Back at the caravan it felt like coming home, so great to see Efion again, and later on the other Owens.
We were so happy that there were a lot to do on the farm. Over those days we dosed all lambs and gave them vitamines, there were a lot of work for the dogs and we really enjoyed it. We also visited Ann and Doug Lambie, our neighbours, Jessica went riding with Janet.
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| Dosing at Penyfed Farm |
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| Coel and Rhy bringing sheep down from the hill |
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| Jessica at Ann´s and Dougs farm |
Early on Thursday morning me Aled and Kevin Dodd drove to the Ireland ferry, we arrived on the afternoon and went straight to the trialfield, or maybe not straight...it wasn´t the easiest place to find.
At first the trial field was a disappointment, it was small, like a normal open (class III) field in Finland. It was on slope with dips, so it wasn´t spectator friendly at all. Only one of the the "grandstands" was put up and it didn´t have any roof, because it was built on a slope (to the side) so they said it wasn´t safe to put up it up. You could only see the whole course if you were lucky to sit high up...and even then they would disappear inte the dips... It felt that we had payed for nothing, when we bought the grandstand tickets in advance, we payed so we would be able to see everything and so we would stay dry.
Fortenately the weather was great all three days, and we sat on the side of the course so it was okey. The last day, the final with double fetch, we came there 7am and got good seats.
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| Kevin and Greg |
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| If you wanted to know in advance, how your run´s gonna be... |
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| Big mama |
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| Kevin and Greg, Reserve Supreme Champions |
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| James and Silver shedding |
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| Taxi |
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| International Supreme Champion James Mc Gee & Silver |
James MacGees Silver only 18months old, won and became an International Supreme Champion. I liked this dog at the WT, but now he was evenmore impressing. Kevin and Greg were second, very happy for him. He had an even better run with Jimmy, but they were unlucky to have a very odd ewe in the shedding. Two ewes were glued like siam twins, one with and one without collar, he managed to get the uncollared one off three times, but she just run back to her mate, the last time they got her shed off, her friend attacked Jimmy...then the clock beat them.
I hadn´t planned in advance how to get back from Ireland...fortunately Ned O´Keeffe and Mirjam Lettner helped me and I got lift with the ISDS president and Judith. Then I met up with Leena and Jessica in Dublin, next morning me and Leena started our journey back to Finland. Jessica flew back home.
We had time for a short stop at Annis and Digs new home, the´ll be shepharding on a farm with 2.000 ewes.
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| On a beach in NW |
Disaster, again
After three days we were back at my home. After two days we drove to Rantasalmi, where the second qualifications for the Finnish team was organized. Some handlers hadn´t pre entered, so even Coel could run there.
There was something funny about the field, even very good listners lost their hearing at one part of the field, and brought the sheep quite reck less to the handler. The ewes also put quite lot of pressure for some reason on the dogs, a lot had troubles with them...lost the pack or gripped. Rhy had a very good run, but unfortenately I was "a sleep" or felt too safe, and he gripped when one ewe bolted at the pen. I should know, that when the sheep puts a lot of preassure on the dog, Rhy might get tensed and wants to "get them", shit.
Coel brought me the sheep all too fast, he wasn´t able to listen at all and seemed to be distressed when he hadn´t heard or feld that I didn´t aid him. I got him calmed down and the rest of the run was okey. After all, pleased with Coel who is still so very young.
Next day both had decent runs but nothing to cheer about, so not many points for either of them to the qualifications. The Continentals 2015 are going to be in Italy, even if I probably wouldn´t have money to go there, it would still have been fun to have had the option... Well, only the Nationals left to collect points from, with only one decent run of four with Rhy, I had to say thank you good bye to the team.
The Nationals, an other disaster for us
Where held in Tammisaari, oraganized by Annika Paarvios team. The field was a bit different than usually, in a nice slope with some dips, but the winding grass was quite long and you could see it would be hard for the sheep to move there. Different from other countrys I have been trialling in, the trials in Finland are often with lambs, they can be odd to work when they don´t have a leader.
In one lamb group there could be rams and ewes mixed from three different breeds; Gottlands sheep, Texel, Oxford down and Finn sheep (?). The groups where quite similar, but like the judge said; There were only a couple of really difficult groups, but there were many that you knew you won´t be able to do a good run with, even if you get around.
Quite long outrun, so the fetch was hard for sheep and dogs in the long winding grass. Coel had a group with a stroppy ramlamb, at the first gate Coel had enough and gripped. Rhy had a bad fetch (not listening), the rest okey.
Second day Coel had an okey run and so did Rhy. Very pleased with Coel, it was hard, difficult surface which made the gluey lambs even heavier.
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| Rhy with the first bunch in the final |
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| Rhy with both bunches |
Rhy made it to the double fetch final. A lot of dogs struggled on the drive, it was really hard for the dogs and they run out of time...
First outrun okey, the second bunch were on an other field quite difficult for the dogs, some extra commands to get him there. The drive was very hard, heavy group with many ram lambs. As a shorty, I couldn´t see either sheep or dog when they went trough the second gate...just whistled something...luckily Rhy brought them to the crossdrive by himself. The int shedding was not good, in the end me and a ram lamb who wanted to stay with the ewes, had a battle that I fortenately won. Pen okey. We were both cooked, mentally and physically.
I usually love to trial, but this was not fun, just wanted to cry really. I hate when the sheep are so gluey and not reacting properly to dogs, you have to push for every step. Think we ended up 8th. The only good thing was, that Jonna and Magda had a good run and became 4th.
I really really really miss UK, I want to live and trial there, not here. At all. Anymore. Ever.
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