Working Cattle dogs
Barn news is that we are now deeply inolved with trialing working Border Collies. They are some of the smartest dogs in the universe, and sometimes I know they are smarter than I am. We show mostly on cattle, and it is set so that you move a set of cows through obstacles. It is not judged, but your score is based on time and points. it s a lot of fun for Elliott and me as well as our dogs (we now have six). There are lots of border collie videos online, so go check it out - maybe you will want to get a border collie.
We have been trialing Border collies now for over 5 years, and it is one of the most fun, most frustrating things I'e ever done. My dog Ash is smarter than I am, I'm sure and faster than a speeding bullet. Altogether, we have 6 dogs; two are retired, 3 we show and one puppy that is with a trainer right now.
The dogs are amazing. Elliott is a great handler and I'm trying to keep up.
The crew - Win (standing), Chilli on left, Ash, Willow and Allie.
We have been trialing Border collies now for over 5 years, and it is one of the most fun, most frustrating things I'e ever done. My dog Ash is smarter than I am, I'm sure and faster than a speeding bullet. Altogether, we have 6 dogs; two are retired, 3 we show and one puppy that is with a trainer right now.
The dogs are amazing. Elliott is a great handler and I'm trying to keep up.
The crew - Win (standing), Chilli on left, Ash, Willow and Allie.
Sorting
Having team roped for years, we decided to try something new. We purchased a couple of new horses and started on our competitive ranch sorting road. We have found a number of new friends and have been having lots of fun. The way it works is that you have two round pens set up in a figure eight with a gate in the middle. Eleven cows are on one side and are numbered 0-9 with one unnumbered cow. The object is for two riders to get all ten cows moved into the opposite pen in numerical order. If you have the unnumbered cow of any number out of order, you are disqualified. Oh, yes, I forgot to say that you have one minute to do it all. So much fun.
About Roberts Ranch
Elliott and I have lived here in Granite Bay since 1986. Our stable is full of horses; we have our own and we board a few extras. We are located perfectly outside Sacramento, which is two hours from the San Francisco Bay area and two hours from Lake Tahoe and the mountains. We've entertained Queen contests, team roping practice, sorting and the popular Cow 101 classes. We both are Cal Poly agriculture graduates and both try to live the western way of life and believe it is a great place to be.
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