Trials results

Trials Results 2022

Midlands Sheepdog Club DOY Trial

24 & 25 May 2022

“Oudelande” Farm, Graaff-Reinet

After the club was dormant for a number of years, member Andre Lesch arranged two trials in the centre of the Karoo near the town of Graaff-Reinet. For the first, we headed 50kms north-west from town, climbing to an altitude of 1620m to the farm of Wayne and Diane Murray. Wayne is involved in game capture and a number of farming operations but also runs a flock of Merinos.

Heavy rains the previous week meant we had to move the trials field to a more accessible area. The ground was typical of the Karoo with a good covering of bush and normally hard under foot. Thankfully the recent rains had softened the ground. The field had a slight slope up from the handlers post and also to the right. There were also some undulations and stony outcrops.

The top dog class had an outrun of some 350m and with fit and healthy ewes not being used to dogs, getting a flow and straight lines was very difficult. Nevertheless there were some high scores and on the first day Jurie vd Vyver and his young dog Missy qualified out of juniors into the senior class. Diane also kept us well fed throughout the day.

Thank you to Wayne and Diane for the use of their beautiful grounds and ewes and a special mention to Andre Lesch, who lives about 80kms from the venue, for a well organised event.

Day 1

Beginners (75) – Judge : H Ferreira

R Bowker Zach 41
R Bowker Tracey 16

Juniors (90) – Judge : H Ferreira

J vd Vyver Missy 80 Qual
B Lloyd Plaidy 75
A Lesch Jackes 73

Seniors (100) – Judge : P Philip

R Pretorius Elke 62
E Jammy Maxim 29
S Harriss Gem 21

Top Dogs (100) – Judge : J vd Vyver

R Pretorius Fia 92
M Trollip Diesel 82
A Gunter Connie 79
R Pretorius Penny 78
H vd Merwe Jem 76

Day 2

Beginners (75) – Judge : H Ferreira

R Bowker Tracey 44
R Bowker Zach 44

Juniors (90) – Judge : H Ferreira

A Lesch Jackes 74
A Gunter Faffa 74
B Lloyd Plaidy 74

Seniors (100) – Judge : P Philip

J vd Vyver Missy 63
R Pretorius Elke 60
A Gunter Chade 40

Top Dogs (100) – Judge : H Ferreira

H vd Merwe Donna 90
P Strydom Mac 89
R Pretorius Penny 87
R Pretorius Jack 86
R Pretorius Fia 86

Midlands Sheepdog Club DOY Trial

27 & 28 May 2022

“Eenzaamheid” Farm, Camdeboo Conservancy, Graaff-Reinet

For the next event we headed 20kms south of Graaff-Reinet to the Camdeboo Conservancy, a conservation area of 80,000 hectares. Hendrik and Stephanie Theron run a large flock of Angoras which is the mainstay of their operation but also have a flock of large healthy Merinos. It was the Merinos that were used for the trial.

The field was small, about 250m long and 150m wide and well fenced all the way around. The going under foot was soft in places but there were also patches of thorns around the field which some dogs did not take kindly to.

With the ewes not being used to dogs and a small field, it felt like sheep “ping-pong” at times. As the dog came around at the top of the outrun the sheep would approach the dog and if it showed any sign of weakness they would stand, but if it came in a bit roughly they’d take off at speed.

The second day proved better with more respectable scores posted. Andre Lesch qualified out of juniors into the senior class with his young dog Jackes.

Once again thank you to Andre Lesch for a well hosted trial and an enormous amount of work that went into arranging these two events. Also, our hosts for wonderful hospitality.

Day 1

Beginners (75) – Judge : H Ferreira

L de Waal Lisa 27

Juniors (90) – Judge : H Ferreira

A Lesch Peg 70
A Lesch Jackes 67
B Lloyd Plaidy 64

Seniors (100) – Judge : M Trollip

R Pretorius Elke 56
P Philip Lin 45
A Gunter Chade 40

Top Dogs (110) – Judge : A Gunter

H vd Merwe Donna 70
R Pretorius Fia 61
P Philip Peat 60
M Trollip Diesel 54
R Pretorius Jack 53

