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Field Training 101:
Story and photos by Joe Richardson We look like refugees from a Louis L'Amour novel. A dozen men on horseback cutting across a field gilded by crop-stubble and February sun. Chatting softly, we listen to the brush of horseshoes against tilled earth, the hum of a distant airplane, lost now in the hiss of weeds against leather. Our attention shifts from the horses to three riders who've moved ahead into an adjoining field. One of the riders signals. The gallery breaks from a walk into a gallop. In moments we've covered the field, we're charging through a breach in the trees, splashing through a stream, and then onto higher cropland. We cut left, drifting toward the field's edge. The lead rider dismounts, pulls a shotgun from the scabbard under his saddle, and moves toward a trim, muscular dog with a coat the color of snow melting into chocolate. The dog's body is outstretched, muscles tense, tail erect, foreleg lifted with foot curled slightly into the body. Ears at attention, his head leads toward a clump of grass. The English pointer — one of two running this brace — believes a covey lies buried inside the stems. His handler surveys the area, then gently steps into the cover. Empty. The gallery relaxes. Quail had settled there earlier in the day, but now...the handler shrugs and signals the dog to move on. He was wrong this time. But even an unproductive find, when pointed as stylishly as this one, has to be admired. The actual point, while certainly significant, is just one of many ways a dog makes the grade in field trialing — a sport that's been part of Illinois' outdoor scene for nearly a century.
As we turn away from the thicket, a distinguished looking gentleman in blue jeans, boots, and a blaze-orange ball cap joins the gallery. Jim Fornear, a Sesser native transplanted to Kentucky, has been involved in field trialing for more than 15 years. His interest in the sport, combined with a love for southeastern Illinois, drove him to purchase the 3,200 acres of wood, field, and stream west of Broughton that make up Outland Ranch. Fornear, a lifelong bird hunter, knows what it takes to make an exceptional field trial and an exceptional field trial dog. His prize-winning pointer, Touch's Hoodwink, is a double champion, taking trophies at the '95 Georgia Derby Championship and '97 Georgia All-Age Championship. Hoodwink's litter mate, also owned by Fornear, won the '98 Georgia
All-Age Championship in January. Another win and the championship trophy, which rotates from winner to winner, will become a permanent fixture on the mantel in Fornear's field trial headquarters. Like today's run, most field trials in Illinois are held on private grounds. "When you look at the big picture, there are roughly 800 to 850 field trials on private ground around the state," says Terry Musser, Illinois Department of Natural Resources' program manager for hunting preserves and controlled hunting. "There's somewhere in the neighborhood of 120 to 140 field trials on department-managed areas every year."
Horseback trials like those at Outland Ranch, while popular on public grounds, make up a small portion of overall field trial activity. "If you like hunting or sporting dogs and you like to be competitive, there's a field trial that fits whatever you want to do," Musser tells me, listing trials for beagle hounds, retrievers, coon hounds, springers, and fox hounds as examples. "Horseback pointing dog field trials are the highest level of field trialing for dogs that point their birds. The dogs range more, the costs involved are higher, and the standards under which the dogs compete 10 ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING OCTOBER 1998 are typically greater." Musser says while some trials (like those at Outland Ranch) are held on horseback, others are "walking trials" where handlers follow on foot. Still others are a hybrid of the two — a horseback trial with a walking component. Within each of these segments — and within any given breed — the rules of competition vary according to the organization governing the trial.
Horseback pointing dog field trials are broken into categories, or "stakes." Stakes vary by handler's status (professional or amateur) and age of the dog. Each stake is divided into "braces." Two dogs run in each brace, with a judge following each dog. Judges typically switch dogs midway through the brace, allowing themselves an opportunity to evaluate each dog in the stake. And what, precisely, are they evaluating? "From a general standpoint, you're judging the field performance of each dog from the second it's released until the time period concludes," says Musser. Judges weigh how biddable the dog is (how well it responds to the handler) and how well it ranges through the terrain. "Is the dog out there running in open fields or is it using the edges — a fence or tree line or food plot edge — where one would expect to find birds7 And how well does the dog pattern — does the dog have a logical way of moving through the terrain or is it just haphazard?" Dogs are also evaluated on the basis of their stamina. "Does he start out like a ball of fire and run out of steam in half an hour? Or does the dog have the stamina to make nice, large casts that take it in a logical pattern through the course so there's a good search of the terrain," Musser asks. Dogs who tire early and restrict their range generally don't place over dogs who still show drive and energy at the end of the brace.
