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Western
Open Championships
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Open
All-Age; 1, 2,
3, 4,
5, 6,
7 and 8
Open Derby; 1, 2,
3, 4,
5, 6,
7 and 8
Open
Shooting; 1, 2,
3, 4,
5, 6,
7 and 8
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Test your vision and see if you can
detect all the riders following the brace of dogs.The
rider in front is the handler while two judges are following
near by. The rider on the lower left is a scout helping
one handler maintain contact with his dog. A scout needs
to be a good rider with a dependable horse, a horse
that will go anywhere in search of the dog.
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| A lone handler rides to the front, searching for the
fast running all-age bird dog. Many times the dog would
be just over a rise or wide and can't be seen for several
minutes. 'Singing' and/or the use of a whistle helps
to maintain contact and to urge the dog to show to the
front. Being out front can be a lonely feeling especially
if you can't find your bird dog. Note, the wide open
country where a bird dog needs to cover in order to
find birds. The early morning braces had a slight wind
and cool conditions. However, by the third one hour
braces the weather was hot and dusty. These types of
weather changes benefit those that run early as opposed
to the ones that run in the heat of the day. |
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| Paul Wells and Pat Lamantia rest on a ridge that overlooks
the huge valley below. Many time being on higher ground
helps to see things that others may not. |
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| Mike McGinnes (in red) and Torben Hansen share some time
to talk about bird dogs and the trials. |
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June 3, 2002
Copyright © 1999-2002 UplandBirdDog.com
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