Day 2

Beginners (75) – Judge : H Ferreira

L de Waal Lisa 33

Juniors (90) – Judge : H Ferreira

A Lesch Jackes 78 Qual
B Lloyd Plaidy 76
A Lesch Peg 74

Seniors (100) – Judge : M Trollip

R Pretorius Elke 54
J vd Vyver Missy 45
E Jammy Maxim 44

Top Dogs (110) – Judge : H Ferreira

R Pretorius Jack 96
P Strydom Kyla 95
H vd Merwe Jem 94
P Strydom Mac 92
M Trollip Diesel 91

SAZ

DOY Trial – 7 & 8 May 2022

Bramber Farm, Ruwa

Bramber farm is about half an hour’s drive from Harare on the outskirts of the village of Ruwa. Rose and Stu vd Ruit run a number of businesses with Rose having a Dorper stud. Dorper ewes were used for the trial.

The field was flat, soft under foot and bounded on all four sides by a fence. An outrun of some 350m was available for the top dogs and dogs could be sent either left or right. If they came in tight at the top the sheep took off back to the holding pen but given space, they worked very well in the outfield. However, if the dogs lost contact they would also take off. The sheep were worked in packets of 3 for the beginner and junior classes, 4 for the senior class and 5 for the top dog class.

The sheep are handled daily making shedding impossible, so a Maltese cross was set up with the senior dogs doing one leg (10 points) and the top dogs having to complete both legs (20 points).

Penning also presented somewhat of a challenge with the sheep being so used to people they were totally unresponsive at the pen having absolutely no regard for the handler’s presence. The dog had to come right up to them to push but then they could easily dart round the side.

Day 1

Beginners (75)

William Hundermark Blu 42
Verity Render Rogue 40
Kirsty Holme Poppet 32

Juniors (90)

Jenny Ludick Whisky 57
Caroline Armand Spot 53
Geoff Armand Riley 45

Seniors (100)

Martyn Portch Zac 29
Martyn Portch Meg 28

Top Dogs (110)

Rose vd Ruit Pip 94
Mark Trollip Diesel 91
Jenny Ludick Sprite 75
Andrew Philip Mirk 73
Rose vd Ruit Hemp 58

Day 2

Beginners (75)

Verity Render Rogue 62
Verity Render Bee 47
Irene Kilpert Jodi 31

Juniors (90)

Jenny Ludick Whisky 61
Geoff Armand Riley 54
Caroline Armand Spot 46

Seniors (100)

Martyn Portch Meg 46

Top Dogs (110)

Mark Trollip Diesel 99
Andrew Philip Mirk 92
Rose vdRuit Pip 91
Jenny Ludick Sprite 81
Rose vdRuit Hemp 64

SAZ

DOY Trial – 10 & 11 May 2022

Strathlorne Farm, Enterprize

Hector and Jenny Ludick run Strathlorne farm of some 400ha with their primary crop being tobacco. Hector takes care of these operations and wife Jenny runs a flock of Dorpers which were used for the trial.

The field was under a centre pivot with a radius of about 175m allowing for a top dog outrun of 320m. A substantial cover crop had been flattened with a heavy roller for the event. Being shaped like an upside down saucer made for tricky outrun in the higher classes as the visibility of sheep at the dog’s level wasn’t great.

Upon lifting the ewes would take off but settle fairly quickly if the dog kept its distance, push too hard and they were gone. As with the first trial, the sheep are handled daily and shedding proved very difficult if not impossible, and many a run was timed out in the ring. On the second day in the senior and top dog class the pen was done before the shed but penning was also very tough.

The second day of trialling also saw the running of the Zimbabwean Championships - these awards went to the highest placed Zimbabwean dogs in each of the classes.

