APRIL 12 - CONCLUSION (Estimate 3-5 days)

~ PONY EXPRESS GROUNDS ~ OSBORN, MO ~

Judges:
R. J. Marquart: Moses Lake, Washington
Rob Creany: Kenosha, Wisconsin

Field Trial Chair: Chuck Parietti
odyssey@unitedsky.net

Field Trial Secretary: Kent Harter, Hampshire, Il
jahkah@aol.com

Committee Chair: Charlie Blackbourn, Edgerton, WI
cebourn@jvlnet.com

Qualifications: Open to all AKC Registered GSPs six months of age or older who have placed in a three point or greater OGD stake or AGD Stake within 18 months prior to the start of the trial while being handled by an amateur. FCs and AFCs qualify. Dogs must be amateur owned and if co-owned both the owner and co-owners must be amateurs.

Horseback Handling is Prohibited.
Judges, gallery, scouts and gunners may be mounted.

The event is a 30 minute first series with a retrieve on course. This will be followed by a 45 minute second series comprised of dogs selected by the judges from the first series. The NAGDC will be held under AKC Gun Dog Standards

I've never been to the grounds so I can't help there.  As far as weather, prepare for everything, in Missouri (aka Missery) anything can happen.  I've run hunt tests in April with temperatures in the 80's one year and then last year it was in the 20's and snowing.  

I'm hoping to make it over for one or two days and watch a few braces . . . weather permitting.

If it is run on the same course that they normally use for the gun dog stake with the local club trials it's a pretty open course.  There is cover along the edges of basically open grass fields but unless a dod digs in very deeply it's not hard at all to keep up with them. 

There is one tight turn about 2/3 of the way through on a creek where a dog may be lost if he's way out ahead or not wanting to handle well.  You might want to ride some of the early braces to get an idea or better yet get one of the local club members to ride the course with you prior to the start if it's allowed.

Along the south end of the course (first and second quarters) there is a public gravel road that parallels the edge so you'll want to send your scout to ride the edge of the road to keep an eye out in case the dog gets on it.

Can't help you with other (particularly walking trials) that might be along the way.  You'd just have to get on the AKC site and do some searching to find out. CR

Hi WildRose,

Thanks for the info.  I was beginning to think I would get no interest.  The grounds sound nice.  Bill Felins and I are making the trek again.  So far we have made it to all of the NAGDC events held so far.  Sure would like to see a big turnout.  I do these walking field trials because since the back operation I will not ride a horse.  Even before the operation my horse skill were nothing to write home about.  I could get from point A to point B.  However God forbid that the dog went on point and I had to get off and flush the bird.

You know you could probably contact Dan Stinnett or one of the other members of the Heart of America GSP club and get a detailes map of how they are planning to run the course.  It's amazing what you can do with google and yahoo maps these days with all the satellite imagery that's available. CR