Hello Hester! Please can you tell us a little bit about you and your dogs?
Hello, I'm Hester, though if you're chronically online like me you may know me as Darklass Gundogs. I'm 33 (*sobs quietly*), a Paralegal in Planning Law, and I've had spaniels for almost as long as I can remember. Like many, I didn't truly understand their purpose until years later. My first springer was my work wife. In those days I worked as a professional groom with horses (shoutout to my fellow ex-horse girlies who swapped one all-consuming hobby for another!) She came to work with me 6 and a half days a week and followed me everywhere, putting birds "in the up" and living her best life, but something was missing. About seven years ago, I bought and trained my first gundog, and that changed everything. Today, my girl-gang includes: - Juno, an English Springer Spaniel, my OG good girl and first gundog - Nell, an English Springer Spaniel and my first competition dog - Rue, my first homebred Cocker Spaniel - Minnie, a Cocker Spaniel and Open Field Trial Winner, living out her retirement with me - Éowyn, my first homebred English Springer Spaniel (Nell's daughter) With plans to add more...
What first sparked your interest in competing with dogs, and do you remember the moment you thought, “I want to do this seriously”
I had no idea what a Working Gundog Test was until one summer with Juno changed everything. We joined the Chiltern Gundog Society’s training sessions, where much of the work mirrored what you’d face in a test. When my best friend started competing, I tagged along to cheer her on, and that’s when the spark hit. I wanted to try it myself. There was just one problem: Juno wasn’t KC registered, and back then, options for unregistered dogs were limited. So, naturally, I ‘had’ to get another dog. What a hardship! Enter Nell: a stylish little bitch who made my first season of Spring and Autumn tests unforgettable. But it was still all just a bit of fun! We were lucky enough to come home with awards and compliments from judges, but the real turning point came when a local judge offered to train with me. His no-nonsense and no frills or flowers style of encouragement, pushed me beyond what I thought either of us were capable of. I completely changed how I was training and suddenly I started to seriously consider trialling.
Was competing always the goal, or did it grow naturally from training and working your Dogs?
Back when I was saving up my pennies to purchase Juno, all I was dreaming of was a well-trained beating dog. But Juno quickly became so much more. With time and training, she was soon beating, picking up, dogging in and even performing for the crowds in gundog displays. Training became my hyper-fixation and competing felt like the natural next step. Once I started walked-up shooting with my spaniels, I was well and truly bitten by the bug.
Can you talk us through your very first trial? – what went right, and what didn’t?
My first trial was and still is, one of my proudest achievements. I'd worked for nearly 2 years re-training Nell from a wild picking-up dog, to something resembling a semi-professional trialling dog. I don't remember feeling nervous exactly. I just remember turning up with one goal, which was to make it through my first run. It was a late January trial, which (as often happens) meant birds were scarcer and plenty of dogs were put out early on. I remember coming into line after a very nice dog had shown itself off in some lovely game crop, only to be marched into a scrappy copse of leaf litter and a ramshackle and disused pen. Not ideal! I honestly don't know how we made it through but Nell pulled it out of the bag for me. We had a contact flush from some hedgerow and a retrieve across an incredibly deep ditch which Nell tackled with terrifying gusto. On her way back with the bird, she completely lost me coming through the brambles and fell head first into the steep ditch. Typical dysfunctio-Nell! The judge had to give me permission to help fish her out, as she struggled to clamber up the slimy sides which were made of pure clay. There was no way she was getting out carrying the bird, and there was no way Nell was letting it go! With the bird handed to the judge, I remember being so elated when the he shook my hand. We'd made it through our first run! I remember very little of her second run. By then I had completely relaxed and was just living in the moment, enjoying running my dog. Nell was swishing through the cover crop, oozing with style and enthusiasm and I must have had the goofiest grin on my face. She could do no wrong in my eyes. The cherry on the cake was when we bagged ourself our first ever award in a trial, with a very generous Certificate of Merit. After the awards were handed out and everyone was heading home, I must have spent an hour just sat on the boot of my car, fussing Nell. FTAW Nell. Sensatio-Nell!
How do you mentally prepare yourself before a big trial day?