Results of these were as follows;

Zim Champion Jenny Ludick and Sprite

Res Zim Champion Rose vd Ruit and Pip

Jnr Zim Champion Geoff Armand and Riley

Res Jnr Zim Champion Caroline Armand and Spot

Novice Zim Champion William Hundermark and Blu

Res Novice Zim Champion Kirsty Holme and Poppet

Day 1

Beginners (75)

Verity Render Rogue 46
Kirsty Holme Poppet 25
Nola Bowie Skye 23

Juniors (90)

Caroline Armand Spot 46
Geoff Armand Riley 45
Jenny Ludick Cola 30

Seniors (100)

No finishers

Top Dogs (100)

Rose vd Ruit Pip 81
Andrew Philip Mirk 77
Mark Trollip Diesel 71
Jenny Ludick Sprite 65
Martyn Portch Nip 41

Day 2

Beginners (75)

William Hundermark Blu 33
Kirsty Holme Poppet 31
Nola Bowie Skye 9

Juniors (90)

Geoff Armand Riley 46
Caroline Armand Spot 41

Seniors (100)

Martyn Portch Meg 31
Martyn Portch Zac 28

Top Dogs (100)

Mark Trollip Diesel 78
Andrew Philip Mirk 75
Jenny Ludick Sprite 60
Rose vd Ruit Pip 59
Rose vd Ruit Calla 53

It was wonderful to see old friends again and make some new ones. Also, having Neil judge the event was special with him being able to share some of his knowledge. Thank you to the SAZ for their hospitality and two very well run and enjoyable trials.

Eastern Cape Sheepdog Club

DOY Trial – 26 & 27 April 2022

Thornhill Farm, Post Retief

Brian Miles runs a large flock of Merinos in the beautiful grasslands of the Eastern Cape. The farm is situated about 35kms from Adelaide where most of the handlers were staying. Good rains meant the sheep off the mountain were healthy and strong but not used to dogs or being worked in small packets.

The field sloped up from the handler’s post allowing for good visibility even at the top dog post some 380m away. Behind this post was long grass which proved tricky for a number of dogs, over-running and having to be commanded back for the lift. To the left was a gully which meant the dogs were unsighted if they went too wide or lost control of the sheep on the gather.

Low scores were the order of the day with sheep splitting and getting a line was very difficult. They were also heavy to the right were the exhaust was located. The top dog class had a marked shed followed by a pen which proved very difficult since getting close to the packets was almost impossible.

Thanks to Brian Miles for the use of his sheep and beautiful venue and to the Eastern Cape club for a testing but most enjoyable event.

Day 1

Beginners (75) : Judge – H Ferreira

J Pieterse Pepcee 26
J Pieterse Nell 14

Juniors (90) : Judge – H Ferreira

H vd Merwe Lisa 63
R Pretorius Tess 57
J vd Vyver Missy 54

Seniors (100) : Judge – H Ferreira

P Philip Lin 65
R Pretorius Elke 51
E Jammy Maxim 31

TopDogs (100) : Judge – C Taylor

M Trollip Diesel 73
R Pretorius Jack 70
H vd Merwe Jem 68
A Gunter Connie 63
R Pretorius Fia 63

Day 2

Beginners (75) : Judge – A Philip

J Pieterse Nell 42
J Pieterse Pepcee 20

Juniors (90) : Judge - H Ferreira

I Thompson Tarn 57
C Taylor Morag 48
G Staegemann Mac 48

Seniors (100) : Judge – C Taylor

A Gunter Chade 63
R Pretorius Elke 58
P Strydom Jill 41

TopDogs (100) : Judge – H Ferreira

P Strydom Kyla 86
A Gunter Molly 82
A Philip Mirk 80
M Trollip Gus 79
R Pretorius Penny 76

Eastern Cape Sheepdog Club

DOY Trial – 29 & 30 April 2022

One Oak Farm, Adelaide

About 10kms from the town of Adelaide was our next venue at the farm One Oak. A flat field bounded by dense vegetation and well fenced provided for a 350m outrun for the top dog class. The field was wide at the base allowing for a substantial cross drive but narrowed towards the top. A number of the top dogs had to be “blown-out” on their outruns.

Club member Barend Meyer provided the sheep, young merino ewes which had to be “trekked” by road some 15kms from his farm. The ewes were touchy but moved well if handled correctly. Shedding was really difficult with a number of handlers timed out in the shedding ring. On the second day there were some high scores and Henry vd Merwe qualified his junior dog Lisa into the senior class.

We were once again provided with good refreshments and well fed! Thanks to the Eastern Cape committee and our sponsors for two well run and enjoyable events.

