Finals Promotional Video

This one is pretty cool...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OH0Y34d6ngA

EID Classic '10 Double Lift

Double lift Sunday started out cold and rainy. Scott and Maid drew up second. Maid was very good but had an odd thing happen on her run. Her first outrun and lift was no problem with very little, if any points off. Her turn back was as nice as Pleat's used to be and looked super pretty. She lifted nice and then she got off line just slightly on the second fetch and it put her into a dip. Scott couldn't see her so he didn't flank her back on but Maid kept them moving and brought them up on line, right in front of the fetch panels. There was a little cheer from the crowd and they continued on their fetch, gathered the first group and started around the post. Before he actually got around, there was a sheep crying back down the field. We looked up and there were two more sheep, obviously left behind when they were in the dip (two cranky cheviots if you couldn't guess). Scott went back the way he came, gathered all the sheep together and then turned the post. It hurt him very badly on his second fetch. The rest of the run was uneventful except they had some difficulties getting the last sheep away from the collared ones and they never settled enough for her to get the pen. Her final score was a 125 and she placed 5th.
When Don ran it was a different type of day.

Don starting his second fetch

The sun came out and it was almost warm. Donnie had a great run and was his usual steady self. His turn back was great and he had good control on his drive.

Don starting the drive

It had appeared that the run was just about finished when they got the shed done with 8 minutes left to pen, but the judge felt that the last shed was out of the ring and asked Scott to reshed.

Don and Scott in the shed

After that the shed was not as clean and they didn't get the pen because the same ewe kept breaking away.

Donnie turning back a difficult ewe

Their final score was a 136 and they took the reserve championship.
The stars of the day were George Stambulic and Kate. They had a clean run and kept it calm. It was a beautiful shed and pen. Congratulations to George for winning it! (and on his recent marriage!).
Thank you to our hosts, Joanne and Ian who worked hard and put on a fun show!

Ian resting on the field

Double Lift (12 dogs)
1. George Stambulic and Kate 148
2. Scott Glen and Don 136
3. Bev Lambert and Hemp 130
4. Lee Lumb and Chica 130
5. Scott Glen and Maid 125

EID Classic '10 Day Two

We have had perfect dog trial weather. It never gets real hot except for during short periods. Yesterday had most people looking in the campers to see if they brought their long johns and today we have rain. Even with the cool weather the cheviots got grumpier and it certainly gave both Scott and I trouble. I had a very bitter pill to swallow when I watched my sheep being set. Four of my sheep set but the fifth one couldn't be brought out with the dog and had to be literally pushed out with the horse. They never got it with the other sheep and it stayed next to the horse's front legs. I told the judge I didn't want those sheep but it wasn't accepted and Hemp couldn't get under the horse on the lift so he left that sheep behind when the other four lifted and started down the field. There was nothing I could do but retire. I had several people ask why I didn't have a rerun but ultimately we have to abide by the judges decision and he didn't want to give a rerun.
I'm afraid after that I didn't really care about Lad's run. He didn't have a chance of getting in the double lift like Hemp did so I just did the run half heartedly and he got a 56.
Scott had to battle in both of his runs. Don drew a terrible sheep that kept running off on the drive away leg.

Don corralling a wayward ewe

The challenge was getting the dog to give ground enough to flank around her and bring her back and not cut her off. She was a little easier on the crossdrive but once she got to the shedding ring and pen she became trouble again.

Don and Scott at the pen

Don worked very hard and only once broke his cool and charged the ewe. The rest of the time he just kept bringing her back. To make things harder, the only time of the day it got warm was during that run. Their final score was an 80.
Maid drew an equally challenging ewe and it was almost the same run as Don. The bad ewe would not stay with the group but continuously kept charging off towards the exhaust or anywhere else that looked like an escape. If you know Maid, this is a perfect situation for her to lose her temper and grip but she didn't. She stayed in there although Scott said she would slow down but not stop. She worked hard enough that her score kept her in the double lift for today and Scott and her are due shortly to the post this morning.
In the pro novice, Sava had a repeat of the day before and didn't find her sheep. Kuro had some difficulties so Scott just trained on him and retired at the pen.

