Ferns Field Trial Forays

[Spaniel Jim]

Enjoy and work your dogs that what they are there for at the end of the day. Trialing is nice but I never understand why someone won't work at a dog as the want to trial it. Shame to see a lot of great dogs shut in kennels doing nowt.

[t jack]

Hmmm. She has come into season. I wonder how much of an impact this had on her!

Bound to have affected her.

[Amberquest]

Hmmm. She has come into season. I wonder how much of an impact this had on her!

Bound to have affected her.

I think so mate. The last three trials she's pulled me about which she's never ever done before

[Sgurr]

Thank your for some great write ups! Your decision is made so go and enjoy your dogs.

[Amberquest]

30th Oct 2017

Yesterday I ran in the Gamekeepers National Association cocker stake at Helbeck, Cumbria with Ellie aka Amberquest Diva. This was her first ever field trial and I'd set myself the target of finishing the trial with her and seeing where we were at the end.

I was in at number 8 and didn't have long to wait before my first run, backing up Andy Robinson who's stud dog FTW Kiltonbeck Warlord is Ellie's dad. Andy's dog unfortunately moved on the flush and I was up.

I was running under Art Mccrory, one of the two Irish judges who'd come over to judge the trial. I started alongside a stream in wet boggy rushes and I knew getting a find on a rabbit would be unlikely. I had quite a long run before a loose cock bird got up to the right and crossed over Ellie's head, the stream on our left and a barbed wire fence before it was shot around 30 yards away. Ellie had sat perfectly.

Art told me we would cross the river and then I put Ellie over the fence waiting to send her. A single cast and she disappeared over a little brow and swiftly returned the cock bird to hand. That was my first run done and I made my way back to the gallery to take a breath! We'd survived our first run!

Game was coming a bit more frequently now and a few dogs went by the wayside. It wasn't long before I was backing up Tom Skelly who was the last odd numbered dog to run.

I shook hands with the other judge Matt Morgan who told me to take my lead off whilst the other side of the line worked inside a fence alongside a pond. Darran McGhee had a nice flush and a retrieve on a rabbit which came out of the fence and was shot 20 yards away from us stood out in the open field. They then carried on and another rabbit was flushed out into the field. Matt was offered the retrieve and he asked me to send my dog. I cast Ellie out and with a single cast she was out and back with the rabbit with no whistle.

Then it was a change of dogs on the left whilst Ellie was still sat off lead. Jason atkinson was in next and he had a nice find on a cock bird which was shot and retrieved inside the fence. He carried on and I was asked to start hunting the rushes in front of us. No sooner had I cast her off when a shot rang out on the other side. Ellie stopped without whistle and sat. I hadn't marked what was shot or where it was.

Jason sent his dog inside the fence and after a couple of tries I was called over. I jumped over the barbed wire fence with Ellie and was given a mark around 30 yards away. I cast her out and she tool a line on the rabbit. Hunted a small area and disappeared up to her shoulders down a rabbit hole and straightaway popped up with a dead rabbit which was brought straight back to hand. Chuffed to bits. My first ever eye wipe.

Back over the fence and I hunted some thick rushes for another 30 yards or so before Matt tapped me on the shoulder and said that's do me. I was elated. I'd finished Ellie's first ever trial.

Her first run was average and she was not going as well as I know she can. However her 2nd run I couldn't complain. A couple of dogs still had their runs to come before we were back to the cars for the awards.

I was awarded a Certificate of Merit and Best Retrieve for the eyewipe on the rabbit. I was over the moon. I also won on the raffle haha. Ellie's retrieving and marking were impeccable not needing a single whistle or command other than being cast out. Her hunting was a bit sticky on a long first run but other than that she acquitted herself very well.

Onto the next one!

[Amberquest]

On Wednesday I ran in the Lincolnshire Gundog Society Novice Cocker Stake at Stubton, near Newark. The alarm going off at 3:45am was a bit of a shock to the system but I loaded up the car and set out in the darkness for a 420 mile round trip.

A couple of coffee and bacon butty pit stops along the way and I was the second person to arrive at just after 8 o'clock, giving me plenty of time to get ready and exercise the dogs.

Glorious sunshine with a bit of a breeze, we couldn't have asked for better conditions for early November. After a quick briefing from secretary Jess Burrows we were on our way. A 20 minute frog march to the first wood where we were due to begin the trial. I was in at number 15 so knew I had a long wait ahead.

The gallery was on the outside of the wood and although we couldn't see the dogs running we could hear frantic whistling and see people emerging from the wood once their run was over.

We came out of the wood and then into some cover crop. Finds started becoming more frequent now and it wasn't long before I was backing up number 13.

He completed his run and I was called over by Roy Ellershaw. My beat was a thin hedgerow. Not what me and Ellie are used to. I cast her off and I need not have worried. She worked it really well, not pulling too far on but making sure she covered every inch under the hedge.

It wasn't long before a shot rang out on the other side, Ellie promptly sat up with no whistle. We couldn't see through the hedge but we were called over as the dog had failed to pick it.

Roy and myself climbed through the hedge and out into the cover crop where Natalie Cannon gave us a mark. I needed to send Ellie out of the cover crop, across a field and onto the edge of the cover crop which ran along side the hedge in the corner of the field. I managed to get her out into the field but she pulled right to where two birds had flushed when the previous dog had been out on the retrieve. It took me a few handles to get her off this scent and onto the bird which she brought back. That was my first run done.

I didn't have too long of a wait before I was backing up again as a few dogs had unfortunately gone out. This time I was running under Natalie Cannon and was in a thin strip of white grass along side a ditch.

We had maybe hunted 30 yards when Ellie had a lovely contact flush on a partridge which was shot 20 yards away out in front. I sent her and she was straight to the bird and back with it to hand with no whistle.

What we didn't realise was that a bird had been shot on the other side at the same time. As we waited I cleaned Ellie's mouth before we got called over to try and pick the bird on the other side.

We were given a mark around 35 yards away under a Bush on the edge of a ditch. I cast Ellie back and she went a few yards short of the area before pulling out into the field. I let her go as I wasn't sure if the partridge had ran. Nothing came of it so I handled her back to the area and pushed her a little further back when her nose went down into a little dip and back came a partridge to hand. That was my run done. My 2nd eye wipe in as many trials.

There was a single dog left to run before the trial was declared over. I knew I'd not gone clean enough to win but was chuffed to have finished another trial with Ellie. That's 2/2.

I was awarded a Certificate of Merit on two A-'s. If the two blind eye wipes had been cleaner it would have been a different story. Onto the next one!!

[Amberquest]

A couple of reports from my last two trials with Ellie, my 18 month old pup

[Judy]

Great reading, thanks for writing them and well done on your two CoMs, onwards and upwards!

[Naj]

Well done and a great read. Really chuffed you’ve started off so well with her. Promising. .

Naj

[ips]

Loved the write up, well done you and Ellie

I would like more write ups like this