With Emphasis on the Horse andthe Role it Plays
By Roxanne M. Coccia
What is a field trial?
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In a nutshell a field trial is competition to see who has the best birddog on a given day. It's a way of showing off that dog. How does a horsefit into all of this? The horse is an integral part of field trials. Itis traditional to use horses instead of mechanization. Horses and dogsfrequently go together from Dalmatians that followed coaches to EnglishFoxhounds running in front of hunter horses.
| Two competitors ready to go. Both have Paso Fino. TWH in the background.The horse on the left carries a water bottle for the dog in addition tothe check rope. |
People who like dogs often like horses too. In field trials horses addsomething besides being a tool. They make you feel closer to the way thingsused to be and they don't make the constant noise like machines do. Andthe American Kennel Club does not allow the use of mechanized vehiclesfor its trials. There is also a certain aesthetic value that they add tothe field trial. There is something very enjoyable about riding a gaitedhorse behind fast moving dogs out in the open. It gives you a sense offreedom and you soon leave the office and other worldly worries behind.
You just about have to forget your worries because if you are runninga dog all you attention will be needed on your dog. And especially if youwant to win or place in the trial. And you need a good reliable field trailsavvy horse for you to be able to get the best out of your dog.
Where are field trials held?
The dog clubs that caters to each breed of pointing dogs host fieldtrials in most major cities. Professional and Amateur handlers will oftentravel from the West Coast to the East Coast, staying in the east for thewhole trial season and then working their way back across the country.Trials are usually held on weekends and long distances are traveled bysome, others restrict their participation to a three or four state area.
Spotted Saddle Horse and TWH. Handler is Chuck Cooper Horseman is John Franck |
What dog events use horses?
Field trials where horses are used are almost exclusively for breedsof dogs that point their game. These dogs are awarded points that cumulate.When they earn a certain number of points they are awarded a field trialchampionship by AKC or American Field. Earning these points is difficult.And only the first place winner in an open stake gets the points. Amateurstakes do give points for first through fourth, in Amateur and Open thenumber of points available depends on the number of dogs entered. FiledTrial Championships are very hard to earn. Most dogs take more than a yearof active training to attain them. Two to three years is normal.
Dogs staked out, German Shorthair, German Shorthair, Pointer, Weimaraner.Spotted Saddle Horse in background staked out. |
Spaniels and Retriever breeds do not need horse and don't use them intheir trials.
Beagle fanciers do occasionally use horses for their pack trials. Thesepacks of beagles move very fast and the judges follow them on foot or onhorseback. If the judges are on foot they literally have to run to keepup with the pack. Horses make this much easier and give the judges a muchbetter view. A good view is important because the judges need to see theindividual dog and observe how they are working within the pack.
American Kennel Club Hunting Tests for the pointing breeds also usehorses. Hunting tests are non-competitive; the dog is scored on a numberof criteria. The score are tallied at the end and the dog either passesor fails the test. Dogs who pass earn a leg toward a Hunting Test title,which the AKC recognizes after a dog completes the required number of legs(usually 4). Only the judges and bird planters in these events use horses.Judges are often on the course all day, following the dogs. The horse offersa better view to the judge and eliminates all that walking for him.
Notice the covered stirrups. Trailers prefer these. They protectboots when traveling through brush or cactus. Horse is Ice owned by Cindy Long |
Of all the dog field trials, horses are most common in the Pointingdog field trials, governed by the AKC or the American Field. Both organizationshave set up rules as to how the trials are run and what the dog must do.Trials have what are known as Stakes such as the Gun Dog Stakes andthe Open All Age Stakes which are for dogs who are adults and are trainedto stay point through the flush and shot. The handler flushes the birdand fires a blank; the dog is expected to stay on point throughout theprocess. These dogs are known a Broke Dogs, and the sakes the run inare often known a Broke Dog Stakes. Puppies also have stakes, but theyare not expected to be broke or point, just to indicate the bird by flushingor pointing. Derby stakes require a dog up to two years of age point, butthey do not have to stay on point. They can break and flush the bird, justas long as they have established a point. In all these Stakes, handlers,judges, field Marshall, bird planters and gallery follow behind the dogon horseback. The speed of travel behind the dog will depend on the typeof trial, breed of dog, that particular brace of dogs, Stake rules andterrain. Braces can run from 15 minutes to 60 minutes, dependingon the type of brace. National Champion trials often run up to one weekin length. The trial season is spring and fall in the temperate areas ofthe USA, with winter trials not being uncommon in the southern states andCalifornia. It is too hot in most states to hold summer trials.