Kuro on the Pro Novice lift

Jr. did much better and had a very nice drive and ended up with a 67.
In the youth class, Bailey Musgrove and Sam prevailed again.

Bailey Musgrove and Sam wait for their run in the youth class

Bailey also took the overall prize. What a way to start your trialing career, Bailey! Way to go!

Bailey and Sam work to pen sheep

Open Two
1. George Stambulic and Kate 89
2. Nancy Stephens and Ike 87
3. Ian Zoerb and Freckles 87
4. Joanne Zoerb and Soot 86
5. Chris Jobe and Jill 86
6. Chris Jobe and Fly 83
7. Joanne Zoerb and Mick 82
8. Bev Lambert and Mirk 81
9. Milton Scott and Ben 81
10. Scott Glen and Don 80
Double Lift Running order
1. Chris Jobe and Jill
2. Scott Glen and Maid
3. Lee Lumb and Nan
4. Joanne Zoerb and Mik
5. Bev Lambert and Hemp
6. Norm Sommer and Lexi
7. Lee Lumb and Chica
8. Wendy Schmaltz and Fly
9. Bev Lambert and Mirk
10. Scott Glen and Don
11. George Stambulic and Kate
12. Joanne Zoerb and Soot

Pro Novice Two
1. Bev Lambert and Meg 79
2. Nancy Stephens and Tweed 76
3. Lee Lumb and Jeb 75
4. Chris Jobe and Fly 70
5. Penny Ohanjanian and Moss 68
6. Scott Glen and Sweep 67
7.George Stambulic and Bill 65
8. Bev Sommer and Jock 60
9. Holly Brunner and ? 59
10. Dave Smart and Pace 54

EID Classic '10 Day One

August 20, 21, 22, 2010 Brooks, Alberta: Joanne and Ian Zoerb put on a great trial and this one is shaping up to be no exception. It seems to draw more people every year and I believe that says something about it. This year we are judged by Herbert Holmes and your combined score will get you in the double lift on Sunday. Yesterday we started with open. I didn't take any pictures because the air is very smokey due to fires in BC. The fires are nowhere near us but are on a jet stream path that carries the smoke a long way - I will try to get some today. There were very few perfect outruns. The field is tricky with dips and hills and confuses even the best outrunners. The sheep are a mixed bag of cheviots and suffolks and mixes of each. The cheviots are not playing well with the others and if you draw a single cheviot in your group, she tends to run way ahead of the group and makes it hard to contain her when the others are lagging behind. One person drew 4 cheviots and one mix breed and each cheviot chose it's own direction with the one mix breed trying to hang out with whoever it could.
Scott ran really well with Maid. She needed a redirect on her outrun but after that was the calmest I have ever seen. The panels are not all that hard to make if you don't have a running cheviot. Maid really marched her sheep around quietly and kept her cool at the pen. She got an 82.
I ran Hemp a little later and was very happy with him. He ran too wide on his outrun thinking that he had more sheep out there than he did but I'm hoping for an improvement on that today. He had a running cheviot leader but still made all his panels AND had a great shed and pen. I have worked on nothing but his pen and shed flanks for 2 weeks now. You could still feel the newness of the concept with him but he tried his best and it paid off. Now if it could only last one more day! He also ran an 82
Lad was fine but not great. He only needed one redirect on his outrun but was a little lazy about getting over on his fetch flanks and I was late at dealing with it so that was a little off line. I was afraid of his shed because even tho he'd been shedding like he liked it all week, he had a little breakdown the other day and decided he couldn't shed. No way. No how. He did have one missed attempt in the ring and I looked at my watch and saw I had 6 minutes and thought that it was a very long time for us to run out our clock if he wasn't going to shed but fortunately, although the next one wasn't pretty, we got it done. (PLEASE let him do it again today). He had a very smart pen. He's getting super good at that and if we could just fix the shed we'd be back to doing well. He got a 77.
Scott ran Don late in the day and he blew us all away. A perfect outrun and the smoothest run I have seen in a long time. A lot of people commented on how nice a team they are. Unfortunately, the rope was wrapped funny around the pen and when Scott went to grab it, it hung up so the sheep passed the pen, otherwise the score would have been alot higher. As it was, they won the class with a 93.
In the pronovice, we were really proud of Kuro who did his outrun without help. He did fine around the course and showed his great heart and bidability. He got a 5th place with a score of 73.
Sava never found her sheep and Jr. had trouble on his outrun but got out there. Scott schooled him around the course a little bit and then retired him.
We didn't have anything in the nursery class which was filled with some very young dogs this early in the year but it was won by Bev Lambert and her young dog Meg. Bev said this pup is a handful but had a great turn around at this trial and she is pleased with her.
I missed watching the youth class but I must hurry up and finish this post so I won't miss it today. It was between Joey Swenson and his Joy dog and Bailey Musgrove and her Sam.
Joey has been doing this for a year now but Bailey has only been going at it for a few months. She has jumped into it with gusto and has taken over her father's 11 year old Sam who still has plenty of get up and go. They have teamed up and Bailey has complete responsibility for all of his care including exercising him on her bike to make sure he is limber enough to still run. I have to say that although I really like Joey, Bailey's family are special friends of Scott and I so I am very excited to say that at her first trial, Bailey won! If she continues to enjoy it like this I think there is a future for her in the dogs (her dad isn't such a bad hand himself!).

