The temperatures were dropping but the adrenalin was racing this weekend at the TSDA-sanctioned Gatesville Sheep Dog Trial. Thanks to Brent Swindell for a lovely venue…
even if he couldn’t arrange for sunny skies and springlike temperatures. These were truly “Onward Through the Fog” conditions, as the earliest dogs on the Open course had to outrun without being able to see the sheep. And for a while the handlers couldn’t see sheep or dogs until they were halfway back on the course. When I arrived after lunch on Friday, it was still foggy, but you could at least see the sheep. (Near the tree line on the far right between the two white panels...can you see them?)
Rue and I haven’t graduated to the Open Ranch class yet, so she wasn’t running, but I had a great time photographing some of the competitors.
And their awesome dogs.
On Saturday, I spent my day serving as scribe for Open Ranch Judge Wilda Bahr. She is from San Diego, CA, but is in Texas to compete in several Open trials with her dogs, and to serve as a judge for classes in which she isn’t entered. I thoroughly enjoyed Wilda’s company, and learned a lot, as I always do when I scribe (keep score) for one of our excellent judges.
Here are a couple of photos of Wilda and one of her dogs on the Open course on Friday.
I look forward to the next trial. Hopefully Rue and I will be participants again before long.
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