Oklahoma State Fair

This was the first year for the OSDA to have the State Fair Trial back under our management. We were all really pleased with the turnout. Everyone had a great time and there were some nice runs laid down. Angie Sells was our judge for the day. We ran the trial twice. Some folks headed for home after the first one, but we still had several hang around to play some more. Our dogs had a pretty nice showing and we were really proud of them all.

Jenna & Tess Open Ranch 1- 2nd Place
Jenna & Blaze Ranch 1- 1st Place
Josh & Pete Ranch 1- 4th Place
Jenna & Tess Open Ranch 2- 4th Place
Jenna & Blaze Ranch 2- 3rd Place
Josh & Pete Ranch 2- 1st place


The sheep challenged Tess pretty hard her first run and I couldn't have been more proud of her. At one point she had a ewe split from the group and she was trying to decide the best method to bring them back to me when the single ewe caught her off guard and sent her rolling across the arena. Tess got up shook it off and marched that girl back to the group. At that point some dogs would have quit, but not Tess. She knew the task at hand and was determined to bring me those sheep. To be honest after running several times I can't remember what our drive was like, but she penned really well and we scored a 73, just one point off the lead for a 2nd place.


Tess' second run didn't go so well. She had a great outrun with no points off, but the sheep were hugging the arena wall and she couldn't squeeze herself between them because they were fighting pretty hard so she came around to the other side and pulled them off the wall, so we were 9 points off our lift. The drive went as well as I've ever been able to handle her through it and we ran out of time with the sheep halfway into the pen. Tess had to back them in inch by ince and we just didn't have the time to get it finished so another 10 points off for a score of 58 and 4th place. We don't have sheep that are as tough as these wooly girls, so no more experience than Tess has in working with them I was thrilled with her.

Blaze's 1st run went really well. Blaze likes the kind of sheep that he can get in there and boss around and it showed. Thing is I get amnesia after I run and forget half of what happened out there. Maybe I should start bringing the video camera instead of the picture camera. :) I just know that he looked incredible and I was walking on air after his run. He got a score of 74 and brought me home a nice check, a blue ribbon, and a belt buckle.

His 2nd run on the other hand wasn't near as pretty. Blaze was anticipating the sheep to me heavy and fighting again so he came in a little hard on the lift and unsettled the sheep. They never did calm down and the quicker they got the quicker Blaze got. Flighty sheep just draw him in and cause him to be tighter and faster. So we ended up with a score of 59 and 3rd place.

Pete's first run was alot like Blaze's 2nd run. He wasn't really tight, but he wasn't very settled and his score of 62 reflected it. He placed 4th in the Ranch class, but he redeemed himself in his 2nd run and got a score of 73 good enough for first place.

We can't wait until next year and hope that the trial we be bigger and better until it grows back to an all day event like it was in the past.

Duckhead Ranch Cattledog Trial

On September 19 Josh and I made the trip up north to South Coffeyville, OK, only a few miles from the Kansas line. Let me tell you, it was well worth the trip. The ranch was absolutely beautiful and the hosts were amazing. It was Mike Minor and his familys first time to see a cattledog trial as well as host one. Tom and Ruth Hines, Glenn Christensen, and Sue McDaniel all held an important role in getting this first time trial off to a great start. Thanks guys!

The trial field with a creek as a natural obstacle.

Seeing this trial made me wish Blaze was still fit to work cattle. I'd have loved the opportunity to challenge him with the creek crossing. A few dogs were a little hesitant about it, but everyone conquered it. Pete crossed the creek like he'd crossed creeks to fetch cattle a hundred times. The way he works I'm sure no one knows he rarely has the opportunity to work cattle. He's a neat dog.

Josh and Pete worked together and got the cattle across the creek, which was the first obstacle, and through 2 more obstacles made from panels and then the cattle started acting up and running for the exhaust. Pete stopped them and brought them back everytime, but they ran out of time and weren't able to complete the last obstacle. His timeline across the creek was fast enough for Josh and Pete to win the Ranch class. Pete has aquired enough points to win the OSDA Cattle Series Championship for the Ranch class. What a team! Great job guys. Josh and Pete aren't done yet though. They'll be in Lexington, OK at Yancy Paul's Bar L Ranch on October 3rd and then we're off to Tulsa to run in the Tulsa State Fair. Josh and Pete will be competing against top handlers in the Tulsa Derby for 3 year old dogs to wrap up the year for cattle trials. I'll keep you posted!

