Saturday and Sunday, October 7 & 8
Sheepsmith Farm, Pinckney, MI
Event Chair: Jack Szalka
Judges: Sean & Sharol Hathaway (Bio)
BCCA Instinct Testing: Brian Wistrom
We will be offering course A Sheep & Ducks, Course B ducks, and HT and PT both Saturday and Sunday.
The herding instinct testing will be done after the Sunday trial. It will be the BCCA HIC test, not the AKC instinct test. Entries are limited to 8 dog/handler teams.
Event Secretary
Bonnie Craig
PO Box 635
Central Lake, MI 49622
trialsecbonnie@gmail.com
231-633-0112
Overnight entries by UPS or FedEx only to:
1901 Knipe Rd
Central Lake, MI 49622
The trial opens July 26 and closes September 20.
Premium List and Forms
Herding Test/Trial Premium List (includes entry forms)
Herding Instinct Test (HIC) Entry Form
BCCA Herding Instinct Testing
The BCCA Herding Instinct tests will be held after the completion of the trial Sunday afternoon, October 8th. It will take place at approximately 3 PM, but the exact time will depend on the number of entries we have for the AKC trial. We will have a better idea of time after the closing date of the herding trial, and we will advise entries after the closing.
Entry fee: $45 per entry. Entries open on July 26 and close September 20.
Mail your entry form and check to:
Brian Wistrom
5652 Clinton Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55419
Brian will be doing the instinct evaluation. Questions about the HIC? Contact Brian at bwistrom@earthlink.net or Jack at jszalka@aol.com.
Drovers’ Dinner
Please join us after the trial on Saturday for our annual Drovers’ Dinner, which will be held at the Block Brewing Co., 1140 S Michigan Ave, Howell, Michigan 48843. The restaurant is approximately 20 minutes from Sheepsmith Farm. We have reserved a private room, and you will order from the full menu, which features delicious BBQ and stone oven pizza! If you want to celebrate or drown your sorrows, there are over forty beers on tap.
We ask $5 in advance to reserve your place; this can be paid on the Master Registration Form. At the restaurant, you will be responsible for your own tab.
View the full menu here Howell – Block Brewing.
Lunches
We will offer a box lunch including a sandwich, chips and a cookie for $12. Sandwich options are turkey, ham, Italian (salami/pepperoni) or tuna. Please pay and make your selection on the Master Registration Form.
Retail Therapy
We plan to have a few vendors on site at the herding trial!
Help Needed
Herding trials always need volunteers to help with various tasks. No experience needed for most jobs, and you’ll get the opportunity to see and support Bearded Collies herding. We need scribes, sheet runners, duck handlers, and general help. If you would like to help, please contact Jack Szalka at jszalka@aol.com.
Spectators are Welcome! There’s plenty of parking, but limited shade — so bring a chair and spend the day watching our Beardies do what they were bred to do. Nothing is more satisfying than seeing our breed work and having fun while doing it. (Hopefully not too much fun…!)
Directions
Sheepsmith Farm is located at 6465 Hinchey Road, Pinckney MI 48169 (Hinchey Road is not paved).
A small sign will be placed by the road at the driveway to the farm.
Shaded parking is on your right, and ample parking is down the drive past the barn next to the A Course. If you park in the shaded area, PLEASE be aware this is near the house, so excessive barking will not be tolerated. The farm is a no-smoking, no-vaping facility.
Here’s an aerial view of the layout at the farm.
Use the Google Map below to generate custom directions to the site.
Street Address: 6465 Hinchey Road, Pinckney, MI 48169
Hotels Near the Herding Venue
Sheepsmith Farm is about 1 hour and 15 minutes with normal traffic to the host hotel in Frankenmuth, so staying close may be a better option.
We’ve blocked a group of rooms at the Comfort Inn, 1645 Commerce Park Dr., Chelsea, MI. Phone: 734-433-8000. This hotel is about 30 minutes (19 miles) south of the herding trials. This hotel has hosted other dog specialties and is dog-friendly. The rate is $119 per night, plus taxes and pet fee of $20 per night. The room block consists of 10 rooms. It will be held until 9/6, or when all 10 rooms are booked.
When booking, please be sure to mention the following:
Group Name: Bearded Collie Club of America
Group Number: EF17J1
Additional hotels (always call to check pet policies before booking):
- Baymont by Wyndham, 1540 Commerce Park Dr., Chelsea, MI. 734-433-1600
- Red Roof Inn Plus, 3621 Plymouth Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 855-352-7611 (Recently renovated)
RV Parking
RV parking is available on-site with no hook-ups. Anyone planning on staying on-site can coordinate with Jack (email Jack).
Want More Herding?
Three-Day AKC All-Breed Trial at Sheepsmith Farm, hosted by the All Breed Herding Club of SE Michigan, September 29-30 and October 1st
Thursday 9/29 – A & B Ducks – A Cattle – D Course Sheep – HT & PT
Sat 9/30 & Sun 10/1 – A & B Ducks – A Cattle – A Course Sheep – HT & PT
Judges: Laura De La Cruz (Friday & Saturday) – Laura Kincaid (Sunday)
Two-Day AKC All-Breed Trial at Sheepsmith Farm, hosted by the Shetland Sheepdog club of Greater Detroit October 14 & 15
A Course Ducks – Sheep and Cattle – HT & PT – Judge Christa Medaries