United Retriever Club, Southern, Open Test
Gardners Farm, Ashburnham by kind permission of Mr & Mrs A Ward – Smith
Judges: Graham Stanley, Graham Roberts, Sue Berman
Result:
1st: Miss Summer Breeze (Tagabea Savannah x Shelldream Lucky) LRB 29.5.06 – Rob Smallman
2nd: Labcrown Goshawk at Broomwood (FT Ch Mansengreen Diesel of Birdsgreen x Levenghyl Isle of Skye of Crispybrook) LRD 10.08.08 – Gwen Butcher
3rd: Priesthill Pheobe (Toms Suprise x Greenweythe Linnet) LRB 22.11.07
Sarah Clark
4th: Quabrook Keava (FT CH Greenbriar Viper of Drakeshead x Quabrook Tay) LRC 29.05.08 – Helena Sully
COM: Incas First Whip (Eclipse Firefly x Sherston Sarah) LRD 19.3.05 – Wendy Glue
COM: Bedgebrook Never Say Never to Wylanbriar (FT Ch Bedgebrook Excalibur x Mansengreen Hobby of Bedgebrook) LRD 05.05.09
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A day I thought wouldn’t happen as I soundly wreaked my back yesterday *somehow* (god knows how!!). With Allan working some of the day and the pups here only one of us could go, so although I had both boys down to run, Bondy was my weapon of choice on the day as the thought of two lots of potential arm waving was a non starter when I couldn’t put my jumper on this morning!
A hugely enjoyable (in a disabled, nice men twice my age helping me across ditches, kind of a way….) day! Fantastically thought out tests on the fantastic Gardners Farm and three of the most friendly helpful judges in good spirits and the sun only gently shining on us meant a cool day for dogs which was MOST welcome after the recent day after day of Costa Del Sussex in the middle 70′s!.
Could this have been, in parts, the most challenging Open I’ve ever run in? I would maybe say so, but with two other LF members running, we shall get another couple of opinions on that.
Test 1:
Blind across a crop field from one side to another to a blue feeder on a slight angle and, at the time, into the wind. Approx 120 yards across. No shot. Nice enough job, 18.
Test 2:
Hugely interesting test. Heelwork for about 15 yards, shot to the right and dummy onto a hidden lake. Send the dog for that. then judge makes you walk on with them, so when dog comes out, has to use initative to follow you up track and deliver. Then judge speaks for a few seconds expecting the dog to stay calm having delivered (many thought it over and were suffering from ants in their pants accordingly!) a further bit of heelwork then blind down a track on the side of the lake to a bush hiding a reed bed where you would send them in to hunt out of site. Calm controlled stealth Bondy pulled 18. We had a brief calm argument over WHICH bush the reedbed was behind.
Test 3: Double. Mark on Water infront and to the Right. Blind down and slightly away from side of lake…. front and to the left out of sight, with a wood and so on not wanting hunting out 
Blind first then mark which has floated into the bank… not easy to spot. Good lad 18.
Test 4: Deep breath! Double. Shot and mark back and to the left of a small pond about 100 yards down a ride with crop to left. Warned blind out down same line and to the right on the track behind the small pond. Took good line to the mark…. fantastic…. great straight line not running track but going through crop….. hit fall…. two inches wrong side of wind…and kept going….. Stopped, hunted back. Picked. Sent down track, took same line down crop (creature of habit but hugely pleased he didn’t track run….) Stopped him too short, put him right for blind… splash! into pond… like a good boy because that WAS where he was! I did swallow my pride and have my glasses on but apparently need stronger ones Great little dog winded dummy from pond, left him be, climbed out, picked and came back the way he should of *gone there*… very fair 16.
Test 5: Walk Up. Mark infront, rabbit behind and to the left of the line. Rabbit to be picked first then mark as a memory in long grass. Decent. Couple of handles on rabbit. 18.
Test 6. As a group, running this last we had been scared to death by tales of woe, torture and failure from the other groups! it was stated to be, varyingly, ‘damn that theres a hell of a mark!’ to for some slight drama queens, ‘the longest mark ever known to man!!!!
Ok afterwards the dummy thrower revealed it was 235 yards as he had paced it several times refreshing dummies. But the prob was there was no skyline to break for the thrower, and it was thrown BEHIND the end of a plantation which ran all the way down from us to the mark. Well time for the ‘boy’ to ‘man up!’. As judge told me to send my dog, I glanced down and saw Bondy was staring soundly at the thrower CLEARLY saying ‘throw it then mate, throw it!!!!’…. sadly he already had So I whammed my arm out and sent him on back. He got the distance what a fella in that one cast… and carried ON!!! Jesus! Jumped a fence into the NEXT field!! So a stop whistle which took out the judges hearing for the forseeable future, then turned into a recall whistle… and over he popped again…. and stopped like a good lad. Hunted him and after a few seconds got on it and picked. happy with 18.
Happy with the day. Onwards and upwards and did I mention he was the youngest in the considerable and slightly fieresome field by 6 months… no? Oh sorry I didn’t mean to as that would be pathetic….
Di