Grady County Fair

The sheep didn't feel like playing our game on Sat. but everyone put on a good face and gave it a go. I ran 4 dogs and felt like I had completed a marathon by the time the night was over. I started with Tess in the Open Ranch. She had a little trouble getting them off the fence where the setout and exhaust was, as did everyone, but we finally got them moving and around the first obstacle and got our timeline, but unfortunately the minute and a half it took us to get there cost us and we ended up with a 6th place finish. I wasn't disappointed with her in the least though. She tried her heart out for me and time after time the sheep would run her over and she'd squeeze between them and the fence and try to bring them back. We had 2 that would more or less stick together but the other absolutely refused to play by the rules and made it impossible for us to complete our figure 8. Tess ran all the way down the fence line smashed between this sheep and the arena fence trying her best to pull it off the fence, but nothing was going to convince this girl not even a set of sharp teeth which Tess was forced to use on her a time or two when the ewe was charging her. She showed me guts and all the try in the world so even after a tough run I was still proud of her. Better luck at the OKC Fair girl.

After the Open Ranch Class was completed we allowed the Ranch handlers to walk with their dogs the entire time hoping that they'd have more success and it proved to help quite a bit. I ran Oaktree Curly Bill owned by Tom and Ruth Hines first. Curly was a really good boy at his first trial and tried very hard to get the job done, but all but 45 seconds was wasted on trying to get the girls away from the setout/exhaust. We tried fetching them, we tried driving them, we tried everything short of throwing them over our shoulder and carrying them. Two of the ewes finally gave in and decided to go where Curly asked them, but another had her mind made that she wasn't going anywhere but back to the pen. She completely flattened Curly over even though he stood his ground and gave her a good grip and then proceeded to jump right over the top of him and head for home. We finally managed to convince her to follow the others and made the timeline and headed back and got them through the 2 barrels right before out time ran out. It was an honest try and hopefully the next trial won't be so difficult for such a young boy.

Then things started to look a little better for us. Josh and Pete had a good start. Pete managed to lift the girls and bring them to Josh without him having to go down and help him. They got their time line in a little over a min. Then they went straight through the barrels, but then stalled up on the L chute. The rest of their time was spent here trying to get the ewes to go through and keep them from high-tailing it back to the exhaust. They tried just about everything, but ran out of time. So Josh and Pete ended up placing 6th.

Oaktree Josie was the next dog I ran, owned by Jim and Pam Hicks. Josie was amazing. She was an absolute star. Being how much trouble the ewes had been I sent her and then went down to help her, but she didn't end up needing my help. She lifted those girls and blocked them everytime they tried to head back over her and we got our timeline at about 1 minute. Then she marched them straight through the barrels and back to the L chute where she put them through without much fuss and on to the pen. It took some time to finally convince them, but Josie finessed them into the pen for the 1 and only pen of the night! I was so thrilled with her and couldn't have asked for more. What an awesome job from such a young pup. Josie's about 16 months old. So a win for Josie's very first trial. Don't think it gets any better than that.

Blaze was my last dog to run and he showed the heart that I love so much about him. Those girls gave him a really tough time getting them away from the exhaust but he worked it out and finally gained their respect. Not before one charged him and rolled him in a big heap though. He got up and went right back to it and when she tried it again he gave her a good grip and she decided she'd had enough and caved in. So we got our timeline in about 2 minutes and went right through the barrels and L chute without much hassle. Then to the pen with a little time remaining. They ran around a little at first but we finally got them settle in the mouth of the three sided pen. As we were convincing them in, one girl thought about darting out and Blaze overreacted just a tiny bit with a block that was a bit too quick and they all got startled and we missed the pen and ran out of time. Still good enough for a 3rd place finish. I absolutely love this dog and I don't think there's anything he wouldn't do for me.

So to wrap it all up it was a very challenging trial, but I wasn't disappointed with any of our dogs performances. We'll be thinking of things to make it a little more doable for next year and will hopefully have more successful runs. Check out the full results here... http://www.okstockdog.com/gradycoresults.html