Whoa, Dan
My boot’s in the stirrup
Whoa Dan,
There goes our dog
Whoa, Dan
I spur him lightly
Rein him right slightly
He sees our dog Read more
Talkin’ to my Scout Horse
Blog
Field Trial Hall of Fame 2024
The HOF results for 2023 are now reported, and before campaigns begin for 2024 I want to name two givers to the sport who are most worthy. They are not wealthy for both were career teachers. But they gave, and gave, unselfishly and effectively, motivated by a love of the game.
They are Brad Harder and John Russell. Brad taught horsemanship and related skills at Hocking College. John taught engineering at Western Kentucky University. Read more
Suspicion Unconfirmed
Fred Barnes was a watcher. Little got by him. For the last two years he had been watching John Payne, a professional pointing dog handler, and his scout, Willie Blevins.
Fred judged field trial’s a lot. Why? Because he had horses and a truck-trailer rig to haul them, and if he committed, he showed, and he appeared to be without favorites among handlers or owners, pointers or setters. He was pleasant enough, stayed sober in daylight hours. Accepted only gas money to judge. He watched constantly the dogs under judgment. Did not chat or gather wool while judging. Rode every brace at the same pace. Read more
Growing Our Own
Growing our own
Was vital to life
When I was young
But now lost in the fog
Of history
Like “putting up”
Meaning planting picking then
Shucking shelling snapping
And canning Read more
The 2024 National Championship
Twenty-Eight came to the line
Three finished
Touch’s Gallatin Fire
Handled by Mark McLean
Owned by Alex Rickert
Won with five finds Read more
The Sweetest Sound
What is your favorite sound?
Mine comes each winter dawn
At a special place
Tom Baker Senior found
After battles gainst Japan Read more
Should We?
Hurricane Hattie had requalified with a third place in the last qualifier of the season. Should they enter her was the question occupying her owner, Sam Slade, and handler, Mack Bain. Both were ambivalent and unsure of their judgment on the issue.
Hattie was nine years old. She had won the National Championship as a four-year-old. Could she go the three hours now was the issue. Both Sam and Mack judged she could, but they worried about the toll it might take on her. Neither wanted to shorten her good years left. She had won four major all-age championships for them and the Purina All-Age Dog-of-the-Year Award the season she won the National. Why stress her? both asked. Read more
Leaving the Circuit
Harley had recognized he had a problem soon after he regained consciousness. Lying on his back, he felt first the warm breath of Chester, his favorite dog horse, on his face. Opening his eyes, he looked up into Chester’s big kind ones. Slowly, his mind cleared.
He had no memory of hitting the hard North Dakota prairie. Perhaps Chester had stumbled, but he seldom did. His ability to see and avoid holes of all kinds had endeared him to Harley all their decade together, that and his smooth gaits, flat walk, running walk, fox trot, slow lope, canter. Chester had been a good—no, a great, dog horse. Read more
Perfect Race
Have you ever handled
A perfect race?
One where your dog goes
To every bird-blessed place
Where the front’s
All he wants to seek
And he reaches for it
In one constant sweep Read more
Rained Out
Ben Reach enjoyed nothing more than a rained-out day at a major field trial. A day when participants had no choice but to sit around a clubhouse and wait to see if the rain would lift enough to resume the running.
Today he was at Paducah, where a decade or two before he had ridden more than once as a judge or reporter on Thanksgiving weekend for the Invitational or right after for the Kentucky Quail Classic and Derby. Today it was 45 degrees F with rain falling steadily. A log fire roared, lunch was over, and hope was slim for more running today. Read more