We went to a trial of the American Tending Breeds Association that was held in Bangor, PA, at the Raspberry Ridge Sheep Farm, owned by Carolyn Wilki. Let me say first of all that it is the best facility I have ever been to. There are plenty of sheep, the fences are good, the holding pens are well set up, and -- a really unique feature -- you can watch A course runs, and turn around and see virtually all of the C course. Due to a small overlap, B and C course runs can't occur at the same time, but the whole thing is an exceptionally good setup, and you might consider shopping there for your herding trial needs. There is tons of parking, good roads to the site, and places for RVs (no hookups, though, but there is H20 available). Also, Carolyn has 2 rooms and will soon have 4 rooms, so you can even stay in comfort at the site.
Bryna and I went up early on Friday for a practice match. She did a nice HT run at the match. However, when I called her off, she really did NOT want to quit. She did come to me, sort of like a slow obedience recall. Then she shoved her head between my legs--for a better view of the sheep! Everyone laughed.
During the night, the back side of hurricane Bertha hit NE Pennsylvania. It began to pour, and continued to do so for the rest of the day. It was coming down in sheets. The wind wasn't too bad, and it wasn't cold, but I wore an outfit I call my "full Seattle" (big goretex hat with big brim and chin strap, rubber jacket, goretex pants, and rubber boots), and still changed shirts 3x during the day. I was sure I would fall on my face and end up writing a "Testing in Mud" story.
But we sloshed into the pen. Our judge was fairly strict about control--dogs couldn't jump up before being told to do so, and no second chances on a recall. I was really worried about the latter, because Bryna does NOT think that 3 min of herding is enough, ever. But she rounded the sheep up, and we did our 3 turns the length of the pen. Then I set her up for a recall, on balance as best I could. We tried 2x, and each time, just as I called her, the sheep bolted, and she went after them and brought them back. On the 3rd try, she came to me, and then the sheep bolted. The judge (Kathy Stokey-Dillion) said that because the sheep timed their bolting so well and Bryna was just bringing them back and not chasing, she would pass us, especially since the rest of the test was well done. My friends said I did some good handling, and congratulated me for not going splat on my face in the standing water in the pen. (My friends always have such confidence in me.) Then I smootched Sweet Pea a whole bunch of times on the top of her head. Then I went off to help handle stock for some of the other events, to make up for all of the handlers who couldn't make it because of the hurricane.
It was our 2nd leg, so that meant that we moved up to a PT test on Sunday. FYI, for you non-herders out there--an HT is sort of like graduating from 8th grade, and a PT is sort of like high school. We are not talking about the tippy-top levels of herding here! Grading at these levels is pass/fail, and at both HT and PT, you have to pass the same test 2x, under 2 different judges. All night, I hoped for a really hot, hot, hot, muggy day, to slow Bryna down.
So as a result of our remarkable accomplishment, we took the high school test. Unfortunately, it wasn't as hot as I hoped by the time we got in the areana around 9:30. KSD was the judge again. (Remember, this is a different level, and the restriction about the same judge only applies within a given level.) She said we could stop anywhere on course that we wanted, not just at the point where you turn around. So I quickly decided to do it on the way back through the panels, when Bryna might have settled a bit. Bryna gathered the sheep pretty well, after holding her stay very well at the start. We went quickly through the two panels, and I had to do some maneuvering to help her keep the sheep with me. (I am certain I would not like to be pro football/soccer player. It would be too hard to keep your head in the middle of all of that confusion.) Then as we did a nice turn to come back through the panels, Bryna briefly grabbed one of the sheep. She let go right away, but we got a warning. Then when we cleared the second panel, did a stay, and were part way back through the second panel, she gripped again. Sigh. "Thank you" said the judge, and that meant she had stopped us because of the gripping. So we didn't pass. (I should add that Bryna doesn't often grip in lessons, but does show a behavior I call "bunting", i.e., hitting the sheep with a closed mouth, not too hard.)
She walked with me as I took Bryna back to the gate. She said she knew beardies, and knew that Bryna was very unlikely to hold on (she never has), but rules are rules. She also said Bryna had very nice balance, good power, and tremendous drive. The judge also said I really needed to work on getting her back off the stock more, which would eliminate the gripping. Then she said, she would really enjoy having Bryna to train and work! And two friends watched us, and said we did a good job, and that my good handling had helped prevent some wrecks.
I decided to be very proud, rather than seeing the underlying note that if Sweet Pea's handler were up to SP's level, SP would probably have a started leg by now! Moreover, I know for a fact that Bryna has a major, major advantage over me. Specifically, according to my mother, she and my dad never, ever discussed any ancestral abilities at sheep-herding before they got married, and as far as she can recall, the topic of sheep was never raised. Now, I ask you?!? So be patient with me, Sweet Pea.
Ah well, it was great fun, with one success and one successful failure. We are really hooked. Oh, I forgot to mention that Bryna thinks that this place was by far the best B&B she has ever stayed in--a real 4 paw listing.
Finally drying out and very happy,
Lynne & Bryna, HT