Sell-out for Hunterville's Shemozzle

A shepherd and his huntaway dog make a break for it during the Shemozzle. PHOTO/SIESKA VERDONK

Huntaway dogs and their owners came from as far away as the South Island for the annual Shemozzle and Huntaway Festival on Saturday.

Now in its 19th year, the festival is the biggest day of the year for the Rangitikei town of Hunterville. This year was the biggest yet, with the event selling out.

Shemozzle Committee vice-chair Sam Horrocks said the day included the Kids' Shemozzle, the Teens' Shemozzle, the Family Shemozzle and the main event - the Shepherds' Shemozzle. There were also plenty of stalls and an after-party in the evening.

The Shemozzle is a tough 3km race that humans and dogs must run together. It goes up a hill behind the town and has several obstacles on the way - some for humans and some for dogs.

Mr Horrocks said the dogs must be huntaways, which can be very varied in colour and shape but have one distinctive trait in common: their bark.

"If there's any debate about whether a dog is a huntaway or not, we get them to bark on command. If they can, they're a huntaway," he said.

This year winner of the Shepherds' Shemozzle was a local, Nick Kipling from Ferndale Station.

Mr Horrocks said next year's Shemozzle would be a special one, with the event marking its 20th birthday.

"It's changed quite a bit from the early days. It used to be just about the shepherds, but since we introduced the family and kids' Shemozzle it's become much more of a family event," he said.