Shepherds' Crook Fall Farm Trial - 2022

By Kristin Bryant 


The calendar indicated it was fall, and the weather reaffirmed it. Perfect weather for dogs and sheep though. It was wonderful to be back in Canada and visit with friends I hadn’t seen in quite a while. 


The Open field was set and quite challenging. A lot of dogs and handlers had never run on a trial field such as this. The trial field was set with a quaint split rail fence between the handler’s post and the set out sheep with gaps to accommodate outruns in both directions and the fetch panels. Trees were scattered throughout the fence line with lovely autumn foliage. 


The backside of the course held challenges of it own. On the first day some dogs had trouble getting out to their sheep, but the judge was generous and let handlers go out and help their dogs. This seemed to have a positive effect as most dogs on the second day found their sheep. 


The sheep were in good condition and were quite nice to run throughout the weekend. 


The Ranch class had some promising dogs entered. The first run was on the novice field. The second was run on the backside of the Open field, which was very challenging for the dogs. Many had trouble getting to the set out, all in all a nice class of dogs. 


The Pro Novice class was full of promising young dogs. The Novice Novice class was the largest I have ever seen. These handlers and their dogs were very prepared and for the most part under control. Everyone in the class should be proud of themselves and their dogs. 


The handlers’ dinner was exceptional as usual, and Kevan and Kim were wonderful and gracious hosts. 


The whole trial was well organized and run like a well-oiled machine. It was great to be back again!

 

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