From Denmark we drove to IJmuiden and took the ferry to Newcastle.
We stopped first at Marlenes in Allendale Town for a couple of days. At her training field we met a friend of hers, David Hendersson. We also visited his farm, he was building new kennels and running area for his dogs, me like. He is a very nice talented young man with some very nice dogs too, we´ll hear a lot of him in the future, that´s for sure.
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| Marelens and Angus new jacob sheep |
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| We often buy our lunch from this butcher in Allendale Town |
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| Marlene and me with the nice farmers in Allendale Town |
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| Cute |
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| Brilliant lively sheep at Marlenes friends farm |
On our way to the North we stopped at Michael Davidson´s in Wooler close to the border, he is managing a farm with 12.500 ewes. He is a Scotsman who lives in England, he represented England this year in both the World Trials and at the Internationals in Ireland.
At all farms the sheep were just perfect. We had missed the UK sheep so much, it´s such a pleasure to work with them, they evade so easily from both human and dogs.
On the long drive up to Tain in North Scotland, we stopped for a small trial. We were there pretty early in the morning, only a few more people had arrived. Nobody wants to run so early because the sheep won´t be too good (read = really bad) in the morning. Well we did. The sheep were VERY flighty, think little Coel handled them best of our dogs, we nearly got them penned but then the clock beat us. As you can see from the pic belowe, I should have been even further from the touchy ladies to not frighten them. Rhy was just too much for the ewes, when he had picked up an hysterical escaping ewe about five times, I retired
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| Coel at the pen |
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| On our way for some yahoo on the beach, like the guide said |
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| Coel gathering at MacAngus farm |
We arrived to our cottage at Ranch Chalet Park in the evening, it had two bedrooms, a livingroom with kitchen. It wasn´t the best ever, but it was really nice to that price. Jessica arrived the next day with Tiina Mäkelä and Jatta who had their own cottage nearby the trialfield.
Me and Jessica went riding the next day, it was great fun and the weather was brilliant.
The nice guide phoned a farmer who invited us to his farm for training before the WT.
MacAngus had about 1200ewes, on this field about 100 lambs. We shed of 8-9 lambs, and put the rest in a small paddock. I can´t tell if this had any affect for the WT, but it was good for the dogs to get in touch over these light sheep, when they had been pushing the finnish gluey lambs the whole summer. The sun shone and Jessica also had got her camera with her and took some nice pictures.
Later on we went to check out the trial fields. I was going to run on field 2, it was a nice flat grass field. The outletting pen was the only thing I was a bit worried about...it was quite open and inviting for dogs who like to go there.
Leena and Minnas field was nr 3, that field was a disappointment, to drive all that way to run on a stubble field...not nice. Nr 1 was on the main field, where the semi final and final were going to be, it was on a nice slope and the handler should have a good sight over both sheep and dog.
In the evening the rest of our pack Jonna, Samuli and Joski also arrived. It was fabulous that they came all the long way, to watch the trials with us.
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| The parade trough Tain (c) Jasperimage |
The qualifications were held on three different fields, over two days. Me and Rhy run as number 9 the first day. The ewes where big crossbreeds, texel and shetland cheviots. They moved lightly but could lean on the dog, so dogs had to stand their ground. At the pen you had to press them in, some tried to give them time, but then you easily run out of time.
I wasn´t that nervous that I had thought I would be. I thought about how privileged I really was, Rhy is only four years and my first open dog, hear we were, going to run for Finland in the World Sheepdog Trials.
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| Waiting for our turn, World Sheepdog Trial 2014 |
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| Rhy spotting the ewes |
Our turn came and the course director wished us good luck. I sent Rhy to the right, because I was afraid he would be too wide to the left. He went out just perfect, but when he was about 3 o´clock the outletting people lost the sheep which had started to run about, the escaped with full speed to the right side. I had to stop Rhy at 2 o´clock and fortunately he immediately got control over the ewes and the situation, no points off from the outrun and lift. We brought them back to the fetch line (but not straight enough), the turn around the post was all too wide, -9p off per judge. The drive started well, Rhy found a good pace and controlled the ewes, the crossdrive was good too and only -4 p/ judge. The ewes where very reactive to humans and dog, so I had trouble to settle them down, got the shed (-1p /judge) and continued to the pen. That took some time when I first tryed to give them time, then I realized that we had to squeeze them in, (-1p/judge). Thank God Rhy is the type who stands his ground and the ewes felt that he won´t give in one inch, so they retired and revesed in. Then I just couldn´t get the single done, they where too flighty after Rhy´s press on them at the pen, so we were beaten by the time, and lost -20p there. If I remember right Kevin told me I had less than 1 minute for the single left.
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| Shed done, -1p |
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| Penning, one move too much could be a disaster |
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| Squeezing them in inch by inch. Pen -1p |
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| 2 x happy. 170p without single. |
I was so really really happy, we had had a good run except for the last part of the fetch and the single. Rhy was just great, he did exactly what he was supposed too and what I asked for and even more. We got 170p (without single), like Kevin said I would really had needed those points for the semi final (they got in with 186p), but at that point I didn´t care. For me it was a victory that we had managed to do our best run ever, at the most important trial in mine and Rhy´s trial history!
Later on when I allowed me to think "if this or that.." (which is childish) , Rhy had had the best points of the Finnish dogs and he would have been in the semi final with those points, on an other field. On field 2 the standard was the highest, on this field the great handlers run over 200 points. Michael Shearerer, Kevin Evans, Aled Owen, Nigel Watkins, James Mc Gee, Tim Longton, Jaran Knive, Derek Scrimgeour to name a few of them...
Before the trials I hadn´t even thought it could be possible to make it to the WT semifinal, now I know it is, if you can perform your best!
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| Finnish Team 2014, World Sheepdog Trial Tain. Severi, Minna, Hessu, me, Kari, Leena and Juha |
The trials lasted for four days, it was great to meet up with a lot of new and old friends. A funny thing was, that the scotsman who gave us our "team bags" , was a man me and Joski learned to know at the Internationals 2012 in Cardiff. We recognized each other and had o good laugh about how we had met, and where we where now.
Michael Shearer was first to run in the finals, it rained like hell but he did the winning run with his old Bob and became World Champions 2014. So happy for him, he seems to be a nice man and very nice to his dogs too! Kevin and Greg were second, so happy for him too! Aled and Cap ended up fifth, we thought and had hoped that they would have been higher up, but to be the fifth best dog in the world is not bad.
Then it was time to say goodby to all friends who were going to fly or drive home. Me, Leena and Jessica would continue to Irelands International Championships, via Penyfed Farm.
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| Rhy, my precious |
___________________to be continued_________________
