On 9/6/07, Nancy Sturm <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > What about the dogs? Are they covering that kind of ground too? Or is it > because the field follows many more than one dog? > > Nancy >
it is one dog being judged, he is running looking for birds to flush, followed by one rider who owns him and a scout horse and the field marshall and judges. The scout blows a whistle when he sees the dog go in point and the field marshall blows whistles and the "gallery" which is all the riders, stop dead. If your horse acts up a lot or moves forward of the judges you are escorted out and politely asked to leave the trial. The owner of the dog dismounts, the horse must ground tie while he goes with a gun and fires it in the air, i think it is blanks, and when he does the dog relaxes and the rider goes back to the horse and the dog is sent off on another "brace". its very interesting and macho haha. But if the dog runs down a sinkhole and splashes through a huge pond the horses, everyone, has to follow, so there are no established trails or routes. It is in the "field" so you have to go gaiting and hopping logs and palmettos and spanish bayonets and down long steep hills and up hills so steep sometimes you feel like your horse is hardly gonna be able to lunge over the top. if your horse gets in the way of the dog or the scout horse you will be asked to leave. its all about the dog and your horse has to behave and be reasonably in control at all times. you can google field trial to learn more. a lot of the big championship trials are invitation only. Twice I have been asked politely to get my horse under control, once when I couldnt stop Jaspar from drinking out of the dog water and once when stonewall took off like a bat outa hell after the scout horse and I am just so thankful that when the dog went into point and the scout horse stopped stonewall did too. otherwise I would have been probably asked not to come back with stonewall. But the field marshall was nice and as he was escorting me back to the gallery after the dog got done and I was apologizing like crazy he just sorta chuckled and said "oh well, at least you know he'd make a great scout horse someday..." :) sometimes people are escorted out of the gallery because they get too drunk and loud with their flasks. I think it is sorta a redneck southern aristocracy response to fox hunting. because believe me, some of those people have actual lackeys and grooms running out with steaming mugs and the riders will drop down and drop reins and walk away sipping a hot toddy while the groom leads the horse to the wash rack and to untack and groom it. some of them are very posh ya know. janice -- yipie tie yie yo
