Dog Trial Marathon Week #4 Frio Draw Memorial Sheep Dog Trial

We made our way south and east from Simla, Colorado, with an overnight stop at Wild Bill’s RV Park in Boise City, Oklahoma.  

Thursday, May 21, found us back at Frio Draw Farms outside Friona, Texas, for the Frio Draw Memorial Sheep Dog Trial.  The trial is held each year in memory of Jake Hefner and his friend, Clayton, who died in a plane crash several years ago, as well as my dear friend, Jill Hefner.  (You may remember that my good dog, Llanfarian Dutch, was imported by Jill as a puppy.  Shortly before her death, she offered me the opportunity to buy Dutch, and he has been my steadfast partner ever since.

The Frio Draw Memorial sheepdog trial was an amazing, well--run small trial. The sheep were challenging. Competition was fierce, but friendly, and everyone pitched in to make it an amazing experience for all of us.  Thank you so much Tommy and Raffa Hefner for bringing us all together and putting on such a good trial.  We enjoyed our time with you, and had fun meeting the adorable Clancy, Tommy and Raffa's granddaughter, shown here with her mom and Raffa.

Judge Katy Deardorff did a fine job of judging all the runs over four days. She is quite a trooper, and we really enjoyed meeting her and her husband, Craig.  An added, extra bonus was the several gallons of beautiful California avacados they shared with us.  I believe Craig said they had over 20 different avacado varieties, plus many fruit trees in their orchard.  Katy is in the center of the photo below holding the basket of collars used to mark sheep for the shed and pen in the double lift competition.

Dutch, Meg, Bo and I spent our first afternoon here “grazing” the 200 head of dorper ewe lambs that will be used for the weekend’s trials.  That means that the sheep tender has to keep the flock grazing close to their night pen when they would much prefer to go exploring over the hills and far away.  Our grazing assignment went well, and we kept our sheep contained until an approaching thunderstorm made it advisable to put them away for the evening.  There were about 200 head of sheep, and Meg learned a lot from moving the flock and preventing escapes.

I was generally pleased with the way Dutch and Meg ran, but there were some rough spots. When we arrived everyone was so happy that Tommy had laid out the field with the wind at our backs so that even over such long outrun, our dogs would be able to hear us. Not! Friday morning the wind had shifted 180° and was blowing straight down the field into our faces. The dogs that ran earlier didn’t have as much wind, and they generally were able to score better because they could hear commands.  Dutch ran in the middle of the 28 dog field and finished ninth with the score of 69.

Meg’s run was another matter. Unfortunately, by the time she ran at the very end, the wind had built in strength, with gusts over 40 mph.  The wind was blowing straight in my face, taking away my cap, my words and my whistles.  For the second time in a row, she came up short on her outrun and crossed over, losing 19 of the 20 points she could have kept.  The rest of her run was dismal.  We did manage to get around the course and into the shed ring, but ran out of time.  She posted a personal worst score of 11, but I was surprised her total wasn’t in the single digits.  I don’t think she could hear any of my commands until she got right to my feet.  

On Saturday, our dogs did not run, so we helped with scribing course directing, etc. Then on Sunday, both Dutch and Meg gave me very nice runs. They scored a 79 and an 80, respectively, and finished eighth and ninth.   Below are some pics from Meg's run.

I had entered Dutch in Monday’s, double lift, but he did not fare as well as he had the day before. The sheep were tough, and he tired in the heat, and nipped a nose in the shed ring so we were disqualified.  It was a fun trial, though.  We’re so glad we came back to Texas to participate.  

Here are some photos of friends and fellow competitors from the trial.

Dog Trial Marathon Week #3-- Prairie Grass Sheep Dog Trial

Mid-May we made the short hop from Kristi and Cole’s to nearby Simla, Colorado, for the Prairie Grass Sheep Dog Trial.  (On the other side of the country, some of our friends were competing in the Bluegrass Sheep Dog Trial, but I think we had more fun, and we certainly had more interesting weather. )  The trial is held at beautiful UhOl Ranch, where hosts Mindy Bower and Kevin Hall made everyone feel welcome.  John and I came in a day early to help direct RV’s to the appropriate parking spaces and be available to help as needed.  Good friend Joanne Hardy was the judge, and did an outstanding job.  

Shortly after we arrived, so did the sheep, some 200 beautiful yearling range ewes.  They unloaded down the “ship elevator” and were moved along to their night pasture by Mindy and one one of her border collies. 

The sheep elevator is an interesting contraption; it can be raised and lowered to move sheep from different levels in the truck.  It takes some convincing to get the first ones to take the ramp, but eventually they all exited.  I’m told that some transporters have a goat that is trained to lead the sheep down the ramp, simplifying the process.  

