AHBA

The other day someone wrote into the AHBA yahoo group offering pups for sale with the American Border Collie (ABC) reigistry.  They offered them for $300 papered and $200 without papers.  That saddened me and I wrote the list just that.  The bloodlines behind the unknown parents were impressive.  There was no mention of the sire and dam.  If you can't sell a potentially good working pup for more than that, why breed?
Another list user popped up with at least they don't have a whole line of letters behind the dogs names referring to all breed AKC, AHBA, ASCA trials I presume (my guess more intended to the dreaded AKC).  I wrote a private note back to that person.
Basically this is what I said.  "Leave the people alone that want to trial in the smaller organizations.  Hey, that includes me, too."  Different strokes for different folks.  I'm lucky that I at least have local small trials for me to work my young dogs and old dogs.  They don't know the difference.  All they know is that they are working.  I know the difference, but don't really care, because I'm HAPPY I'm there teaming up with them.  Plus, I trial USBCHA when I can get off of work or even get into the trial, for that fact.  Really, it makes no difference to me.  Though, I do love a pastoral scene with a long outrun in the green covered hills. :0)
More importantly, he should have been mad at the "breeder" of the unknown sire and dam advertising working pups for such a give-away price.  And, if the sire and dam are unknown, why even breed?  That's a whole 'nother chapter, but anyhow, that was what I was referring to in my note.
And, this person referred to "just" an A course dog that can't even do an outrun" and so forth.  I understand where he was coming from, BUT.......he best bring out his Border Collie and see if he doesn't get beat on the A course :0)  Arena courses are far more difficult than the field.  There is a whole different set of pressures.
Yeah...All my BC's are AKC herding champions  Sssshhhh!  LOL  They are also, all AHBA Herding Champions.   And, on occasion, they place nicely in some big USBCHA trials.  As I said, different strokes for different folks.  Plus, I do all of my own training. Double   Shhhhhhhh!  So leave the folks alone that want to trial in the smaller organizations with their BC's. If someone breeds two short legged, long coated, without a lick of stock sense BCs....guess what, you have the option NOT to buy one of their dogs.  That's how I see it.  Okay, off the soapbox...now for a picture of a small organization trial with qualified National final USBCHA dogs entered in it. :0)

AHBA Ranch trial

Mike and Sport won the ranch sheep class and Jet and I won the ranch geese class.

Jet proudly holds up his ribbon

Jet probably has worked "birds" maybe 4 times in his life (Ducks and Geese).  He is old now. I had never heard of a "ranch" geese class, so I entered him.  He did a fabulous job.  He had to work the geese through obstacles in one arena and then sort two collared geese out of the holding pen from the other 3 geese.  He mad it look like magic. From there we worked another arena.  He drove them through a Y chute and pulled them through a cross drive panel putting them into a free standing pen.  He received a 96 1/2 and High in Trial.  Sport took reserve with a 95 on sheep.  The sheep trial had lots of nice competition.  Yoko was 4th and Jet was 5th with scores in the 90's.  It was a long HOT day.  The geese course allowed each entry 20 min. to finish the course.  We let our geese stop for a swim in a bucket on course :0)  The ranch sheep class had 15 min. per entry.  I don't think the trial ended until 6 pm.  Small trials are fun.  The dogs can relax and so can the competitors.  Everyone cheers for each other.  I LOVE a good ranch trial.