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Trials Results 2025
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Western Province Sheepdog Club

DOY Trial –

3-4 June 2025

Jakkalskloof Farm, Swellendam

For the second in the series we moved some 15kms north-east of Swellendam to the farm Jakkalskloof where Mark Trollip and neighbour Nico de Wet run a flock of MeatMasters. The “oats bowl” as the venue is now known due to the cover crop of oats and the bowl shape of the field provides for good visibility from the post for all the classes.

 

As we’re approaching the winter solstice, days are short so the times for the classes were adjusted to accommodate the large entry. As a result, a number of runs were timed out in the shedding ring as the sheep stuck together tightly and also at the pen given the slightest chance they’d dart round the side. There were however some good scores for those that were able to shed at the first attempt.

 

Once again we’re indebted to our sponsors for their very generous support.

 

Day 1

Beginners: (75) – Judge: A. Philip

  1. L. Young Chui 31

Juniors (90) – Judge: A Philip

  1. R Pretorius Lea 50

  2. R vd Ruit Henna 33

  3. J Swart Kate 33

Seniors (100) – Judge: A Gunter

  1. J vd Vyver Missy 79

  2. B Lloyd Plaidy 75

  3. J Swart Bourne 71

TopDogs (100) – Judge: P Philip

  1. Y Fourie Kwagga 84

  2. A Philip Mirk 84

  3. A Gunter Zara 80

  4. J vd Vyver Skye 80

  5. R vd Ruit Hemp 79

Day 2

Juniors (90) – Judge: J vd Vyver

  1. R Pretorius Lea 64

  2. D Coleman Max 57

  3. J Swart Kate 55

 

Seniors (100) – Judge: R vd Ruit

  1. B Lloyd Plaidy 87

  2. J vd Vyver Missy 78

  3. R Pretorius Mieke 72

TopDogs (100) – Judge: A Philip

  1. R Pretorius Tess 90

  2. Y Fourie Kwagga 88

  3. P Strydom Roy 88

  4. A Gunter Faffa 88

  5. A Gunter Zara 87

Western Province Sheepdog Club

DOY Trial –

31 May & 1June 2025

Kinko Farm, Buffeljagsrivier, Swellendam

Our next series of trials were hosted by the Western Province Club and took place in the Overberg district. We had a large entry for these events with a number of Zimbabwean handlers making the long trek south. The first trial was hosted by Johan Swart on his farm Kinko, some 15km south-east of the picturesque town of Swellendam. Johan runs a Dormer stud as well as a large commercial flock of Merinos.

 

The field was in a hollow, circular in shape (diameter some 500m) and flat for the most part. We used merinos for the event and true to their breeding they were flighty to say the least. Setting out proved really challenging as the ewes wouldn’t stand still and kept looking for an escape. From the lift they would also take off so getting gates required careful manoeuvring and a bit of luck! The pen also proved tricky as it was difficult to get close enough to get them in. As expected the Top dogs coped best with some high scores on both the days.

 

Thank you to Johan and our generous sponsors for a well-run end enjoyable trial.

 

Day 1

Juniors (90) – Judge: M Trollip

  1. R Pretorius Lea 46

  2. L de Waal Lisa 43

  3. J Swart Kate 42

Seniors (100) – Judge: M Trollip

  1. J Swart Bourne 78

  2. B Lloyd Plaidy 66

  3. R Pretorius Mieke 64

TopDogs (100) – Judge: P Philip

  1. B Greeff Maya 87

  2. P Strydom Roy 84

  3. P Strydom Mac 83

  4. Y Fourie Wimpie 72

  5. J vd Vyver Sissy 71

Day 2

Juniors (90) – Judge: M Trollip

  1. R Pretorius Lea 68

  2. J Swart Kate 65

  3. E Jammy Hella 51

Seniors (100) – Judge: A Philip

  1. J Swart Bourne 59

  2. P Philip Nan 58

  3. E Jammy Brooklyn 56

TopDogs (100) – Judge: J vd Vyver

  1. A Philip Zap 89

  2. R vd Ruit Hemp 84

  3. P Strydom Mac 79

  4. B Greeff Maya 78

  5. B Lloyd Zac 78

Northwest Sheepdog Club

DOY Trial –

6-7 May 2025

Lekkerhoek Farm, Bultfontein, Free State

Riana Bezuidenhout and husband Jan run a flock of some 400 MeatMasters and a herd of beef cattle on their 1,500ha farm “Lekkerhoek” in the Bultfontein district 90kms east of Bloemfontein in the FreeState province. MeatMaster sheep are an indigenous breed which were bred by crossing the Damara desert sheep with the Dorper.

