Hawke’s Bay’s Sheena Martin wins Taupō Sheep Dog Trials, women shine in finals

Hawke's Bay's Sheena Martin and her dog Sav in action at the charity sheep dog trials in Taupō. Photo / www.takethemoment.co.nz

Women might have been in the minority at the recent Bayleys Sheep Dog Trials at Taupō, but they certainly made their presence felt, with Sheena Martin from Hawke’s Bay winning the final runoff with Sav.

Of the 23 finalists at the charity event, which was fundraising for the Greenlea Rescue Helicopter, nine were women.

Three hundred dogs competed at the Fiber Fresh National Equestrian Centre from June 25 to 28. The huge indoor hall provided an ideal all-weather facility, so the torrential rain did not affect the contestants.

The 900 ewe hoggets from Tuturau Trust provided a suitable challenge again at this third running of the event, which has now raised more than $85,000 in total for the Rescue Helicopter.

Martin said it was a great event and a fantastic facility.

“The sheep were ideal, there for the taking, but still asking the question.

“It’s a huge amount of work to run a trial like this, but you’ve got a great team, so keep it up.”

John Foss was runner-up with Gem, and Leo Jecentho was third with Rob.

The Judge’s Award for the most promising Maiden went to 19-year-old Holly Bird, from Taihape, selected by judge Murray Child, from Whangārei.

A second-year cadet at Pukemiro Training Farm, near Dannevirke, she took home a Stihl chainsaw and safety gear courtesy of Blackhills Fencing.

Bird’s dog, 18-month-old Jude, was bred by Guy Peacock, who mentors the cadets at Pukemiro in dog trialling.

His son Harry, as a second-year cadet, won the Maiden man/Maiden dog class last year and was runner-up to the overall winner, Murray Child.

The dog trials community still refers to all contestants as “man”, whether they are male or female, which does not cause dissension.

Bird is from a sheep and beef farm.

“I was more the dog than anything!” she said.

She wants to be a shepherd and build up a team of dogs, before hopefully taking over the family farm.

“I will need lots of experience before I do that,” she said.

Cadets are selected from applicants for prized positions on training farms.

The winner of this year’s Maiden man/Maiden dog was Smedley Station Training Farm second-year cadet Bradley Anderson, from Gisborne, with 15-month-old Merv.

It was the first time Smedley cadets had competed at the event.

The Tikokino, Central Hawke’s Bay, Training Farm accepts 13 cadets a year, while Pukemiro only takes six.

The dog trials equivalent of the Ranfurly Shield, the Bayleys Shield, was run in conjunction with the event on the Saturday morning.

Shield holders King Country defeated the challengers, Waikato, by 429.5 points to 419.5.

Organiser Dave Schaw was exhausted but happy.

“It is unbelievable, there were 50 Maiden/Maidens, so that is good for the future of the sport.”

An auction of donated items on Friday, June 27, resulted in two huntaway pups selling for $3500 and $3400, with the three heading dog pups also selling well.

The last two days of the event were live-streamed, which drew many positive comments, especially Graham Northcott’s commentary.

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