Sheepdog Trial - History

History

The first dog trials were held in Wanaka, New Zealand in 1867 with reports of trials at Wanaka, Waitangi and Te Aka in 1868, at Wanaka in 1869 and Haldon Station in the Mackenzie Country in 1870. Australia also has a long history of dog trialing with a kelpie named Brutus reported in the local paper in Young NSW as winning a Sheepdog Trial in 1871.

Janet Larson in "The Versatile Border Collie," recounts the first sheepdog trials held in the United Kingdom: "The first sheepdog trial was held in Bala, Wales, on October 9, 1873. It was organized by Richard John Lloyd Price, squire of Rhiwlas Estate and friend of Sewallis Shirley, MP, founder of the Kennel Club that same year. Ten dogs competed and over 300 spectators attended. The winner was Mr. James Thompson with Tweed, a compact, black and tan Scottish bred dog with a foxy face.

The first Scottish sheepdog trial was held at the Carnworth Agricultural Society Show in Lanarkshire around 1874. It is reported that the winner was James Gardner of Pentland with a black and white bitch named Sly, who worked with 'eye.' The prize was one pound, which was considerable money in those days."

Trials quickly spread in England and Scotland. From the beginning, shepherds realized that show collies, also becoming popular at the time, quickly lost the keen working instincts honed in working collies. In 1876 a trial was organized in Alexandra Park by the sheepman as a challenge to the show fanciers to demonstrate that show collies could still work. There were two judges for work and appearance. The result was a disaster for the show fanciers. Show collies barked, yelped and lost control of many sheep. The winner was a common red coated working collie named Maddie, owned by John Thomas, a Welsh shepherd.

The success of those early trials, led to events in the United States in the 1880s. Today that tradition continues under the aegis of organizations such as the International Sheepdog Society in Great Britain and the United States Border Collie Handlers Association in the United States.

Today the sport continues to be popular throughout the world. In the United Kingdom, England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland all host national championships followed by an International Championship featuring the best dogs and handlers from each of the four. Their sanctioning body, the International Sheepdog Society also hosts a World Championship every three years with dogs participating from throughout the world.

Among the most prestigious trials held annually today in North America are the Bank of the West Soldier Hollow Classic in Heber Utah, The Meeker Classic in Meeker Colorado, and the USBCHA National Championship which is held at various locations throughout North America. The Soldier Hollow event, held on Labor Day weekend (a major American holiday) features competitors from around the world and boasts the world's biggest annual crowd with 26,400 attending in 2009. Through 2009 competitors representing 16 countries and 6 continents have competed at Soldier Hollow (a 2002 Winter Olympic Venue).