 

The trials field had to be moved to a neighbour’s farm as a result of unseasonably late heavy rains. Unfortunately the veld grass which is typical of the area had seeded and was as tall as the dogs making visibility very difficult down at the dog’s level. The field also had a number of large porcupine and bush-pig burrows.

On the first day a number of dogs couldn’t get their sheep in the higher classes with the longer outruns, resulting in a number of retirements. For the second day the outruns were made shorter resulting in more dogs getting their sheep and higher scores. Ragni Pretorius won the senior class with a qualifying score and will compete in topdogs at the next trial.

 

A big thank you to Riana and daughter Michaela for a well-run and enjoyable event under difficult conditions.

 

Day 1

Beginners (75) : Judge – M Trollip

  1. R Bezuidenhout Lara 32

  2. B Steenekamp Stoffel 27

Juniors (90) : Judge – M Trollip

  1. J Nel Patchy 69

  2. J Nel Fly 68

  3. E Jammy Briony 63

Seniors (100) : Judge – I Thompson

  1. J Nell Bobby 80

  2. R Pretorius Mieke 78

  3. R Pretorius Elke 71

TopDogs (110) : Judge – I Thompson

  1. M Trollip Diesel 96

  2. J vd Vyver Cap 92

  3. J vd Vyver Skye 85

 

Day 2

Beginners (75) : Judge – J vd Vyver

  1. R Bezuidenhout Max 42

  2. B Steenekamp Stoffel 32

  3. R Bezuidenhout Lara 30

Juniors (90) : Judge – J vd Vyver

  1. J Nel Fly 75

  2. J Nel Roy 70

  3. J Nel Patchy 62

Seniors (100) : Judge – I Thompson

  1. R Pretorius Elke 93 Q

  2. J Nel Bobby 81

  3. G Staegemann Cait 72

TopDogs (110) : Judge – I Thompson

  1. R Pretorius Fia 102

  2. P Strydom Mac 102

  3. J vd Vyver Skye 95

  4. J vd Vyver Cap 86

  5. R Pretorius Tess 77

Midlands Sheepdog Club

DOY Trial –

29-30 April & 2-3 May 2025

Lansdowne Farm, Middelburg, Eastern Cape

We headed to the centre of the country for four days of trialling. The farm Lansdowne is 30kms east of the central town of Middelburg. Andre Lesch manages the 10,000ha for the consortium of businessmen who own the farm. They run a herd of beef cattle, a large flock of Dohne Merinos and a flock of MeatMasters as well.

 

Andre provided a mixed flock of hoggets and lambs for the event. The trials were held in a camp of 400ha allowing ample room for the two courses. Parking was along a gravel road in the middle of the field and for the first two days we worked to the north of the parking and the second two days to the south. The ground was typical karoo veld with a good covering of karoo bushes and some grass.

 

The field for the first two days was slightly uphill from the handler’s post with some longer grass and thicker bush at around the 300m mark. This proved a challenge for some of the senior and topdogs with dogs having to be whistled to get to their sheep. The packets of five were also very heavy and a number of dogs were timed out before completing the course. For day two we worked in packets of four (two hoggets and two lambs) which seemed to work better. During the day we had to pause proceedings for about an hour for an unseasonal heavy thunderstorm; some of the dogs didn’t take kindly to the rumbling!

 

After a day’s rest we returned to field which had been moved to the south of the parking which saw us cast slightly downhill with better visibility as the vegetation wasn’t as thick. We used fresh sheep for these two days and once again worked in packets of four. Once again getting the packets to flow and get straight lines was a challenge with the ewes either sticking or shooting off.

 

Thank you to Andre and Elene for all their effort to host 4 successful days of good trialling and all the catering keeping us well fed!

