Welsh Kennel Club Champ Show

 

Welsh Kennel Club Champ show has always been a bit of a summer holiday for us, as the children have attended the YKC activity weekend alongside the show.  Sadly this year the weekend hasn’t gone ahead due to lack of support from volunteers for the different activities.  We did consider not attending for the full 3 days of the show and only travelling up for our days breed showing and the Saturday for the agility.  However a junior handling training day was organised for the Thursday, so we made the decision to travel up and stay from the Wednesday and take advantage of this.

We arrived in good time to set the caravan up before the weather changed, and then wow it did change!  Loads of rain overnight and all of Thursday.  The girls were so relieved to have the workshop to keep them occupied whilst the weather was so bad.

The work shop was a really good opportunity for them to polish some of their handling skills and they got a great deal out of it. 

Thankfully Friday was a bright dry day and the ground soon dried up, which was a relief as the ground sheets in the awning were filthy!  A lovely day just watching the breed judging and doing a bit of shopping around the trade stands. Melissa also did a bit of training with the girls which they were pleased with. 

Saturday was agility day and it was great seeing the agility rings set up in the Royal Welsh main arena.  Having shown ridden hunters in the ring, and in hand it was now a great opportunity to do some agility in this lovely big ring!

Trio had been entered in this show, but I hadn’t told anyone that I had done this, I really wasn’t sure about letting her have a round after her injury last year.  But, due to being back to full fitness and given the go ahead knew that we would have to give her a run sooner or later.  The ground in the ring was perfect, a bit of give and the course also good for her with no sharp times to put too much pressure on her.  After walking the course I gave Tasha the news that she was entered, and it was her decision as to whether she competed or not.  She was really sensible and talked about what might go wrong and why it was a good course for her.  She decided to go ahead and agreed to pull her up if she didn’t feel right.  She stormed around the course achieved one of only a handful clear rounds on the course.  Tasha was really keen to see how she had done but presentations weren’t going to go ahead until after lunch.  When we did return to check these had already taken place and when Tasha went to check in secretary’s tent she was thrilled to find that she had won the class!!

 

Tilly and Eve were also competing, this was Eve’s first agility competition and Eleanor was incredibly nervous.  She had a lovely round in the any size jumping, not clear but showing so much promise and enthusiasm.  Tilly had two good rounds, picking up 5 faults in each, both of which were handler error which was a shame.  But such a good day, particularly for Trio.

Sunday then was breed day, and hoped to be a relaxing one for us.  Both breeds starting at 10am, but with a large NSDTR entry it was hoped that when we had finished with the LMs we would be in time for the start of the bitch judging for the tollers.  Well best laid plans and the rest.....................

It seemed that the two breed judged were competing for the quickest judging possible!  Tasha had been asked to handle Alfie (Raycris Quite the Charmer) for Lynn.  So would be busy before she had a chance to have Trio ready for PGB.  I had to quickly go and get the 2 tollers from the caravan as judging was so quick in the tollers, leaving them with Eleanor whilst I  quickly got Maddie and Trio ready, Alfie was 2^nd in Open dog and had been called in to the challenge so Tasha was busy.  It was lovely to see her help Lynn and Alfie to the RCC!  Maddie was then in for Veteran, where she gained a very good 2^nd place!  And then quickly on to PGB where Trio was entered along with her sister Uma (Seahaven Bouquet of Roses).  It was lovely to see Julie with Uma but sadly I didn’t get much time to chat which was a shame.  Trio won this class with Uma 3^rd!  Trio was then in for the challlange, where Tasha was convinced that she was considered, but sadly didn’t go any further.

Over in the NSDTR ring a similar thing was happening! Eve was entered in PGB, one of the biggest entries for the breed on the day.  I was thrilled to be able to see Eleanor win this class with Eve, beating some much more mature dogs.  Eve also then qualified to go into the challenge, the problem being that Eleanor needed her for the YKC handling class that was being called.

 I felt so sorry for her as she was torn between the handling and staying for the challenge.  She made the decision to borrow Eve’s older sister Milly and asked me to handle Eve in the challenge.  Whilst this was happening Tilly needed to go into the open class and Dawn saved the day offering to handle her for us.  She gained a very respectable Reserve in this strong class.  I was thrilled to have the opportunity to handle Eve, and wanted to do her justice.  She was a little star, the CC went to the Open bitch winner and the 2^nd place bitch was brought in to challenge for the RCC.  It was expected that this would automatically go the the  2^nd bitch, but Eve was called out to stand beside her and for them to move together. I was stunned, but wanted to do her justice.  I think maturity played a part with the other more mature girl getting it over Eve, but thrilled to think that she was considered for the RCC and stud book number. 

Such a good few days.