Preparation for a trial doesn’t start on the day. It begins months before. I spend Spring to Autumn training on dummies to iron out any kinks, while also keeping an eye out for opportunities to train on game. All this preparation builds confidence and sharpens your skills long before the competition begins. I've learnt not to enter my dogs if I don't feel they're ready, and tempting as it can be to jump the gun, I know I'd always rather feel that the dog on the end of my lead is prepared for the day. I think a lot of my physical preparation helps me feel more mentally prepared too. The day before the trial I like to gut out my car and re-pack it with everything I could possibly need. My game vest, boots, hat and all my dog supplies. I'm pretty sure this is vaguely in the hopes that a tidy car = a tidy mind. But regardless of whether it works, it's a calming routine. I'll go fill up on fuel and pick up some snacks to stash in my game vest. I'll normally panic wash my trousers or something equally heavy and waterproof, and then spend an anxious evening checking it will be dry in time. I should probably plan that a bit better! I've built myself a comforting morning routine now too. The same lucky shirt (it's really not that lucky anymore) and the same comfortable old wool jumper. Even if it's 4am, I still put on my war paint (makeup) because it makes me feel good and I download a new audiobook to listen to. I try not to overthink the day ahead, so I often loose myself in some chick-lit and a long drive. Before I know it, I'm at the trial grounds and about to take my lead off to start.
What’s the biggest lesson a dog has taught you through competition?
As much as I respect the trial, all the effort that goes into organising and running a day, and all the handlers, helpers and judges that give up their time for it, I think the biggest lesson is to not take it TOO seriously. You can do all the preparation in the world and have the most perfect ground with game just waiting to be found, but your dog can humble you in a split second. I've seen some incredibly experienced handlers and fantastic dogs head home early. It doesn't matter who you are or how good your dog is, trialling will humble you eventually. At the end of the day, no dog is perfect. And isn't that part of the challenge? To try to attain something that feels unobtainable. I've made some fantastic friends and commiserated with the best of them. You have to be a little mad to sign up to such a subjective sport, but with a good sense of humour and a large dose of humility, the rewards are worth the long drives home empty-handed.
What is your proudest moment when competing with Rue?
My proudest moment competing Rue was actually on a day where we got put out in our second run. If you talk to enough triallers, you'll often hear them tell tales of the times they were put out. Pipped at the last post by some unfortunate twist of fate or a momentary lapse of judgement. Rue was flying that day. She'd flushed partridge almost as soon as I clicked her off to hunt, and that was it! It was quite apparent to me and anyone watching, that as far as she was concerned now, this place I'd brought her to must be MADE of partridges. She hoovered up the cover and all I had to do was follow her. She never went out of her beat or pulled me on. We turned as one, like some sort of magical symbiosis. I've never felt anything like it. You get these sort of moments every once in a while. Moments where all your training coalesces into this one perfect run. When all the noise disappears and it's just me and the dog. I couldn't have told you who was stood at my shoulder judging me in that moment, or even where in the world I was. I would happily spend my whole life chasing those moments. just to feel that feeling again.
What does being sponsored by Paws@Brooklyn mean to you?
My Paws@Brooklyn sponsorship means support. Sarah and her team have been my biggest backers for a long time now. They couldn't care less where I place because they support me regardless. On the days where I'm not so lucky, they're still right there, cheering me on. Their sponsorship has given me opportunities, that quite honestly I feel completely undeserving of. From the moment I send off my competition entry, I know I have kit I can rely on and a brand behind me that want to see me succeed, and they don't care what that success looks like! I'm hugely grateful to Paws@Brooklyn for all their support these past two seasons and I will be very fortunate to continue to be supported by such an encouraging team!
What advice would you give to someone who wants to step into the trial world but feels nervous or unsure?
My best advice would be to get yourself in front of someone who's trialled. The J Regs are a fantastic resource but there's only so much you can learn from reading. I will never be able to repay that judge (who I now count as a friend) for all the help he has given me and the opportunities I therefore had, to watch and learn. You don't need to find a judge to help you either, although I wouldn't turn down their help if they offer! Just find yourself a friendly face that will show you some of the ropes. Volunteer with your local clubs to helps at tests and trials or offer to help out at a training day. You'll meet some incredibly knowledgeable people and everything will seems a lot less scary when you know a little more! Most of all, I try to remember to have fun!
Photo Credit - Lilyshiremedia
1 comment
A great read & very inspiring!