 

Day 1

Juniors (90) – Judge : M Trollip

  1. A Lesch Peg 57

  2. A Philip Krypto 57

  3. A Lesch Lyca 54

Seniors (100) – Judge : J vd Vyver

  1. P Philip Nan 67

  2. A Lesch Jackes 54

  3. B Lloyd Joc 31

TopDogs (110) – Judge : P Philip

  1. M Trollip Diesel 92

  2. A Philip Mirk 88

  3. A Philip Zap 65

  4. A Gunter Connie 57

  5. J vd Vyver Cap 53

 

Day 2

Juniors (90) – Judge : M Trollip

  1. A Lesch Lyca 67

  2. A Lesch Peg 62

  3. E Jammy Hella 45

Seniors (100) – Judge : A Philip

  1. A Lesch Jackes 69

  2. A Philip Nan 64

  3. B Lloyd Joc 63

TopDogs (110) – Judge : A Gunter

  1. P Strydom Mac 84

  2. A Philip Mirk 76

  3. A Philip Zap 68

  4. M Trollip Diesel 62

  5. J vd Vyver Skye 56

 

Day 3

Juniors (90) – Judge : P Philip

  1. A Lesch Peg 53

  2. A Lesch Lyca 38

  3. E Jammy Briony 20

Seniors (100) – Judge : A Philip

  1. A Lesch Jackes 73

  2. P Philip Nan 52

  3. P Strydom Jill 40

TopDogs (110) – Judge : J vd Vyver

  1. A Philip Zap 92

  2. A Gunter Connie 80

  3. M Trollip Diesel 79

  4. P Strydom Mac 76

  5. A Philip Mirk 65

 

Day 4

Juniors (90) – Judge : J vd Vyver

  1. A Lesch Lyca 74

  2. A Lesch Peg 71

  3. A Philip Krypto 71

Seniors (100) – Judge : A Philip

  1. A Lesch Jackes 79

  2. B Lloyd Joc 65

  3. E Jammy Brooklyn 65

TopDogs (110) – Judge : M Trollip

  1. A Philip Zap 93

  2. A Gunter Zara 89

  3. A Philip Mirk 89

  4. B Lloyd Zac 81

  5. P Strydom Mac 78

Zimbabwe Regional Trial 1

26-27 April 2025

Strathlorne

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North Eastern Cape Sheepdog Club

DOY Trial –

29 & 30 March 2025

Amajuba Farm, Lady Grey

Amajuba farm, some 30kms from the Eastern Cape town of Lady Grey was the venue for our next set of trials. Owner Johan Nel leases his land to Piet Strydom who runs a flock of Mutton Merinos. A flock of young ewe lambs were used for the event. The field sloped gradually downward from the handler’s post making the sheep visible to the handler at the various set-out posts. For the dogs it was more of a challenge as the ground had a good covering of grass and the field was scattered with ant hills some of which were taller than the lambs.

 

The lambs however worked well even though getting them to flow was a difficult. On the first day host Johan Nel qualified into the Senior class with Sally and on the second day Ragni Pretorius and Mieke also qualified out of the junior class.

 

Overall, a very enjoyable and well run event in a picturesque setting. Thank you to Johan and Theresa Nel for all their arrangements, Piet Strydom for the use of his lambs and to our sponsors.

 

Day 1

Juniors (90): Judge – J vd Vyver

  1. J Nel Sally 77

  2. R Pretorius Mieke 75

  3. J Nel Fly 73

Seniors (100): Judge – A Philip

  1. B Lloyd Joc 85

  2. J Nel Bobby 84

  3. P Philip Nan 83

 

Top Dogs (110): Judge – A Gunter

  1. A Philip Mirk 89

  2. M Trollip Diesel 82

  3. R Pretorius Tess 78

  4. J vd Vyver Skye 74

  5. P Strydom Mac 67

Day 2

Juniors (90): Judge – P Philip

  1. R Pretorius Mieke 77

  2. J Nel Fly 76

  3. J Nel Roy 73

Seniors (100): Judge – M Trollip

  1. E Jammy Brooklyn 79

  2. R Pretorius Elke 76

  3. J Nel Bobby 73

Top Dogs (110): Judge – J vd Vyver

  1. A Philip Mirk 97

  2. M Trollip Diesel 94

  3. A Gunter Faffa 91

  4. A Gunter Zara 84

  5. R Pretorius Fia 81

North Eastern Cape Sheepdog Club

DOY Trial –

27 & 28 March 2025

Amajuba Farm, Lady Grey

Amajuba is located some 30kms from the town of Lady Grey in the north-eastern corner of the Eastern Cape Province. The trials field was typical grassland which proved tough going for the young Mutton Merino lambs that we used for the event. On the first day the Top Dogs also had to venture into a patch of long grass beyond the 400m post to cover their sheep on the lift. Many a dog had to be commanded on the outrun to get to the lift. Scores in the Senior and Top Dog classes were very low on the first day with the lambs simply not moving and finding it difficult to negotiate the terrain on the bring.

