Westerner Exposition Park - Red Deer, Alberta
In the latter part of the19th Century, the best working collies could be found in the border countries between Scotland and England - hence the name "Border Collie" used today. Though they are called sheep dogs, these dogs are used to herd cattle and other livestock as well. Border Collies are prized for their skills in gathering, driving, penning, singling and shedding (separating out particular sheep from the flock). They exhibit what is known as "eye," the ability to hold and control sheep with only the force of their firmly planted feet and fixed stare.
The sport of "trialing" evolved from agricultural roots much the same as the sport of rodeo in America. Since the farms in the "border lands" of England and Scotland were small, they could not support more than the immediate family in most cases. The land is so rugged that a man on foot or motorized vehicles are of no use, so a dog is the only way to harvest their crop of sheep and other livestock. Anyone who has tried to run stock down on foot can appreciate a good dog; they can literally replace several men when working and moving livestock. The tasks facing a Border Collie in its daily work on the farm or ranch are the same ones tested in sheepdog trials.
In October 1873, in a field near Bala, South Wales, shepherds met for the first time to test their skills and determine individual superiority among their Border Collies. In two separate contests on an 800-yard-long field, the dogs were tested in gathering, driving, and penning sheep. The same trial has been running for over 100 years, and since Bala, sheepdog trials have spread to every major sheep producing country of the world.
In the British Isles alone there are over 400 trials a year held in conjunction with fairs and other agricultural events, or anywhere there is a field and sheep. These trials range from "Nursery", "Open", and the National Championship (a 3-day trial held in Ireland), to the International Supreme Championship, which rotates between England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales with each country sending a team of fifteen dogs. Winning the "International" is the highest honor of the trialing world.
The first recorded sheepdog trial in the United States was part of Philadelphia's centennial year celebration in 1880. Apparently this trial was an isolated event because when 1,500 people gathered in Bennington, Vermont, on August 16, 1928, to witness a competition between seven dogs, it was referred to as "the first sheepdog trial ever held in the United States." Because the country's size required that competitors travel great distances, trials grew slowly in the U.S. However, by 1940, the North American Sheepdog Society had been formed, and during the 1960's and 1970's, the number of dogs imported to the U.S. increased. Border Collie and trialing interest has grown to the point where there is now the "United States Border Collie Handler's Association" (USBCHA), and a United States championship trial is held every year at various locations within the fifty states.
For more information on sheepdog trials or A.S.D.A. membership, contact:
Alberta
Stock Dog Association
Clare
Schmuland (secretary)
RR#2
Gwynne, AB T0C 1L0
Phone (780) 352-6908
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Red Deer Highland Games Sheepdog Trail.
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with the handlers.
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any of your questions.
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