Meg and Dutch supervised, along with one of Mindy’s guardian dogs.

The weather varied from shirt-sleeve to rain, a bit of hail, and everyone in parkas and rain gear.  The dogs and sheep loved it, though, even if we didn’t.  

On her first go, Meg was disqualified for letting her sheep run off-course and take refuge on the manure pile.  Her second run was much better, and she placed 4th with a score of 81.

Dutch had a decent trial.  His first run wasn’t spectacular; he didn’t pen his sheep, and finished with only a score of 57.  His second was better, and he scored a 72.

I was thrilled when both of my dogs qualified for the end-of-trial Double Lift.  Dutch had enough points with his two scores combined, and Meg qualified because of her fourth-place finish in Open 2.  However, each handler could only run one dog, and I chose Meg because this was her first qualifying Double Lift.  

We had a tough go.  She usually has a lovely, wide, come-bye outrun, but this day she just couldn’t believe her first packet of sheep were to the left.  She ran very short, and was nowhere near her sheep.  I recalled her several times, and finally resorted to whistling her look-back command and she finally went in the right direction.  She brought her first packet down, narrowly missing the fetch gates, and dropped them at the designated spot.  She looked back and, after going the wrong way, picked up her second packet and joined them with the first, again missing her fetch gates.

Her fetch around the post was orderly, and she had nice lines through her drive-away and cross-drive panels.  we worked hard at our international shed, but timed out in the shed ring.  We have lots to practice on when we get home, but she gave me a good effort, and after her two initial fetches, handled her sheep well.  

We also enjoyed watching good friends and competitors as they tried to complete the Double Lift course.  Brent Phelps and Rhys gave it a good try but timed out in the shed ring.

And Terry Murray and Dutch's daughter Pickle P. completed their international shed, but timed out before completing their pen.

Congratulations to Double Lift winner Bridget Strang and Bill, and good luck, Bridget, when you compete in the World Trial this fall.  Thanks again to Mindy and Kevin, and Terry Murray and Mike Lupow for a great trial!

Dog Trial Marathon Week #2

After our week at Strang Ranch, reloaded up and headed back across the Rockies to spend a few days with Kristi Cetrulo and Cole Burrows at their new place in Peyton.  Back through the tunnels we came, seeing Glenwood Canyon from a different perspective.

After a good run, the pups slept all the way there.  

We arrived at Kristi and Cole’s place and set up camp just in time for the second snowstorm of our trip.  The dogs again had a wonderful time racing back and forth, snow flying.  

We have known Kristi and Cole for several years, and have shared many a good visit and chilled beverage with them at various dog trials over the past couple of years.  

Their new place is lovely, with large pastures, expansive barns  and outbuildings, and a home under renovation.  Their view of Pike’s Peak to the west is breathtaking.  Since acquiring the property early this year, they have wasted no time returning it to what will become a perfect location for working and trialing their border collies.  

In progress when we visited was pasture improvement.  This flock of 100 or so goats from GoatMowers have been busy eating weeds to make way for Kristi and Cole to reseed with native grasses.

Their five dogs, plus our five made quite a pack.  Complicating our visit was the fact that Meg had just come into standing heat, and had to be kept separate from Dutch and Kristi’s Keg, both intact males.  The puppies, their two and our pair ran and played and ran and played and ran….until they were all exhausted.  It was a doggone good time for all!

While we were there, we had the opportunity to meet Kristi’s brother, Giancarlo and his son, Sirius, who were visiting from Florida.  Here is a photo of Kristi and Giancarlo.  

And here is a pic of one of our meals at Buck & Blue’s Grill located at the Latino Trails Equestrian Center in Elbert.  They make a fantastic hamburger!  

While we were at Kristi and Cole’s, I was able to to spend time training with Terry Murray.  Terry is an exceptional trainer and handler, and is even more special because she owns Pickle P, one of the pups from Dutch’s first litter with Jill Hefner’s Nan.  Terry introduced our pups to sheep up close and personal in a stall with barrels.  Both girls did well, and by the time we left were circling the packed pen of sheep with calm confidence.  Such a wonderful way to begin their herding education!  Thank you, Terry!

And,I ned also to thank Lise Anderson, with whom I spent a day working dogs at her Tabletop Ranch.  We were too busy for me to get any pictures, but I’ll make up for that the next time I visit, probably in a few weeks at her Tabletop Sheep Dog Trial.

And a very special thank you, Kristi and Cole, for your warm hospitality, and for the time we were able to spend together.  Can’t wait to see all you have done the next time we visit.