Now you have a very basic idea of what dog events use horses and howthey work.
Field Trial horse owned, at that time, by Henry Caruso |
What is expected of the horse and how does it help in the events?
Gaited Horses are the exclusive choice of field trialers and huntingtest judges. Everyone and anyone who is involved in field trial eventswants Gaited Horses ONLY! No one wants to ride a breed that trots, nordo they like hard pacers. The professional handler who train dogs for clientsday in and day out all year will not even consider having a trotting horse! Most commonly and traditionally the TWH is used, but all gaited breedsare represented. Paso Fino, Spotted Saddle Horses and rocky Mountain Horsesare currently very popular. Most gaited breeds can be seen at the trails,including gaited mules and grade crosses. The common denominator beingthat they are SMOOTH, for you are often in the saddle from 7 AM to 4 or5 PM.
Field trial horses need to be very fit as they are ridden many miles,often over rough terrain and in inclement weather, in the training andrunning of dogs.
Field Trail weather can be wet, cold, hot, warm or snowy. These riders are dressed for a cold wet trail. | Judges waiting for their 1st brace. Both horses are TWH |
The Horses learn to conserve energy and can be observed standing veryquietly when they are not out on the course. Horses used for trials mustbe road safe and be willing to load without a fuss. A horse that fightsthe trailer is no fun when you are done and ready to head on to the nexttrail. Most horses that are used to the routine are ready at the end ofa weekend to get on and go home!
John Cochran and friend. The horse on the left has an Aussie saddle. |
How Gaited Horses are used in training dogs for trials.
Field trial horse must be able to be picketed or stand tied. The formof picketing in field trails is not the overhead type of set up. A stakeis driven into the ground and attached to 20 or 30 foot of rope, cableor chain then it is run through a hose to attach to a heavy duty snap thatis hooked to halter. Horses are tied out night and day when not in use.It is important that the horse be trained to be out on such a picket, theymust be watched closely when first started to this form of tie out. Somepeople use a nylon cow collar instead of a halter.
| Spotted Saddle Horse on Stake out. Typical field trial rig in background.Dogs are kenneled in the middle, horses in the back. Dogs may be in cratesin the middle of dog boxes may be built into one wall. The handler willusually have abed in the front of the trailer and he or she will stay withthe dogs at night. |
Horses must also tie quietly to the trailer, tacked up, without fightingor pulling back.
Horses must be very good with dogs. They must tolerate:
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- Dogs running up suddenly from behind
- Dogs underfoot
- Dogs running under their bellies
- Puppies and debris going under a horses legs or running into them.
- Dogs in the saddle or jumping to the saddle from the ground.
Spooking of any kind is not desirable.
Gunfire is a part of all field trials and both the dog and horse mustbe OK with it. Blanks are fired from special pistols that the handler carriedin a holster. These pistols can not fire live ammo as they have a blockagein the barrel. The pistols give off a loud bang, simulating the shot inhunting and proving to the judge that your dog is not gun shy. In mostinstances, you will dismount to fire the shot. The horse must be well trainedto ground tie, so he will not leave you for the next county! Most peopledo not care if the horse grazes, just so long as he does not run off ortry to evade you when you go to get back on.
| Dog being roaded. In this case the handler has opted not to attachto the saddle. Ice and Cindy Long |
Roading is another skill that the field trial horse must master. Roadingis a method to condition a dog. You put a dog in a harness and attach athirty-foot rope to the harness from the saddle. Some people have purchaseda field trial or trooper saddle and did not know what the tab in the backof the saddle was for, that is what the dog is attached to. Some peopleattach the rope to the rings in front of the saddle. The dog is encouragedto lean into the rope and harness and pull hard. The rider and horse follow.Thirty minutes of roading is the equivalent of an hour of free running.The dog usually stays out in front of the horse so the horse must toleratethe rope crossing over his chest as the dog moves from the left to theright. Roading is also used to excite and educate the dogs. In AmericanField Trails you can road dogs in the gallery behind the dogs in a brace.The dogs being roaded becomes fired up by watching the other dogs workas the gun is fired and the bird is flushed. Roading is also used whena dog messes up and you are far out on the course but the judge has orderedyou up, you can road the dog back to the club house. A dog that has beenlost on the course and later found can be roaded back to not interferewith the new brace of dogs.
