Field trials: dogs and horses

To our readers — links to the  embedded YouTube videos are now below the screen.

Video of Sahuaro Brittany Club and Greater Phoenix Brittany Club Spring 2008 Field Trials.

Do you love horses and dogs?

Our friend “listens to horses” - yes, that’s her nom de Net – was kind enough to suggest some options for our horseless horse-lovers to spend some time with horses.

One of them is to attend a field trial near you. listens says that you don’t have to have a horse or a dog to be welcome.

Sounds like a non-riding equestrian vacation to me.

Who is this listens anyway?

listens is a trainer who lives in Missouri Ozarks of the south central US. She’s a horse whisperer that you’ve never heard of. She produces no programs, no movies, no DVDs. She’s of the “Nike school,” you might say – she just does it.

Despite what her nom de net may indicate, she doesn’t make a big deal out of it, but she teaches problem horses manners. Which probably means that they had “people problems,” as Cesar Millan would say.

And she loves to bring horseless horse lovers together with their dreams, like this little girl riding in the Loxley Christmas parade.

So, what is a field trial?

A field trial is a competition for hunting dogs. Some are breed-specific. Some don’t use h

I asked her, “What if you don’t have a horse?” No problem, she says. Spectators are welcome. And sometimes there’s a wagon for the horseless to enjoy a ride.

YouTube slide show about an unidentified field trial. No info was available, except I think everyone had fun. Note the good eatin’, too.

She tells me that friendly faces of all three species – human, canine and equine — are abundant.

Here are some photos from an October field trial that listens attended. Scroll around in her blog, and you’ll see photos from other field trials.

As listens would agree, gaited horses are the preferred mounts for field trials.

Here’s a list of US field trials as well as field trials around the world. A Google search will turn up more breed-specific trials.

Just a note, the American Kennel Club does not allow mechanized vehicles at its field trials, so you’re more likely to be around horses then.

Trials for beagles and pointers are likely choices for field trials that use horses.

A vacation activity?

Could be. If you like dogs and horses and the great outdoors, this sounds like your perfect trip.

This article will tell you if a field trial might be your cup of tea.

As that article says, what guns are there will shoot blanks, to show that the hunting dogs aren’t afraid of gun fire.

If you’re interested in attending a field trial, find one near you and make contact with the organizers. During that initial contact, find out if they’ll welcome spectators. Plus, you’ll already know someone there.

You’ll probably need a vehicle of your own to go out to the venue. A place to spend the night, a staging area for your trip.

And, if I were attempting to attend a field trial, during my initial phone call or email, I’d ask if there’s anything I could bring. If they say no, I’d still bring some cookies or donuts.

Share on Facebook

Tags: American Kennel Club, equine tourism, field trials, gaited horses, horse whisperer