Kaycee Sheepherding Trials

Joe and I went to the 2009 Kaycee Sheep Industry Festival and Kaycee Challenge Sheep Dog Trial on Saturday. There were 50 top Border Collies competing for a purse of $10,000 and the competitors came from the US and Canada. The event began at 7:00 a.m., but we showed up about 8:30 and spent the day. And, even though we were under a shaded canopy, we still managed to get sunburned.

After the trials, we went back into Kaycee where we experienced a Lamb Cook-off with several people competing. It was free and the public were the judges. We had samples of some excellent lamb chili, the lamb meatballs were wonderful, leg of lamb with biscuits and mint yellow, etc. Yummy!

Now for some background on the actual sheepherding stuff...

Each handler begins with a perfect score, and as they progress through the course, points are deducted for less than perfect dog work. Scores are given on stock handling ability and how the dog moves the sheep throughout the course, not on points per obstacle.The highest standards of conduct (behavior) are expected from handlers and dogs. Grips (bites) will be called accordingly by the judge either through point deduction or disqualification. Grips to obstinate sheep will be dealt with less harshly than grips that are not warranted or provoked.

Gather (outrun, lift and fetch) -

Sheep will be set out at 300 yards. The handler sends the dog on an outrun, preferably not disturbing the sheep until the dog reaches the balance point that will lift the sheep directly toward the handler. Any commands given after the initial send, until the dog arrives will result in point deductions. The dog must fetch the sheep straight toward the handler's post (the handler may not move further than a crook's length away from the post). The sheep must turn a tight circle around the post and handler toward the direction of the first set of drive gates.

Driving (drive panel and cross-drive panels) -

The drive will be either left or right as decided by the judge and course director prior to the start of that day's runs. The handler stands at the post and directs the dog to drive the sheep over the triangular course through both the first drive gate and then across the course through the cross-drive gate. Tight turns through the gates to the cross-drive panel and then from the cross-drive panels back toward the pen are desired. The drive ends half-way back to the pen from the cross-drive panel.

Penning -

The dog and handler must then herd the sheep into the pen. The ideal is to have the dog do most of the penning, and the sheep go straight into the pen the first time. Points will be deducted for the sheep circling the pen or the handler laying the dog down and penning the sheep themselves. Shedding -

While inside the designated shedding ring, the dog must shed (split off) the last two sheep and hold the separate from the rest of the sheep until the judge gives the "okay." This simulates working sheep without the aid of corrals while out in the hills. This phase of work is one of the last that the dog learns. Ideally the handler indicates the place to split the sheep and the dog makes the split at that spot and turns in to the oncoming sheep and holds them apart from the others.