Spotty Dogs Brave the Rain at Stourport!

News Release – for immediate use Pictures attached

July 2008

www.carriagedog.org Spotty dogs brave the rain at Stourport!

The sixth Fenix Carriage Dog Trials took place at Lincomb Chasers near Stouport on 5th July.

Mollie, a young liver bitch owned and handled by Wesley Evans-Pigden from North Wales became Road Dog Champion after winning the Silver Road Dog class. Spin, another young liver bitch owned and handled by Avril Pluck of Shropshire, became Carriage Dog Champion after winning the Silver Carriage Dog Class. Both dogs completed a 20km endurance course and Mollie was also judged the Yumega Best Condition Dog by the vet judge, winning a year’s supply of Yumega supplement from Lintbells.

The winner of the new Groom’s Award was Burns fed bitch Freya owned by Anna Gambles of Kent. Freya became the youngest Dog to qualify at Bronze level at the Yorkshire Trials last year and this year won the new Silver Groom Handler class. Munin, who has previously worked as a Road Dog and qualified at Silver level in that discipline, this year won the Bronze Carriage Dog Class with owner and handler Anne Dickens. Both Freya and Munin, who received Dorwest Herbs new Damiana & Kola tablets for stamina as part of her training, worked behind Anne’s carriage with ponies Parker and Polo.

New to the Trials this year was a thrilled Gail Cotterill whose dogs Nugget and Skittle gained 1st and 2nd place in the Bronze Carriage Dog (Groom Handler) class working behind John Wilmott’s pony Hugo.

The purpose of the Trials is to provide a modern competition through which to demonstrate the Dalmatian dog's traditional role as a companion to horses and carriages in past times. It is both an endurance and obedience event and all competitors must do a basic obedience test with their dog, from horse or carriage, as part of the Trial. The Bronze classes require a 10kms run and the silver 20kms.

As well as the competition itself, the British Carriage Dog Society ran its new Stable Dog test the following day. Stable Dog is designed to test a dog’s obedience on the ground in a stable environment. It has dogs earning points for doing a variety of exercises. These include ignoring a rat as it hurtles by and not eating the Stable Manager’s ‘lunch’, as well as more conventional tests, such as staying on command and retrieving a stable brush. The Society also ran ‘instinct tests’ on Sunday, when several Dalmatian owners were able to ‘have a go’ with their dogs to see how they take to working with a carriage.

Alison Burgess, founder and chairman of the Society said “The endurance course this year was quite challenging, with a number of hills, water splashes and adverse cambers, but this didn’t detract from the beautiful countryside we were riding and driving through, thanks to venue owners Rebecca and Tony Symonds. We’d like to thank those carriage drivers who came along to take dog handlers round as grooms on their carriages to enable them to compete. This helps us to extend the wonderful experience of working their Dalmatians to more and more owners. We are hoping to run more regional events in the future, and we look forward to welcoming new competitors as well as old hands as the sport grows.”

The British Carriage Dog Society web site contains lots of information about the trials competition and exercises, full results for every year, judges' biographies, details of sponsors and supporters, and the start of an exciting archive to contain all competing carriage dogs over the years. For those Dalmatian owners who are not yet members, it also contains details about the Society, its constitution, biographies of committee members, and how to join.

Celebrating the working heritage of the Dalmatian For more information see www.carriagedog.org or contact Alison Burgess on 01435 813267.

Press contact: Anne Dickens 01622 892494 Notes for Editors attached

Celebrating the working heritage of the Dalmatian NOTES FOR EDITORS

Photo Captions: [????????] Wesley Evans-Pigden rides Knabstrupper Jonas to enable his liver bitch Mollie to win the Silver Road Dog class and gain the Road Dog Champion title.

[?????????] Spin, a two year old liver bitch working behind her owner and handler Avril Pluck’s Bennington carriage to win the Silver Carriage Dog Class and gain the title of Carriage Dog Champion.

[???????] Freya, owned and handled by Anna Gambles of Kent, out on the endurance course with pony Polo after winning the Silver Carriage Dog (Groom Handler) class.

[???????] Munin, a qualified Silver Road Dog this year wins the Carriage Dog Bronze class with owner Anne Dickens and her pony Parker.

[???????] Nugget and Skittle owned and handled by Gail Cotterill take 1st and 2nd place in the Carriage Dog Bronze (Groom Handler) class working behind John Wilmott’s British Spotted pony Hugo.

2008 Carriage Dog Trials - Full Results

Class Place Dog Handler Award

Carriage Dog Gold No entrants

Road Dog Gold No qualifiers

Carriage Dog Silver 1st Spin Avril Pluck (Whip) Carriage Dog Champion 2nd Fenris Anne Dickens (Whip) Reserve Carriage Dog Champion

Carriage Dog Silver 1st Freya Anna Gambles Groom’s Award (Groom Handler) (Anne Dickens: Whip) 2nd Todd Tim Stafford (Julie Swindells: Whip)

Road Dog Silver 1st Mollie Wesley Evans-Pigden Road Dog Champion

Carriage Dog Bronze 1st Munin Anne Dickens

Carriage Dog Bronze 1st Nugget Gail Cotterill Groom’s Award (Groom Handler) (John Wilmott: Whip) 2nd Todd Gail Cotterill (John Wilmott: Whip) 3rd Brio Stephanie Ely (John Wilmott: Whip)

Road Dog Bronze No qualifiers

Best Condition Dog - Mollie Wesley Evans Pigden Best Condition Horse - Louis Avril Pluck

Celebrating the working heritage of the Dalmatian Background to the Trials: The purpose of Carriage Dog Trials is to demonstrate the use of Dalmatians in one of the roles they have been bred through the years to perform: that of a companion, decoration and guard for horses and carriages in past times.

It is both an endurance and obedience event and all competing dogs must do a basic obedience test alongside their handler's horse or carriage. The aim of the obedience test is to replicate, as far as possible, modern horse and carriage working environments, where the dog must be under the handler's control at all times. The endurance element tests each competing Dalmatian's stamina and capacity for work. It is essential that the dog shows willingness and enjoyment of its work throughout the trial.

So, the trials comprises an obedience and an endurance test for the dog, and includes vet checks in the upper classes.

The British Carriage Dog Society: The Society exists:

 To preserve the working heritage of the Dalmatian as a coaching dog  To run National Trials, the purpose of which is to demonstrate and test the Dalmatian's traditional role as a companion to man as road and carriage dog  To encourage common standards for all Carriage Dog Trials and to publish rules under which any Society sanctioned Trials in the UK should be run  To offer advice and support to any other person or organisation who wishes to run a Society sanctioned Carriage Dog Trial in the UK

Any readers wishing to join the British Carriage Dog Society should contact:

Secretary British Carriage Dog Society Mrs Chris Cleland 01323 833732 [email protected]

Celebrating the working heritage of the Dalmatian Th e t e s t s i n b ri e f …

Carriage Test Willingness to work Attitude throughout the test Axle Walk and Trot 100-200 metres Axle with distraction Trot 100 metres Sit, stand or down stay Halt 1 minute Speed Extended trot/canter 100 metres Distance Trial Bronze - 10km Silver - 20 km Gold – 40 km

Road Test Recall Recall to horse from halt to walk Hock Trot 100-200 metres Hock with distraction Trot 100 metres Sit, stand or down stay Halt 1 minute Speed Working trot or canter 100 metres Distance Trial Bronze - 10km Silver - 20 km Gold – 40 km

Celebrating the working heritage of the Dalmatian