 

The junior handlers fared much better with the shorter outrun and the handler being able to walk with the dog on the drive, host Johan Nel qualifying into the Senior class with his dog Bobby. For the second day the Top Dog outrun was shortened to 300m which saw much better scores with the lambs also moving more freely even though they didn’t take a line!

 

Thank you to hosts Johan and Theresa Nel, Piet Strydom for the use of his sheep and our sponsors for a well-run and enjoyable event.

 

Day 1

Juniors (90): Judge – A Philip

  1. J Nel Bobby 82

  2. J Nel Sally 73

  3. J Nel Fly 62

Seniors (100): Judge – A Gunter

  1. B Lloyd Joc 58

  2. R Pretorius Elke 50

  3. J vd Vyver Missy 41

TopDogs (100): Judge – M Trollip

  1. A Philip Mirk 70

  2. J vd Vyver Cap 61

  3. A Philip Zap 46

  4. M Portch Meg 44

  5. J vd Vyver Skye 38

Day 2

Juniors (90): Judge – P Philip

  1. R Pretorius Mieke 69

  2. J Nel Roy 60

  3. J Nel Sally 60

Seniors (100): Judge – M Trollip

  1. B Lloyd Zac 63

  2. R Pretorius Elke 56

  3. P Philip Nan 50

TopDogs (110): Judge – A Philip

  1. J vd Vyver Skye 94

  2. A Gunter Faffa 90

  3. R Pretorius Fia 83

  4. J vd Vyver Cap 66

  5. A Gunter Zara 60

Zimbabwe Sheepdog Club

DOY Trial –

4 & 5 March 2025

Piercy Farm, Ruwa

The second set of trials were held just down the road from Bramber farm on the farm Piercy. Rose and the Zim committee had permission to use the flock of dorpers for this event. The sheep were not used to dogs at all so the committee members had been exposing them to dogs over the past few months and also being worked in smaller packets. Once again, we worked in packets of three and the top-dogs did a maltese cross and the seniors just one leg of the cross.

 

The field was bounded on the left by a gravel road and then a blue gum forest. On the right the boundary was long grass that could not be cut after the recent good rains. Top-dogs had an outrun of 380m, an away drive of some 85m to the right and then a cross drive of 135m. The packets of three were driven to the release pen in a bakkie and then the pen was opened via a long rope as the dog got to either 3 or 9 o’clock on the outrun. Being wild, most packets either took off down the field to the exhaust area (where the slept) or back to the holding pen. As a result there were a number of retirements and scores were generally on the low side.

 

This was however a very good test for the dogs and gives one food for thought! Thank you once again to the sponsors and the Zim club for a very well run event.

 

Day 1

Beginners (75): Judge – Mark Trollip

  1. A. England Charlie 45

Juniors (90): Judge – Mark Trollip

  1. K Holme Poppet 45

  2. J. Ades Bella 34

  3. R vd Ruit Ren 31

Seniors (100): Judge – Rose vd Ruit

  1. J Ludick Whisky 69

  2. W Hundermark Blu 63

  3. E Jammy Brooklyn 56

TopDogs (110): Judge – Elaine Portch

  1. M Trollip Diesel 97

  2. J Ludick Cola 67

  3. M Portch Hemp 40

Day 2

Beginners (75): Judge – Rose vd Ruit

  1. D Coleman Max 59

  2. D Coleman Dougal 55

  3. A Chiunye Calla 37

Juniors (90): Judge – Mark Trollip

  1. J Ades Bella 45

Seniors (100): Judge – Mark Trollip

  1. J Ludick Whisky 87

Top Dogs (110): Judge – Elaine Portch

  1. N Bowie Skye 76

  2. W Hundermark Bryn 73

  3. R vd Ruit Hemp 68

  4. M Trollip Diesel 61

  5. E Jammy Maxim 45

Zimbabwe Sheepdog Club

DOY Trial –

1 & 2 March 2025

Bramber Farm, Ruwa

Rose vd Ruit runs a dorper stud on their farm Bramber in the Ruwa district some 30kms east of Harare. She provided a flock of very healthy and fit ewes for the event. The trial took place on a now familiar field, soft under foot, well fenced and allowing for an outrun of just under 400m for the top dogs. The trial was run on packets of three with top dogs doing a maltese cross and the senior class completing just one leg of the cross, almost like a chute!

