Published: August 14, 2008 08:41 am         

Sheepdog trials will begin Friday

By MICHELLE MILLER
Staff Writer

Sheep handlers from all over the world will be coming to Cooperstown for the 13th annual Leatherstocking Sheepdog Trials that will be held in a field off Beaver Meadow Road from Aug. 16 through 18. The trials will start at 8 a.m.

each day and will run until about 4 or 5 p.m., rain or shine. Admission charges will be good for the whole weekend. The cost is $5 a person and children are admitted free. The sheepdog trial is put on by the Leatherstocking Sheepdog Trials Committee, which is sanctioned by the North East Boarder Collie Association (NEBCA). The event is a competitive dog sport in which dogs move sheep around a field, fences, gates, or enclosures as directed by their handlers. According to committee member Linda Hotchkiss, the handler instructs the dog with a whistle or with voice commands. For this trial, three sheep are used and one dog goes through the course at a time.

Hotchkiss said there are bleachers for people to sit on during the event, but she encourages visitors to bring chairs and blankets because there is limited seating. She said the event typically attracts about 200 people each day, depending on the weather.

Hotchkiss said organizers are expecting approximately 70 dogs to participate in the event each day. She said the novice class, which usually is a four-minute course, will be held on Friday and the more experienced classes, which can take close to 10 minutes, will be held on Saturday and Sunday. Each test element is assigned a maximum score, and a judge will deduct points for each fault made. For example, during a drive the judge may deduct points when the sheep move off line. Competitors must negotiate each element in sequence before proceeding to the next. There is a set amount of time for the whole course; there is no advantage in completing the course in a short amount of time, but if the competitor runs out of time, points will be lost for the element they were in the process of completing and all those that they have yet to attempt. The competitor’s score is the sum of their score for all completed elements, and the competitor who receives the most points wins.

According to Hotchkiss, awards will be given out at the end of each day to the top 10 competitors. This year’s top prize will be a pet portrait painting by Barbara Armata.

Hotchkiss said the committee tries to come up with something a little different to give out with the ribbons each year.

Hotchkiss said Armata is also providing the sheep for the event. She said Armata will lease approximately 80 Scottish Blackface sheep from her farm.

Hotchkiss said not every breed of sheep work well for sheepdog trials because they cannot be too big or too small.

The event is open to any breed of dog, but mostly border collies are used. According to Hotchkiss, border collies seem to work best, and are fun to watch because there is no set standard for the breed. Hotchkiss said border collies can be black and white, brown and white, all white, short haired, long haired, and look different in many other ways. However, Hotchkiss said a German shepherd was used in the event in the past.

Hotchkiss said the sheepdog trials are a fun and inexpensive event for people to enjoy.

``It’s close by so people won’t have to spend a lot of money to come have fun,’’ said Hotchkiss. She said if people grow tired of watching the dogs they can go visit the many vendors that will be at the event. New this year will be Reiki Master Ellen Sokolow, who will be providing a form of pet therapy. Leashed pets are welcome.

To get to the trial, follow the trial signs in Hyde Park off Route 28 South of Cooperstown. The event is sponsored by the Farmers’ Museum and Blue Seal Feeds. For more information, call (607) 293- 8385.