Day 1

Beginners (75) : Judge – H Ferreira

J Pieterse Nell 39
R Bowker Tracey 31
R Bowker Zack 27

Juniors (90) : Judge – H Ferreira

J vd Vyver Missy 67
C Taylor Morag 62
H vd Merwe Lisa 62

Seniors (100) : Judge – H Ferreira

A Gunter Chade 71
R Pretorius Elke 47
P Strydom Jill 42

TopDogs (100) : Judge – C Taylor

P Strydom Kyla 79
M Trollip Diesel 76
H vd Merwe Jem 74
P Strydom Mac 73
R Pretorius Jack 70

Day 2

Beginners (75) : Judge – A Philip

R Bowker Tracy 47
J Pieterse Nell 45
R Bowker Zack 31

Juniors (90) : Judge – H Ferreira

H vd Merwe Lisa 81
J vd Vyver Missy 79
G vd Berg Gully 75

Seniors (100) : Judge –C Taylor

A Gunter Chade 66
P Strydom Jill 65
E Jammy Maxim 54

TopDogs (100) : Judge – H Ferreira

R Pretorius Jack 89
H vd Merwe Jem 89
P Strydom Kyla 88
A Gunter Connie 85
R Pretorius Penny 83

Witwatersrand Sheepdog Club

DOY Trial

26/27 February 2022

North West Sheepdog Club DOY

2 & 3 March 2022

Hakboslaagte Farm, Coligny

After an absence of 20 years we returned to the beautiful grasslands of Volksrust. Exceptional summer rains meant that fields were lush and all going well for the rest of the season farmers could expect a bumper maize and sunflower harvest.

The Wits club no longer had access to their usual venue but thankfully Hennie Ferreira from Volksrust managed to source a venue and stock from a nearby farmer. The field was a large natural vlei (marsh land) that had recently been cut, the size and shape of which were ideal for a trials course comfortably allowing for a good 400m outrun for the top dog class. Elaine Portch and Claire Taylor took care of the judging.

The farmer kindly provided a flock of young 10month old Dohne Merino lambs. The long wool and constant rain meant they were extremely hard to move with many a dog having to retire or run out of time. With a smallish entry we were able to miss most of the afternoon thunder showers. On the Saturday evening we got together for a delicious meal at a local restaurant and an enjoyable evening. Thanks to the Wits club for a great event and to Hennie Ferreira for all the arrangements.

Day 1

Beginners (75) – Judge: C Taylor

N Bowie Skye 25

Juniors (90) – Judge: E Portch

J vd Vyver Missy 68
E Jammy Briony 65
M Portch Zac 55

Seniors (100) – Judge: E Portch

R Pretorius Elke 66
E Jammy Maxim 46

TopDogs (100) – Judge: C Taylor

P Strydom Kayla 79
R Pretorius Penny 78
P Strydom Mac 75
R Pretorius Jack 65
M Trollip Diesel 60

Day 2

Beginners (75) - Judge: C Taylor

N Bowie Skye 47

Juniors (90) – Judge: E Portch

E Jammy Briony 76
J vd Vyver Missy 72
M Portch Meg 66

Seniors (100) – Judge: E Portch

R vd Ruit Hemp 79
M Portch Nip 72
R vd Ruit Calla 70

Top Dogs (110) -Judge: C Taylor

R vd Ruit Pip 97
R Pretorius Jack 90
P Strydom Kayla 86
M Trollip Diesel 82
P Strydom Mac 81

The next trial was in the north-west of the country just outside the town of Coligny, a 4 hour drive from the previous venue. It was also a welcome return to the venue after some 7 years. Also having benefited from the exceptionally wet season the fields were lush and the crops looked wonderful.

The trial was organised by Ragni Pretorius on the farm Hakboslaagte of her son in law Christoph Schulenburg. Christoph runs a mixed operation, planting maize, sunflower and sugar beans as well as running a small herd of beef cattle and a flock of meatmaster sheep which we used for the trial.

The field, some 400m in length and rectangular is bounded on 3 sides by a blue gum plantation which can play havoc with the sound depending on the wind direction and strength. The judging duties were split between Elaine Portch and Hennie Ferreira.

Running on meatmasters was a first for a number of us. The lower classes ran on 7month old lambs which having benefitted from the lush smutsfinger pastures were in exceptional condition. TopDogs ran on the flock of ewes. All the sheep moved freely and kept a line but proved testing when it came to shedding especially when there was a marked shed. Having a very strong herd instinct the packets stuck together as though they were “velcro’d” together.