 

On the first day the top dogs cast left and had to lift from 9 o’clock and across the field for about 80m at right angles, around the senior post at 300m and then straight down the course. This proved very challenging, if one lifted too soon the sheep would take off for the gate in the top right-hand corner of the field and if the dog went too far round the sheep would run down the field. On the second day the top dogs had an offset bring.

 

Some very good runs resulted in good scores and on the second day Jo Ades and Bella qualified out of the beginner class and Nola Bowie and Skye qualified out of the senior class with a superb run scoring 95/100.

 

Thank you to Rose and the Zim club and to our sponsors for a great well run event. These trials are always enjoyable making the long trip from SA well worth the while.

 

Day 1

Beginners (75) – Judge: Mark Trollip

  1. D Coleman Max 56

  2. J Ades Bella 48

  3. A Chiunye Calla 46

Juniors (90) – Judge: Mark Trollip

  1. R vd Ruit Ren 69

  2. M Portch Potter 66

  3. K Holme Poppet 61

Seniors (100) – Judge: Rose vd Ruit

  1. N Bowie Skye 84

  2. W Hundermark Blu 82

  3. E Jammy Brooklyn 77

TopDogs (110) – Judge: Elaine Portch

  1. M Trollip Diesel 91

  2. R vd Ruit Pip 82

  3. M Portch Hemp 59

  4. J Ludick Sprite 52

  5. E Jammy Maxim 41

Day 2

Beginners (75) - Judge: Rose vd Ruit

  1. J Ades Bella 70 Q

  2. D Coleman Max 62

  3. D Coleman Dougal 53

Juniors (90) - Judge: Mark Trollip

  1. K Holme Poppet 73

  2. M Portch Potter 69

  3. V Render Rogue 50

Seniors (100) – Judge: Mark Trollip

  1. N Bowie Skye 95 Q

  2. J Ludick Whisky 90

  3. W Hundermark Blu 81

TopDogs (110) – Judge: Elaine Portch

  1. W Hundermark Bryn 94

  2. R vd Ruit Hemp 87

  3. J Ludick Sprite 80

  4. M Trollip Diesel 77

  5. E Jammy Maxim 77

West Coast Sheepdog Club

DOY Trial – 22 & 23 February 2025

Steenbokfontein Farm, Lamberts Bay

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Our 2025 season got underway with the traditional opener at farm Steenbokfontein owned by Herman Burger.  Unfortunately we had a couple of last minute withdrawals making for a small entry.  This meant that between us we were either judging, spotting or competing!  Nevertheless the trialling was good with the healthy dorper ewes proving a real test.  They were really skittish requiring delicate handling and one would often just break away.  As expected, the TopDogs having more experience, coped with the situation better than the lower classes and some really good scores were posted.

Thanks to WA and the West Coast Club for all their efforts in hosting a well-run event!  Also, to our sponsors, we’re indebted for your long term support.

Day 1
Juniors (90) – Judge : Jurie vd Vyver
1. WA Hugo        Kaptein    59
2. A Philip        Krypto        58
3. L de Waal        Vlam        37
Seniors (100) – Judge : Mark Trollip
1. P Philip        Nan        71
2. J vd Vyver        Missy        61
TopDogs (110) – Judge : Pippa Philip
1. WA Hugo        Adam        95
2. A Philip        Mirk        94
3. M Trollip        Diesel        91
4. J vd Vyver        Skye        91
5. WA Hugo        Mac        89
Day 2
Juniors (90) – Judge : Mark Trollip
1. A Philip        Krypto        74
2. WA Hugo        Kaptein    72
3. WA Hugo        Clyde        62
Seniors (100) – Judge : Andrew Philip
1. P Philip        Nan        83
2. J vd Vyver        Missy        81
TopDogs (110) – Judge : Pippa Philip
1. WA Hugo        Adam        101
2. WA Hugo        Mac        94
3. A Philip        Mirk        89
4. M Trollip        Diesel        84
5. A Philip        Zap        79

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