Break away roping contestant
Shy about leaving the chute (Saddle bronc riding)
Not shy about leaving the chute
Announcer & friends
Goat tying
Team roping
Barrel racing
Bull
It began with a little side eye
Happy ISU student
Parade of Flags
Bareback bronc riding
Or almost riding
Gorgeous gray horse
Tie down roping
Beautiful working horse
Break away roping contestant
I get to the State Fair super early in order to attend the Stock Dog competition. So early that everything is set up but not started. I found the light and the empty carnival ride area particularly interesting this morning.
Carousel
My favorite carousel animal (of course)
The Midway
It is a lot of fun to watch dogs moving sheep around the course based on shouted or whistled commands. Some dogs respond smoothly and others, well they're still learning. There were two dogs that were particularly new at this. One has the name Dave That'll Do, and the other Pearl Lie Down. The handler was repeating the command so frequently in an effort to stop the dogs from chasing that it really did become their names.
It begins with Sheep
And handlers
And of course dogs
The goal is to get all three sheep to go between the two barrels
And BETWEEN the two fences
Looking at the handler hoping for more instructions. The problem is the dogs want to chase and chase not necessarily slow down or stop. The dog will frequently ignore the handler in these novice & intermediate competitions or in this case look at the handler with the hope of instructions that lead to chasing.
Sheep are wary of dogs, these dogs have been trained to not bite and not bark. If a dog nips at the stock the trial is immediately stopped and the dog disqualified. There's a command to have the dog bark but I've never seen it used. Barking is needed when the sheep are truly not willing to move. Usually, all it takes is the presence of the dog.
Sheep chaos pileup
Intermission: One of the many flocks of Canada Geese that flew overhead
Happy working dog
Success for the dog and handler (who took the penalty and moved up to help the dog). The goal is to get the sheep through the chute and through/over the shallow water obstacle.
