A dog’s life after the storm: Sheep dog trials resume

Farmer and winning sheep dog trialist Clark Chrystal in better days on the Tutira farm in 2015. The wrath of Cyclone Gabrielle has kept him out of dog trials for five weeks, but he's hoping to still get some runs in before the end of the season in May. Photo / NZME

A few less-familiar names found their way onto the leaderboards as the Tikokino Sheep Dog Club Trials marked the return of trials to Hawke’s Bay in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle.

Four club trials in the Bay were cancelled, including the Te Pōhue trials amid some of the more severe cyclone flooding and damage, just four days before the club’s annual trials were to have been held.

Also cancelled were trials at Takapau, Pātoka and Wairoa, while the Mohaka trials, supposed to be held on Friday and Saturday (March 24-25), have been postponed until April 23, the day after the Te Aute trials on April 21-22.

In the Poverty Bay centre, just the Ruakituri trials, which annually overlap Wairoa to provide three days of trialling in the Wairoa area, have been cancelled to date, and the Waipaoa trials have been tentatively postponed - but Tolaga Bay will go ahead this week, despite the cyclone’s ravaging of the East Coast.

Northern Wairarapa trialist James Hemopo with his dogs at Petane in 2020. He and his team were at it again at the Tikokino trials last week, claiming the zigzag hunt title and second, third and fourth places in the straight hunt. Photo / NZME

In Wairarapa, the Akitio and Weber clubs’ trials were cancelled, but three other clubs’ events have been held, including the centre championships on March 10-11 at the Wainui Valley Dog Trial Club’s trials near Herbertville.

Winners at the Tikokino trials, at Smedley, were Lyndsay Schmidt with Jed in the long head, Paul Evans with Beaudie in the short head and yard, James Hemopo in the zigzag hunt with Frankie, and Louis Watt with Izzy in the straight hunt, in which Hemopo successfully trialled Frankie and two other dogs for second, third and fourth.

Five of the nine trials originally scheduled for the Hawke’s Bay season so far have been held, including the centre championships at the season opener at Petane in December.

Among those missing from the trials has been regular top competitor and former centre president Clark Chrystal, stuck on the farm in the Tutira backblocks, with the road now semi-open but plenty of work still to do on repairing or replacing fencing, tracks and water systems hit by the cyclone.

“I haven’t been to the trials for five weeks,” said Chrystal, who has four to five dogs he hopes to still get the chance to take to trials before the end of the season - possibly including the North Island Championships, which start on May 1 at Lochinver, on the Rangitāiki Plains, and the South Island and New Zealand Championships in South Otago, starting on May 22.

“It will be good to get out and see people again,” Chrystal said, recognising many, if not most, have similar devastation across their properties.

“A lot of people got hit pretty hard, but it’s a good community,” he said.

The New Zealand Sheep Dog Trial Association has granted dispensation for trialists from Tutira north, meaning that with fewer opportunities to trial, dogs that qualified to run at last year’s national championships are exempted from having to qualify again this season.

Before the Te Aute and Mohaka trials will be Okawa at the end of next week, and the Taradale club trials on April 14-15.

Results of the Tikokino Sheep Dog Trial Club trials on March 17-18:

Long head: Lyndsay Schmidt, Jed, 97pts, 1; Peter Williams, Ike, 9pts, 2; Paul Evans, Beaudie, 95pts, 3; Dylan Gallien, Chum, 95pts, 4; Laurie Horsfall, Thor, 93.5pts, 5. Intermediate: Peter Williams, Ike. Maiden: Mark Murphy, Jane.

Short head and yard: Paul Evans, Beaudie, 96.5pts, 1; Bob Bruce, Ruby, 95.5pts, 2; David Sheild, Kip, 95pts, 3; Jim Wilson, Wally, 94.5pts, 4; Graham Duff, Jess, 94.25pts, 5. Intermediate: Peter Williams, Ike. Maiden: Kim Rorrison, Spike.

Zig zag hunt: James Hemopo, Frankie, 95.5pts, 1; Jim Wilson, Mace, 95pts, 2; Lana Chrystal, Karla, 94.5pts, 3; Jake Ellison, Doza, 94pts, 4; Lana Christal, Belle, 93.5pts, 5. Intermediate: James Hemopo, Frankie. Maiden: Jake Rosie, Dave.

Straight hunt: Lou Watt, Izzy, 95.25pts, 1; James Hemopo, Frankie, 95pts, 2; James Hemopo, Kahn, 92pts, 3; James Hemopo, Chrome, 91pts, 4; Jack Griffin, Brandy, 90.5pts, 5. Intermediate: James Hemopo, Frankie. Maiden: Jack Griffin, Brandy.