Open One (45 dogs) - ties not broken
1. Scott Glen and Don 93
2. 3. Tie - Lee Lumb and Chica
Bev Lambert and Hemp 89
4.Wendy Schmaltz and Fly 84 (continuing her hot streak!)
5. Lee Lumb and Nan 84
6. Bev Lambert and Mirk 83
7. 8. 9. 10. Tie - Scott Glen and Maid
George Stambulic and Kate
Corey Perry and Jill
Jennifer Glen and Hemp 92

Youth One (2 dogs)
1.Bailey Musgrove and Sam 45
2. Joey Swenson and Joy 44

Nursery One (9 dogs)
1. Bev Lambert and Meg 73
2. Joanne Zoerb and Boone 54
3. Lee Lumb and Cass 47

Pro Novice One
1. Penny Ohanjanian and Moss 79
2. Chris Hanson and Ben 78
3. Lee Lumb and Jeb 74
4. Don Grant and Brutus 74
5. Scott Glen and Kuro 73
6. Bev Lambert and Meg 71
7. Bob Stephens and Tim 70
8. Don Grant and Jess 69
9. Chris Jobe and Fly 67
10. George Stambulic and Bill 67

National Finals Posters

I received a very threatening chain letter the other day that I thought I better pass on - and I think my trial blog is the place I can reach the most people.
It was sent by Donald McCaig, yes, that Donald McCaig, the one that wrote those awesome books, Nop's Trials, Nop's Hope (my favorite), and Eminent Dogs Dangerous Men.
It's pretty serious chain mail so pass it on. Come on! You want Scott to win the Nationals don't you?

Dear Border Collie Person, (or any other person!) Unlike most chain letters, don't send money with this letter. Like other chain letters, dire consequences will follow if you don't forward it to ten other doggy people. Maryln, of Oshkosh Wisconsin did NOT follow instructions and several weeks later, her dog FAILED TO WIN MEEKER!! Bill, of Purdah, Tennessee did and the very next day WON NOVICE NOVICE AT THE HIGHLAND TRIAL! Don't you want to win the National Finals? Of course you do. To ensure your victory, download this 2010 Finals Poster and email it to 10 doggy friends. (or post to your blog!)With this helpful, explanatory chain letter. Don't live in the east? All your friends are in Honolulu? So what, dummkopf: your friends have eastern friends don't they? Friends of friends yearning to attend the Finals if only they had a poster. WIN BIG: SEND THE POSTER.!!!
Donald McCaig

(you can click on the poster to read the small print)

And don't forget the FREE web cast...