On one occasion at a Brittany trail in Kentucky a handler lost his dogon the course. Sometime later, during another brace, the dog was foundtied in the front yard of a nearby house. The people who owned the househad kindly tied the dog in the front yard, knowing from past experiencethat someone from the trial would notice and pick up the dog. Werode over through some brush and through a drainage ditch then across theroad to get to the house.
The man I was with had a Dun Paso Fino and he had 30 foot of check cordor rope. He retrieved the dog and attached him to the rope and we startedback across the road and through the drainage ditch. Then into the brush,where there was a narrow deer trail with just enough room for one animalto pass through at a time. The dog ended up behind the horse and was actuallybumping against the horses hocks as we walked through. The rope was acrossthe horse's chest from the right side, the dog having passed to the leftof the horse before we entered the brush and back around to his back end.SO the dog has wrapped almost all the way around the horses body. We proceededthrough the brush this way, until we got out into the open, where the dogswung around in front of the horse. That horse never missed a beat. Hesimply gaited on through with the dog bumping off his hocks. These arethe kind of things expected of a field trial horse!
Trial horses are used in four ways at a trial.
- Judges horse
- Handler's horse
- Bird Planter's horse
- Field Marshall/Gallery Horse
First and up in front of everyone are the two handlers and their dogsand horses. A Handler's horse must be able to do everything previouslydescribed, plus must be able to gallop on occasion. This happens when thehandler doesn't want a dog to get away with chasing or catching a birdthat it has flushed during the trial. At that point he or she is out ofthe contention and will probably have to road the dog back or walk bothhorse and dog back. It is important that the dog does not chase and possiblycatch the bird. Once in a while horses have been known to slap a hoof ona rope of a running dog that has broken and taken off after a bird. Thatis a horse that has really figured out some of what is going on!
Handler in the orange coat is taking her Hungarian Vizsla to theline. |
The Judges come next, they require a horse that can go anywhere willingto be separated from the other horses with no fuss. They must go into thewoods on occasion to observe a dog on point. The judges horse must standquietly while they write notes and confer with each other. It is especiallyimportant that these horse be smooth, as the judges will be out all day.
The Field Marshall's horse must, including the above, be able to rideup to a ground tied horse and hold it's reins to ensure that it does notgo anywhere. The horse cannot fight with the other horse. The field Marshall'sjob is to control the gallery, which may be as large as sixty or seventyriders on some of the more prestigious trials. He has to watch each braceand be ready to step in and judge, in the event something happens to oneof the judges. He may also be the time keeper. The Marshall knows the courseand shows the first brace where to go, most trials run over the same courseall day. Some have two courses going at once, some may use a continuoscourse.
The Bird Planter carries birds that he puts out for a bag made for thatpurpose. In the morning he rides out and salts the course with birds, thenhe rides along well behind the dogs, judges, gallery etc..
| Bird planter ready to go. Note orange bird bag and the collar aroundthe horse's neck, this is for picketing him. Rider John Potter |
He stops and tosses birds out where they would be likely to be foundby a hunting dog. This replenishes the course for each brace for the restof the stake. His horse must be able to tolerate the fluttering of thebirds without spooking and be willing to work away from the other horses.
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This is has been an overview of how field trials run and how the horseare put to use. A lot is expected of a field trial horse and the GaitedHorses rise to the top for comfort and sensible field trial use!
If you would like to attend a field trail, or think this is somethingyou would like to try with your dog or horse, you can contact the AmericanKennel Club or American Field for dates and times and rules.
American Kennel Club
5580 Centerview Drive
Raleigh, NC 27606-3390
http://www.akc.org
American field Trial Dog Stud Book
542 S. Dearborn Street
Suite 1350
Chicago Ill 60605
http://www.americanfield.com
A few VERY important things to consider. This design has no padding for protection from rubbing so do not take the dog walking for too long with this on & preferably not at all in hot weather. Secondly, if the design has some people's dogs peeing on the bag & having to modify something is drastically wrong. NO BACKPACK should be anywhere near the back end of the dog. This can cause serious spinal damage as can any badly made/designed backpack. The pack's weight should be on the shoulder area not the back end. Do not use bags that are too big. The bags in the pictures of Kona look much too big to me. You do not want to put too much weight on a dogs back, they are not naturally built to carry it. A bigger bag encourages too much loading and also bad weight distribution. The bags should be small & sit high up on the dogs side not hanging down with the bottoms reaching to below the body. Finally, the SHAPE of the pack is vital for proper weight distribution. DO NOT USE RECTANGLE SHAPES!! For guidance check the better brands - you'll see they are mostly circular shapes.