Judging in Canada

Time is flying and it is already the end of the year. Normally by this time of the year I like to look back and reflect on the year's ups and downs. I was very fortunate to be invited to judge a few trials in Canada as well as the Canadian Finals this year. We decided it was an opportunity to take our two daughters Christie and Jana with us. With a lot of help from our friends in Denver we bought a second hand motor home for the trip. This was a gamble because we were planning to add about 5000 miles to the clock. From Denver we drove up to Seattle where I had entered a little trial.

My first judging appointment was at Jamie van Rhyn in Shaunovan. She was the one that started the idea for the whole trip and we were thankful to her for all the help. We drove all the way from Seattle into British Columbia and across to Saskatchewan, this way seeing a lot of the country side. Fortunately for us the motor home made it with only a few little faults here and there. ( Like brakes failing in Seattle's Friday afternoon rush hour traffic, but that is a story on it's own). Shaunovan is a small little town that reminded me a lot of little towns in S.A.

When we arrived I did a few days of clinics and lessons before I had to judge the trial. The field was flat and not so easy to judge, specially the lift. You could not really see how deep the dogs came in behind the sheep. The sheep belonged to Dale Montgomery and they worked really well and consistently.

The next trial was at Dale's place near Maple Creek. It was only a few hours’ drive and they used the same sheep. The field was very nice, a natural little valley with a nice steep hill to the one side. The grass was rather long and that made it a bit tricky. Fewer handlers attended the trial but the atmosphere was great and I really enjoyed judging it. The view of the field from a judges perspective was great as you looked down on the handler and the field.

Elmarie and the girls went with Chris Jobe to her home and I joined them for a day of rest before we had to drive to Cranbrook in British Colombia for the Canadian Finals. The Final was on a irrigated hay field. The camping site was right next door on a lush green field. The course was big and flat. but tricky with a lot of dead ground. The sheep worked well if you treated them nicely, but if you started mistreating them you had to bear the consequences. Out of a judging perspective it was a tough trial to judge. It was four long days, but I really enjoyed it. Congratulations to everyone who did well and worked so hard over the 4 days. It was a nice trial and well organized,  the type I would have really liked to compete in,  a nice big field with sheep that keep you thinking.

On our way back to the USA we had some time to stop at Scott and Jenny Glenn. Here I had the opportunity to do a little training on my dogs. We also had the privilege of visiting Yellow Stone Park. This was a great experience, but unfortunately we could not stay too long. One of the highlights on my trial diary is definitely the Soldier Hollow Classic near Heber City in Utah. This invitational trial has been going now for 9 years and it is getting bigger and bigger every year.

The sheep are always tough and the time you are drawn can be very important. On the Sunday I drew up early with Don and he really worked well, winning the day with a 92 and more importantly making the final for Monday. In the final we managed a 3 place, Bill Berhow won with a really nice run with his eleven year old Pete. For more info on this trial you can visit www.soldierhollowclassic.com. Unfortunately we did not make the draw for Meeker.

Once again it was a privilege to travel with my family and my dogs to visit and compete. Thank you very much to everyone who crossed our path and offered friendship and help, it was absolutely great.