Wānaka sheepdog trial, 1868: six sheep on a mountain spur

Key facts

Reported event date

14 April 1868

Publication

North Otago Times, 24 April 1868, page 2

Winner in the report

McCallum’s Help

An annual gathering in drizzling rain

The North Otago Times published its account on 24 April 1868 and dated the annual trial to Tuesday the fourteenth. The correspondent described drizzling rain and spectators attending despite the weather. Unlike a bare prize list, the item gives a detailed course description and names the judges, Campbell, Allan and McAlister. Those details make this a distinct historical edition, rather than merely another reference to early New Zealand trialling. The account’s praise for the quality of work is the correspondent’s assessment; its more concrete evidence lies in the specified exercise and the published awards.

Six sheep and a restricted handler position

Six sheep were sent roughly three-quarters of a mile up a steep mountain spur. The handler had to remain within a circle one chain in diameter while the dog headed the sheep and stood with them for at least five minutes. The sheep then had to come back to the handler and enter a small yard described as one hurdle wide. Fifty minutes were allowed. The winner was to complete the work in the most shepherd-like manner. That sequence combines distant control, settling stock and yarding; reducing the exercise to the fastest return would misrepresent the reported test.

Help ahead of Sweep and Keilder

The award list places McCallum’s Help first, Craig’s Sweep second and McCallum’s Keilder third; Goldie’s Yarrow was highly commended. The recurrence of Sweep and Keilder links this edition with the preceding Wānaka report, but the course had changed markedly: six sheep and a distant hill stand replaced the earlier three-sheep, quarter-mile out-and-back exercise. The comparison shows experimentation with what a competition could reveal about working ability. It also demonstrates why a modern class label should not be retrofitted to every early event simply because both involve heading and yarding sheep.

Common questions

Sources & further reading

References for this guide. Rules and services can change; check the responsible organisation for current details.

• North Otago Times, 24 April 1868 — Annual Sheep-Dog Trial at Wanaka (opens in a new tab)
• North Otago Times, 30 April 1867 — the preceding Wānaka trial (opens in a new tab)

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