Tom Word

[Neil Mace]

Ten Bits of Advice to New Trialers

By Tom Word

What advice would you give a newcomer to field trials if you wanted
to help him or her succeed in and enjoy our sport longtime? You
could spend days thinking about that question without running out of
kernels of wisdom. Here are a few that came to me in one early
morning of insomnia.

1. Don't take yourself or your competitors too seriously. This
advice is counter intuitive and contradictory. Remember I said
succeed in and enjoy. Those who succeed greatly often take
themselves (and competition) quite seriously, and in the process make
themselves (and us) miserable. We can all name examples of deadly
serious successful competitors whose after-decision antics can be
counted on to ruin the mood of any trial they don't win.

2.Remember, like fishing and bird hunting, it's a game of
averages. "You're going to win some you didn't think you'd won, and
lose some you thought for sure that you'd won—if you let it bother
you, it will drive you crazy," said a pro who enjoys the game and his
job. Insightful wisdom.

3.Be aware of the eternal lies, and expect them. If being lied to
bothers you, field trials will disappoint you. The biggest
disappointment will come when a fellow judge you trust tells you a
fib about what happened with a dog he's following out of your
presence. You find out about the fib from a disinterested, truthful
observer who was there. But remember the fib may be unintentional—
the judge may simply have missed the dog's misconduct. Go back and
read point 1.

4.Don't hang on too long to your losers. Many are called, few are
chosen. You'll go through a lot of prospects to find a real trial
dog. Don't be kennel blind is another version of the same advice.
Of course, all men (and some women) are kennel blind to some degree,
just as we can't (or won't ) see clearly the faults in our
descendants.

5.Bite your tongue when a judgment doesn't suit you. See point 1.

6."If they ask you to judge and it's too far to take your horses,
maybe you shouldn't go." This kernel is attributed to Mr. George
Moreland. Another version might be, "If they're supplying you
mounts, expect and be prepared for anything." If you're young and a
good rider, you can sometimes survive. If not, look out.

7.Remember the 10% rule. Ten percent of the performances you see
will be worthy jobs. The rest will not. We ride to see the 10%.
That 10% makes riding the rest worth it. And back to point 1,
remember the 90–10 rule applies to your own entries too. Remember
point 4.

8.Go prepared to laugh, especially at yourself. If you want to enjoy
field trials, you must have a sense of humor. It won't help you win,
but it will let you tolerate your inevitable losses. Losses you're
sure you don't deserve, but perhaps you do. Remember point No. 1 and
point No. 2.

9.Don't expect perfection. All dogs and all men (and some women) are
less than perfect. Especially in all-age endurance stakes, a dog
doing a great job may have a bobble. Be slow to throw the dog out
for that bobble unless you're sure it's an unforgivable infraction.
If you're handling, don't be too quick to pick up—the judge may not
have seen what you saw. If he wants you to pick up for a booboo,
he'll tell you.

10.If your dog is clearly not getting the job done, pick up. This
will endear you to judges and reduce your hours of inevitable misery.

[AHGSP]

He writes some great, great stuff!
I've thoroughly enjoyed every piece of his writing I've read!

[Neil Mace]

Tom is a great talent.

Many that post here should read and follow the above, #1 is #1 for a reason. As Tom said, we can all add some. Mine would be #11:

Don't bore others with the reason you did not win. It is unlikely that it was bias in anyway. It is doubtful that it was because your dog has a short or long tail, is a minority breed, or broke off an edge, or took a step on the flush, the judges don't hunt, etc. More likely you just got beat. He covers it in #2, it is just I get so tired of all the excuses.

And #12:

No matter how good you think you and your dogs are, there is sure to be one better, if not this year - next. There has never been a dog that couldn't be beat, most of them - often. Humility is needed, both winning and losing.

Neil

[sweetsong]

That was a great post and very timely for me, I'm just getting my feet wet in this game and have a lot to learn.

Thanks
Terry

[Elroy's Bandit]

Great Post!
This is a great "entry read" for anyone new to the sport. Like many things in life, it's just a game. You will win some and lose some, but if you are doing it for the right reasons, enjoy it for what it is- Outdoors spending time with your dogs, doing something you enjoy.
Bill L.