Etiquette at Field Trials

The following is an article printed by kind permission of Derrick Capel, A Panel Judge, and by The Yellow Labrador Club. Given the behaviour of a very few people at our trials this season it is well worth reprinting here.

Those of us who attended Field Trials in the seventies and eighties will recall of course that there were far fewer events, and the majority were held on private estates and farm shoots who gave one, or perhaps two trials in a season.

Many of those taking part were keepers who persuaded their employers to allow them to run a trial, and although they might choose not to run on their own ground, they would hope to have a run when the neighbouring estate, held their own event. There was a feeling that everyone was striving to ensure that their trial was the best in the area, guns were often invited by the keeper generally as a token for some favour rendered during the past season. Some keepers, although they did not trial themselves, could be persuaded to run an event if approached by one of their regular beaters or pickers up. You will appreciate that with this sort of background we all felt very privileged to be involved and everyone took great care to thank all concerned. Compared to the current scene there was much more general interest in the progress of the entire event and rarely did competitors leave before the end of the event. Today many trials are run on commercial shoots. The club pays for the day and very often then lets the shooting, albeit at a discounted rate to a team of guns. This change has resulted in a shift of emphasis in the attitude of those taking part. The mood is not now one of gratitude for whatever the day might bring, but an air of “I am paying for this and therefore I am entitled to complain bitterly if everything is not exactly as I might have wished.” I am not going to pretend that, in the past, we did not complain about all the things that can go wrong on the day – shortage of game, poor shooting etc but we did so behind closed doors not (as if often the case today) within earshot of the host or keeper. The purpose of this article is to appeal to all those involved in trials to remember that we are in a competition, and all the general rules of good sportsmanship and conduct should be observed. Do not openly criticise the judges, do not complain about the shooting within earshot of the guns and certainly do not complain about the flow of game. Nobody will be more concerned than the keeper himself and he will not need reminding if things are not going according to plan. Please remember that nobody has to allow us on their ground, but we cannot run trials without landowners, guns and judges, so let’s get back to being grateful for their contribution to our sport. As a final note, if at the completion of the trial there are birds still unpicked, make sure you take your dog and clear the ground, they were shot for YOU.

Derrick Capel