By Hugh Brady
Review of Pointer and Setter Field Trials - Autumn 2020 Joan McGillycuddy’s FTCh (Snipe Ch) Ballydavid Gaelforce of the Kingdom.
O
ne of the fascinations of the sport of pointers and setters is that most of the events are held in beautiful places usually at altitude! Therefore, most competitors would make decent meteorologists and can usually predict rain, fog, sleet or other innumerable weather conditions that are never perfect for our sport. We usually can see a swirl in the clouds from the height of the mountains, where warm air and cold air dance around each other rather than combining. This is common in Ireland, where with the Atlantic from the west cause our changeable weather. They form a boundary between the cold polar air from the north and the warm air coming from the south. These spirals cause rapid changes between the familiar wind, rain and sun as the arms spiral past. The other things adored by competitors is tea! By pouring milk into tea and with a quick stir, there is a familiar swirl, a spiral of two fluids circling each other barely touching with similar arms before eventually merging. 86
High pressure chases low pressure. In the fourth century BC, Aristotle declared the “nature abhors a vacuum” and this seems to be the way the world stays at equilibrium. Readers will be familiar that field trials for pointers and setters were stood down in March when it became clear that the pandemic had reaches our shores. With the restrictions since then, and foreign travel not encouraged, the annual pilgrimage to Great Britain for grouse counting did not materialise. The implication of this meant that dogs could not have the opportunity to work on game or gain fitness, prior to the start of the trials on August 1st. With the loss of grouse counting in 2020, it meant that younger dogs lost a critical opportunity to work on grouse, where they are plentiful. It is a defining time for many young dogs. Some careers may never start. The average age of dogs competing at field trials is now much higher than the past, meaning the standard of trials is higher as more field trial champions continue to compete. If you are lucky enough to
Winter 2020 Irish Country Sports and Country Life
have a good dog, the dog will compete over a long career. Three of the four dogs in the awards in the recent Irish grouse championship were over 6 ½ years old while the winning dog was 8 ½ years old. It is also true that levels of husbandry, nutrition and care have improved dramatically over my time in field trials, which means that dogs can have a more prolonged career at the highest level as they are carefully managed. The field trials for pointers and setters did get a green light to proceed, albeit with additional safety measures and strict protocols. The fact that pointer and setter field trials venues are on top of mountains where social distancing is the norm, no doubt supported this decision.
An excellent stake with plenty of grouse The Irish Red Setter club, the oldest existing club in Ireland, traditionally begins the calendar with its trials on August 1st and 2nd. Expectations were low, given the lack of opportunity for
