Sheepdogs impress as four nations compete for championship

Widely regarded as the pinnacle of sheepdog trialling, the International Supreme Championship held earlier this month attracted 60 of the top single handlers and their dogs from across England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

The event, organised by the International Sheep Dog Society (ISDS), was hosted by Daylesford Farm in the Cotswolds – owned by the Bamford family of JCB fame and home to the renowned Daylesford organic range of farm produce.

See also: Sheepdog School – the secret to a good stop

© MAG/Phil Clarke

A simple guide to sheepdog trialling

For the supreme championship, the dogs had to gather two groups of 10 sheep on two separate runs from 800 yards away, fetch them back through a pair of gates to within 200 yards of the handler, then drive the combined group around a set course and back to the “shedding” ring.

Here, man and dog work together to separate five marked sheep from the 20, with those five then guided into a pen. A maximum score of 680 is up for grabs from four judges combined, with points dropped for any deviation from a perfect performance.

“The judges are looking for the dog to take a good straight line out to the sheep, arriving in position behind them, and then lifting the group carefully but firmly to fetch them back towards the field gates,” explained championship chief organiser Richard Smith.

“But the greatest skill comes at the shedding stage, when points can quickly be lost if any marked sheep leave the 40-yard-wide ring or if the handler fails to pen the five within the 30-minute total time allowance.”

International Sheep Dog Society vice-president Richard Smith © MAG/Phil Clarke

According to farms director Richard Smith, who is also vice-president of the ISDS and a past champion sheepdog handler himself, the setting could not have been better.

“We have been preparing this site and event for two years,” he said. “The stress levels have been high, but I am thrilled that so many people have said it is the perfect setting.

“It is a completely new site – no handler, no dogs and none of the 400 North Country Mules we have borrowed for the competition have ever seen it before, so it provides a level playing field and the sternest of tests, as well as a great view for the spectators.

“We have also been blessed with perfect weather – not too hot, not too cold, and the wind had dropped away too.”

By Sunday – the third and final day – the singles field had been narrowed down to just 15 handlers, dominated by the Welsh.

And it was Welshman Dewi Jenkins, from Ceredigion, and his seven-year-old dog Clwyd Bob who emerged as overall champion with a top score of 612 out of a possible 680, some 49 points ahead of second-placed Ross Games and his dog, Neiffinn Boy, from Brecon.

Dewi Jenkins working with his dog, Clwyd Bob © Matt Gorman

Young handlers put on their own show

As well as the singles championship, the weekend also included pairs of dogs (braces) and a young handler trial, with one junior selected from each nation to compete. This involved driving four sheep to the shedding ring and separating out one of them.

A hard-fought contest saw Blake Bradley and his dog Meg, from County Mayo in Ireland, emerge victorious, with Zak Edwards from Cumbria, Frankie Hood from Kirriemuir and Sion Davies from Tregaron equal runners-up.

Seventeen-year-old Frankie Hood was representing Scotland in the Young Handler Trial with his dog Strona Min © MAG/Phil Clarke

Scotsman Neil McVicar and his dog Mark, from Argyll, was one of just six competitors who managed to get five sheep separated and penned in the final round © MAG/Phil Clarke

Competitors from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland await the results at the end of three days of full-on trialling © Matt Gorman

Ian Brownlie from East Lothiam works closely with his four-year-old dog Lark to tease out five marked ewes © MAG/Phil Clarke

Five-year-old Woody – a wire-haired Vizsla – was one of many dogs attending the event. Bred to ‘hunt, point and retrieve’, he sees regular active service in the shooting fraternity with owner Tom Bell © MAG/Phil Clarke

Contract shepherdess Rosa Gjurkowitsch from County Kilkenny was representing the Republic of Ireland with her five-year-old bitch Meg © MAG/Phil Clarke

Head of market gardens at Daylesford, Jez Taylor, was on hand to demonstrate cider making to visitors – and a bit of sample tasting too © MAG/Phil Clarke