I am finding it hard to get motivated lately, hence the longer breaks between updates. Must be getting old or something.
On the 16th to the 19th I travelled to Beverly for their inaugural Three Sheep Trial at the Avondale Discovery farm.
It was a lovely venue and a good weekend.
Due to large numbers of entries the trial started on Thursday at lunch time. This meant too long a time for me to be away so I went home on the Saturday and missed most of the open runs. I also missed the ploughing festival held on the Sunday but heard it was a great place to be.
Due also to large numbers of entries everyone was limited to five runs each. So I gave Caleb two runs, and Driftz, Balto and Yindi a run each in the novice and improver so I had no runs in the open event.
Balto was first, and as the sheep had been running towards the right side of the ground the advice was to send him that way. However they were actually facing the other way and he wanted to go that way but I sent him to the right and he crossed to get to the head. I let him pick them up as he seemed uncertain about wether he was allowed to get them or not. The sheep were a bit wild so I took him off after he was unable to put them back into the letouts.
I expected Yindi to stick and cross as she has a tendency to do this, but with lots of encouragement she got around them and bought them down ok, but too fast. They split before the D and she ran through the middle. I was happy enough though. It was an ok start for both young dogs first time out.
Calebs first run was the highlight for me. He was a bit feral early but settled quickly and handled the sheep well to pen with a score of 71, a few points away from a placing.
His second run was not so good.
We seem to have the luck of the irish when it comes to having to run first up in the morning. This has happened to Caleb three or four times this year. It is not much fun and you don’t get a chance to see what the sheep are going to be like. Caleb was a bit unsettled and would not stop or listen so we had an ordinary cast and draw. I did get him settled, but unfortunately he put the sheep through the obstacle before I got there so i had to re-work it. This seemed to rattle him a bit as he already knows how a trial works and knew they had already gone through. He lost the plot a bit after that and crossed when the sheep split.
Dritfz was very feral and seems to be getting worse as she gets older. She didn’t look well when she cast and would not listen at all. As we got to the first obstacle she seemed to really knock up so I retired her. Because of her bad heart I decided then and there to retire her from three sheep trialling. She can still do some yard trials however.
A bit sad really, she is a great dog. She will also still enjoy doing farm work, she would pine away if she couldn’t work I think.
Full results for the trial are here. 
Glenice Webb's Morrillo Doff. Novice winners. 
Frank Sutherland's Rocky Chick 
Sam Weaver's Fly. 
Karen Buller's Badgingarra Barney. 
Jenny Whitelock's Boylee Quinn. The training weekend we held on the 4th and 5th of June was a success, we had about 14 people on the Saturday and six on the Sunday.
The weather was lovely and everyone had a great time.
We saw some talented dogs and some that are ready to trial too. It can be a big step though, the first trial. As soon as you enter the public arena you are open to criticism. This is what can really put people off, criticism of their dogs. It is hard to take but unfortunately it will always happen.
Not everybody will like the dog you really love. Mostly the criticism is not meant to be personal but it can be hurtful.
If you are only trialling to have fun and for the social life you must learn to cope with it. Just get out there and turn a blind ear to their comments. After a while they will forget about you and criticizes someone else. However experienced trailers can offer helpful comments and advice, sometimes whether you ask for it or not. So listen, and then decide whether to take their advice or not. After all it is your dog and your life. If their suggestions dont sit well with you, dont follow them.
Rocky Lizzie, Balto's smaller sister owned by Richard Mcguire. 
Andrew Gorton's small pup with a big attitude. From Erick Atherton's Gemrick lines.
We have had some much needed rain and the grass is finally growing a bit. We are still way behind on rainfall for the year though. Hopefully it is still to come and the season will finish well.
The crop has germinated and looks ok.
Tambo trying to flatten some of it. 
The dogs digging up large portions of it.
At the moment we are needling all the pregnant ewes, and tomorrow to Friday they will be crutched in preparation to lambing at the end of July. We are still feeding most of our sheep but have been able to cut down a bit in the last week or so, hopefully it will stay a bit warm and wet for a while to give the grass a chance to get going properly.
As the pregnant ewes are not very strong this year I only use the calm quiet dogs to bring them in. Pushing sheep too hard in this condition will cause them to go down. So It’s up to the kelpie’s, Bella, Leena and Dolly. All will walk quietly with their sheep, to stress them as little as possible.
I have moved a few dogs on recently.
Much as I hate to do this, sometimes it is better for the dog. So Rio, Blondie and Honda have all found new homes. I was concerned about Rio as she is a nervous type and not happy around strangers, but she has adapted well and is happy with her new owner. It can be sad for us but usually the dog is quite happy and better off with someone who will give them extra attention. Sometimes we just dont bond with a particular dog and it is wiser to move them on than to frustrate them and ourselves.
And my usual snaps of dogs playing, or just generally being stupid. 
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