Thank you to host Ragni Pretorius for a well run and enjoyable event and to Christoph Schulenburg for the use of his sheep and venue.

Day 1

Beginners (75) – Judge: H Ferreira

N A

Juniors (90) – Judge: E Portch

M Portch Meg 72
J vd Vyver Missy 70
E Jammy Briony 66

Seniors (100) – Judge: H Ferreira

R vd Ruit Hemp 73
R Pretorius Elke 73
E Jammy Maxim 63

Top Dogs (100) – Judge: E Portch

R Pretorius Fia 90
M Trollip Diesel 89
P Strydom Mac 87
R vd Ruit Pip 81
M Trollip Jade 75

Day 2

Beginners (75) – Judge: Ferreira

N Bowie Skye 50

Juniors (90) – Judge: E Portch

C Taylor Morag 68
J vd Vyver Missy 63
E Jammy Briony 62

Seniors (100) – Judge: E Portch

R Pretorius Elke 79
R vd Ruit Calla 66
E Jammy Maxim 60

Top Dogs (100) – Judge: H Ferreira

R Pretorius Fia 95
P Strydom Mac 94
P Strydom Kyla 93
M Trollip Gus 91
R Pretorius Jack 90

West Coast Sheepdog Club
DOY Trial
17/18 Dec 2021

Our 2022 season got under way with the traditional opener on the farm Steenbokfontein on the South-West Coast of the country. The town of Lamberts Bay lies about 2hrs north of Cape Town on the Atlantic Ocean.

With the venue virtually on the sea we’re able to trial in December with the cool breeze off the ocean keeping temperatures around 20 degrees. This year however was an exception with the wind blowing from the east and straight into the handler’s face, making it difficult for the dogs to hear at a distance.

Making things more challenging was the fact that they’d had a relatively wet winter resulting in the covering of the succulent wild fig being dense, making the going tough for sheep and dogs. Furthermore, the resident border collie has free reign on the farm and had been harassing the Dorpers, they would either just stand or take off.

We had a number of late withdraws due to various unforeseen reasons resulting in a small number of handlers actually competing. Nevertheless, the event was enjoyable with our usual evening get-togethers, a barbeque one night and a delicious seafood dinner at the famous Muisbosskerm restaurant the other.

As mentioned above the conditions were very challenging but there were still some excellent runs. On the first day host WA Hugo with his junior dog Adam qualified into the senior class with a score of 78/90. Day 2 also saw 2 qualifiers, Beginner handler AJ van Wyk and his dog Roxy qualified out of the class and once again WA Hugo qualified, this time from seniors to the top dog class with scores of 65/75 and 90/100 respectively.

Our thanks go to host WA Hugo and the West Club for an enjoyable event and to Nico de Waal who arranged good sponsorship from various sheep and dog product suppliers.

Day 1

Beginners (75) : Judge – M Trollip

WD Potgieter Ben 34
AJ v Wyk Roxy 33

Juniors (90) : Judge – M Trollip

WA Hugo Adam 78
J vd Vyver Missy 52

Seniors (100) : Judge – J vd Vyver

WA Hugo Joy 73

TopDogs (110) : Judge – WA Hugo

A Gunter Connie 98
A Gunter Molly 93
M Trollip Nikita 86
M Trollip Diesel 80
M Trollip Jade 78

Day 2

Beginners (75) : Judge – J vd Vyver

AJ v Wyk Roxy 65

Juniors (90) : Judge - M Trollip

B Lloyd Plaidy 67
J vd Vyver Missy 43

Seniors (100) : Judge – J vd Vyver

WA Hugo Adam 90
WA Hugo Joy 72

TopDogs (110) : Judge – WA Hugo

A Gunter Connie 93
J vd Vyver Trump 88
A Gunter Molly 82
M Trollip Jade 70
M Trollip Diesel 69

South African

Sheepdog Association

Trials Results 2022

West Coast Sheepdog Club
DOY Trial
17/18 Dec 2021

Trials Results 2022

West Coast Sheepdog Club DOY Trial 17/18 Dec 2021

West Coast Sheepdog Club
DOY Trial
17/18 Dec 2021