Today marks the first day of the World Sheepdog Trials 2023! Gill Hall Estate is an absolutely beautiful venue, and it is perfect for this event. It was a bit chilly today, but that is much better for the dogs than if it were warm. The sheep, although testy at times, were fair and pretty consistent throughout the day.

The morning was beautiful, and perhaps just as beautiful was Bob Allen’s run with Joey, landing him a spot in the semi-finals on Friday. Congratulations Bob! Joey handled the sheep like the pro he is, and even without the final shedding of a single collared ewe at the end, Bob and Joey placed sixth on field one.

After warming myself with a hot chocolate and a breakfast bap, (it was basically an egg and bacon on a very yummy bun), I made my way to field three to watch Alicia Lund and Nora’s run, the reserves since Mike Neary’s Bella could not make her flight due to issues with Bella’s microchip. Alicia and Nora did what they could with the sheep they had, not finishing their course, but giving it their best effort. Kudos to Alicia and Nora for stepping up on such short notice and filling Mike’s spot. Below, is a couple pictures of Alicia and Nora’s run.

The day was chilly, but fun nonetheless. I enjoyed seeing all of the different teams adorned in their country’s jackets. I took a few pictures for you all too!

Here at the World Trials, they have a wonderful selection of vendors. There are a variety of goods, but I can testify to the fact that the cold weather gear had a wonderful sales day today.

Below is a picture of a painting that reminds me of Shaun the Sheep, one of my favorite childhood shows.

There were quite a few of these paintings up for sale, each are slightly different, but they all have the same farm and sheep setting. In the painting, I imagine one of those sheep on the road is Shaun, leading his flock out of the pasture and perhaps to town where they will buy pizzas. But alas! The farmer is driving up the road in his red vehicle, he is coming to give the sheep their dreaded medicine! Meanwhile the cows and horses watch, mooing and neighing at the squirrels and birds to make the popcorn.

Anyways, we finished up the day by watching Ron Burkey’s run with his dog, Rocky, on field two. The two had a nice go, and it was pretty clean around the course. The two had difficulties at the shed, and Ron decided to call it quits when he noticed Rocky getting tired of battling the sheep to shed off two un-collared ewes. Below is a picture of Ron and Rocky turning the post.

The sheep were tough, and so was the competition, so congratulations to Bob and Joey as well as Alistair Macrae and Tweed for making it to the semi-finals on Friday. And good luck to everybody running tomorrow!

Go Team USA!