Dowerin Arena. (Unofficial) August 27th, 28th.

Dowerin arena trial is an unofficial event, run in conjunction with the Dowerin Machinery Field days, which is the biggest machinery field day in West Australia. Dowerin is 160km North east of Perth.

The sheep were young and fairly freshly shorn. They were tricky, unpredictable and inconsistent. They split easily and took a while to break in. 

The trial was run on a supreme course which was new to some people. Instead of settling them in front of the handler at the casting peg they had to be brought around behind the peg before the handler could move off. This caused some difficulty as they had the tendency to break back the other way as soon as the dog was pulled off the head to bring them around. 

The gap was the first obstacle and this was the hardest as it was often the first real point of contact with the sheep. Most people took a while here, but once the sheep settled and this obstacle was worked the sheep usually settled for the rest of the course. Due to time restraints (a 2 day trial) a 30 point ringoff was used but with the ruling that if you completed the bridge ( 3rd out of 4 obstacles) then the ringoff was stopped and you had a go at penning them.

The field day environment did not help matters, helicopters, old time machinery noisily driving up and down, and a ploughing demonstration upwind of the trial ground. All this unsettled the sheep, dogs and handlers.

The weather was uncomfortably warm on the first day but a little cooler on Thursday.

No finals were run. There were 35 entries in the novice with 7 scores, 33 in the improver with 8 scores and 41 in the open with 16 scores.

As it was an unoficial event, there was some changing around of judges throughout the trial.

Results.

Encourage.

1st. T Onn. Red dog. 37.

Novice.

1st. Andrew Gorton. Just Murray. 81. Kelpie.

2nd. Sarah Somers. Nolans My Girl. 71.

3rd. Nick Webb. Morrillo Roy. 59.

4th. Jenny Nolan. Nolans Nancy. 56

5th. Jean Hydleman. Echo park Cydi. 42

6th. Nan Lloyd. Kumbark Rocket. 41. Kelpie.

7th. Nan LLoyd. Just Otto. 34. Kelpie.

Improver.

1st. Tony Boyle. Boylee Sugar. 80.

2nd. Jean Hydleman. Jandoree jess. 73.

3rd. Simon Leaning. Marionvale Mindy. 67. Kelpie.

4th. Marianne Rogers. Belview Obie. 61.

5th. Ray Sutherland. Badgingarra Patsy. 49.

=6th. Nan LLoyd. Kumbark Rocket. 41. Kelpie.

=6th. Sarah Somers. Nolans My Girl. 41.

=6th. Glenice Webb. Davids Nina. 41.

Open.

1st Glenice Webb. Davids Nina. 88.

2nd. Andrew Gorton. Just Sam. 86. Kelpie X BC.

3rd. Gordon Curtis. Binnaburra Ben. 85. Kelpie.

4th. Tony Boyle. Boylee Mustard.

5th. Ray Sutherland. Swagman Cyndi. 78.

6th. Ivan Solomon. Perengary Mac. 77.

=7th. Grant Cooke. Grassvalley. Sky. 75.

=7th. Gibb Macdonald. Gracehill Daisy. 75

9th. Jenny Nolan. Grassvalley Lol. 70.

=10th. Jean Hydleman. Echo park Cydi. 68.

=10th. Nick Webb. Morrillo Roy. 68.

Other Awards.

Novice 

Best cast lift and draw.  J. Nolan with Nolans Nancy

Best Dog work on non co-operative sheep .  N. Webb with Morrillo Roy

Improver.

Best cast lift and draw. J. Hydleman with Jandoree Jess

Best Dog work on uncooperative sheep. J. Nolan with Nolans Jim     

Open

Best cast Lift and draw. N. Webb  with Morillo Roy

Best Dog work on uncooperative sheep. J. Nolan with Ryans Mallee

Best Novice Worker who had not won a novice event.

Nan Lloyd with Kumbark Rocket.

Glenice webb and Davids Nina.

WA's oldest trialler, Ray Sutherland and Badgingarra Patsy.

Sarah Somers Faraway Titch.

Jenny Nolan's Ryans Mallee.

Gibb Mcdonald's Gracehill Daisy.

A really big machine.