Sheepdog Trials

I finished work early yesterday, and as it had stopped raining I thought I’d take a walk to Ings and check out the Sheepdog Trials at Hill Farm.

I don’t often walk along the A591, and although Hill Farm is only a couple of miles away, just the other side of Ings, it seemed like a long way to walk. Luckily for me there was sustenance along the way as some of the wild plums were just ripe enough to pick.

I’ve only watched snippets of sheep dog trials on the TV before, so wasn’t sure what to expect. There wasn’t much of a crowd – it had been tipping it down all morning and early afternoon, so I wasn’t surprised it was quiet. I’d missed the terrier show, but I was in time to watch some of the sheep dogs at work.

None of the dogs actually managed to get the sheep into the pen, which goes to show how hard it must be. The sheep would be so close to the gate, the dog would be crouched down ready to guide them in, then suddenly, off they would go, running in all directions, and the dog would have to start rounding them up again. Oh well, at least it looked like they were having fun.

As well as the sheepdog trials, I watched the dogs returning following a fox hound trail. Did you know…. before the start of the race a judge marks each dog in a secret place, and when the dog returns they check it’s the same dog. It has been known that some unscrupulous owners change their dogs half way round a course!!

There was also some traditional Cumberland & Westmorland Wrestling, but as they were all children I didn’t take any photos.

Anyway, it was all good fun. I stayed for about an hour and then made my way home, munching on more wild plumbs.