State Arena Championships 2010

Ballidu, September 2nd-5th

“Another sheepdog trial?!”


Yes, Ginger Biscuit, another sheepdog trial, and this time it was the Big One.

My first time at Ballidu was a good one- it is a really nice trial area, with plenty of room for camping and running dogs. For a location not too far from Perth, it did feel surprisingly like the middle of nowhere, with pitiful mobile reception and no vets for miles around. This was an issue for me, unfortunately, because Bill chose this weekend to develop a mystery illness, which involved dramatic leg cocking and peeing blood, but fortunately was managed with phone consults to veterinary qualified members of the extended trialling community and antibiotics. Thank you again!

Despite the distance, we had an enjoyable trip up to the Northern Districts stomping ground, up through York and Northam (our retirement destination when our Lotto win comes in) to Wongan Hills. As we moved north, the crops became increasingly advanced compared to home, and the weather (and flies!) ominously summery. But they’ve had some good rain recently, so local spirits were high, and the landscape was unbelievably picturesque, a patchwork of bold cereal greens, pastel lupins and iridescent canola yellow, laced together  with delicate borders of scrub eucalypts.

Pendalup Candy and her Grassvalley posse:

Grassvalley Moss, Grassvalley Magpie (?), and Grassvalley Brook

We’d heard all the horror stories from the last Ballidu trial about how tough the sheep were, so I was half expecting a mob of horned woolly satyrs clutching pitchforks and swishing demonic tails. Reality disappointed, yet again: they had the horns and needed occasional coercion, but were actually some of the most calm, sensible, forgiving sheep I’ve ever trialled on. They were excellent material for the 3 sheep masters to exhibit their skills, and the high scores reflected this.

Although… they did take some pushing off the bridge at times:

As Glenice Webb demonstrates:

I spent some time at the let out this weekend, just for some variety, which was great fun. You see a different side of the dogs and their work- mainly the backsides…

Badgingarra Dotcom:

Novice

1)	Jenny Nolan	Faraway Quinn (collie)	84
2)	Frank Sutherland	Rocky Chick (collie)	78
3)	Jenny Palm	Badgingarra Lisa (collie)	76
4)	Marianne Rogers	Christies Cocoacina (collie)	75
5)	Rick Janitz	Jandoree Dotcom (collie)	74

Rocky Chick:

Cuddliest dog at the trial, Chick again:

Badgingarra Lisa:

Glenmar Midge:

Improver

1)	Wayne Hall	Hudsons Tasha (collie)	97
2)	Ray Sutherland	Swagman Cyndy (collie)	94
3)	Frank Sutherland	Rocky Bear (collie)	88
4)	Malcolm Seymour	Euroa Nell (collie)	87
5)	Ken Atherton	Kiwi Knight (NZHD)	82

Improver winner and dam of the Open winner, Hudsons Tasha:

Ray Sutherland with Swagman Cyndy:

Germaine Seymour and Somerville Lucy:

Open Championship

1)	Peter Gorman	Avalon Sox (collie)	97	95	192
2)	Peter Gorman	El Shamah Ellie (collie)	95	96	191
=2)	Ivan Solomon	Perangery Jill (collie)	97	94	191
4)	Gordon Curtis	Nolan’s Minnie (collie)	91	81	172
5)	Ivan Solomon	Perangery Sasha (collie)	94	76	170
6)	Wayne Hall	Hudsons Tasha (collie)	90	79	169
7)	Ivan Solomon	Perangery Beck (collie)	94	71	165
8)	Gordon Curtis	Binnaburra Tuff (kelpie)	91	62	153
=9)	Marianne Rogers	Christies Cocoacina (collie)	90	61	151
=9)	Ray Sutherland	Swagman Cyndy (collie)	91	60	151
11)	Grant Cooke	Pendalup Candy (collie)	90	47	137
12)	Grant Cooke	Grassvalley Brook (collie)	93	Rtd	93
13)	Ivan Solomon	Perangery Floss (collie)	92	Rtd	92

Yep, that’s young Sox again- not even a year old, two trials, two Open wins, one State Championship!

Peter Gorman with Avalon Sox (Boylee Wal x Hudsons Tasha):

Nolan’s Minnie:

Perangery Sasha:

Perangery Floss:

Princes Casper:

Grant Cooke and Grassvalley Moss:

Grassvalley Moss:

Judge’s Award for Best Work in the Novice: Doreen Hansen and Jandoree Molly
Patron’s Trophy (Aggregate): Marianne Rogers and Christies Cocoacina

Jandoree Molly

Morillo Cinders:

Bellview Teddy:

Glenview Ruth:

Teddy and Ruth's offspring, "Jane"

Some of the Kelpie collection:

Binnaburra Basil:

 

Yarralonga Darkie:

Yarralonga Darkie

Nigel Armstrong with Darkie's granddaughter, Yarralonga Ding:

Yarralonga Ding

Badgingarra Gem

Cagella Kinder

Cagella Kinder

Kinder's daughter, Yarralonga Solo

Our mangy mutts did okay. It was probably Fred’s last trial (yes, really!), at least with R- he went out on a decent note with a pen for a respectable score, but some trouble at the race pinched his chance at a final. R was happy with Trim, very very unhappy with Fly, and a bit disappointed at his handling with Bonnie. Tess was fairly fired up and wasn’t listening.

Pendalup Tess at the bridge:

Tom made his debut in the Novice, and was appalling. It felt like I did not even know him- he was slicing everywhere, would not stop, and was generally a dog from another planet. I don’t know whether it was his upset tummy or the presence of bitches in season in the ute with him, but we won’t be repeating the experience any time soon. Pinky’s one run was so disappointing I nearly cried- she stuck on the cast and then wouldn’t pick up the sheep, and the sucky let-out people took them off before I could salvage anything from the experience.

Queani went okay for me, penning in the Improver for a decent score and almost penning for a better one in the Open, but her slack anticlockwise cover let us down, so I retired.  Here she is with our trophy from 2009, the Bill England Memorial Trophy, which unfortunately went home with someone else last year, so we had to rush a quick photo op before it was presented to this year's winner (might be the closest I ever get to this sort of silverware in the trophy cabinet)!

Bill got himself massively overexcited spectating before the Novice, seemed away with the fairies and it was not our best work, although he penned beautifully. In the Improver he was more settled, but again was not really himself, and we were on a fabulous score when he shot across in front of me at the bridge and crossed. Of course, in light of the urinary issues that declared themselves later, I can’t blame him. The Open was almost a rerun, but I managed to stop him before he crossed, and we went on to the pen, where we miscommunicated and let the sheep go around the pen twice, ending up with an 87.

Boylee Fred, Badgingarra Jake, Boylee Bill and a bit of Just Esme:

Binnaburra Bonnie:

Rocky Lizzie:

Future hopeful, Mac’s Ben10:

And the kids? They had a ball, as usual.

Farmboy did the tourist thing, seeing all the sights from Beverley to Ballidu.

The Beverley aeronautical exhibits:

The Northam scenery:

The Ballidu… sheep:

Farmboy was thrilled that his little trialling mate was there, providing hours of truck teamwork and bike races and general small boy biffo

The Ginger Biscuit got to sit on her bottom in a variety of exciting places, from caravans to bathroom floors to gravel roads:

And the fabulous Nanny Joan kept grumpy kids and frazzled parents smiling.

But I’m afraid by the end of four days, we all looked a bit like this:

So it's a good thing we're on a break from trialling from now until October!