"You're also looking at how the dog carries itself," Musser explains. "The ideal dog runs with great fluidity. When they're out there a quarter of a mile, they look like they're flowing across the ground, like liquid flows on glass. It's a beautiful sight, and when you see it, immediately you recognize it," he says wistfully. "The dogs that really catch your eye run with a high head and tail, and they're cracking that tail around. That shows you that this dog is really enjoying what it's doing. That's class. And that's what you're looking for."
When the dog points, a new set of standards comes into play. "Does the dog wind its birds with great acuity?" Musser asks. "It comes down this edge and it smells quail — wham — it locks into point. The judge is looking for that acuteness of nose, the dog's scenting ability." After the dog locks into point, judges check posture and positioning. "Does it point with its head up, is it standing nice, does it have its tail up nice and straight or in a saber or laid out horizontal with its body or half way up? Those are things that go into style. From an experienced eye you see all that in just one glance," says Musser. As the gallery arrives, the judge will note how the dog reacts to potential distraction — if it remains rigidly on point and maintains intensity. "So now the handler's off his horse and walking in," says Musser. "He flushes the birds. Are they where the dog says they are? How well does the dog have the birds located? And what happens after that?" he asks, ticking points off a mental checklist. "Does the dog continue to stand with intensity or does it let down at flush?
OCTOBER 1998 ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING 11 What happens when the shots are fired? Does the dog continue to stand with style and intensity or does it flinch or lay down? I've seen all that." The review process is applied to each dog in the brace, at each brace in the stake, and each stake in the trial. With trials lasting from a weekend to two weeks, judges quickly refine their craft. And since each trial may hold stakes for both pros and amateurs, novices have ample opportunity to pick up tips from veterans.
While Illinois may lack the plantations which serve as backdrops for field trials in southern states, we're still considered one of the top stops among serious contenders on the national field trial circuit. "Some of the championships in northern Illinois are the finest in the country," says Jim Raftis, IDNR's field trial program manager. Raftis said seasonal timing, central location, and a rich heritage make Illinois a choice trialing ground. "The department and field trial organizations have worked together to build barns and structures and kennels that make field trialing a high caliber outdoor activity in Illinois," Raftis said. "It's been a special association in a lot of ways. They've helped us with controlled burns, provided us with four-wheelers, and they tend a bird release program at one of our sites. They've been a good partner," he added. "We're attracting field trialers from all over the country."
Raftis says field trialers also deliver an economic booster shot to merchants who may be suffering from seasonal anemia. "We know that the numbers are significant," Raftis said, referring to the economic impact of field trials. "Especially the numbers associated with the championships and classics." As an example, Raftis recalls field trialers in Fulton County filling a local restaurant. "There were probably 65 field trialers there. They trialed for 12 days, and I'm sure they held banquets or went out to dinner every night. You introduce 60 people into an economy at a non-peak time like March or April — all of them staying in motels, eating at restaurants, buying gasoline — and you're seeing an economic impact." In a bid to provide additional grounds for field trials while lessening user impact on public areas, Raftis recently initiated a proposal which would allow Illinois landowners to lease their property as field trial grounds. Two years ago, a similar search resulted in the addition of more than 30,000 acres for use as horseback field trial grounds. Raftis said his latest search has expanded to include land for the walk-behind segment of the sport. "It's a natural progression that we look for these quality private areas where people can field trial," he said. "This could give us the opportunity to look at a lot of different parcels of property."
Twenty minutes later we're at the end of the brace. The pointer has found another covey. This time, as the handler approaches, a half dozen quail take to the air. He fires a shot and the dog remains frozen, earning nods of approval from the gallery, and more importantly, points from the judge. We turn the horses toward home. Next week another trial will follow. The Rend Lake Open, a stop on the national circuit, is expected to last six days and draw field trialers from around the country. In a melding of outdoor and economic interests, they'll eat at local diners, stay in area motels, and support Jim Fornear's decision to keep his land unmarred by roads, unspoiled by litter, productive, beautiful, well tended. As we ride back at an easy lope, Fornear chats about the state of the sport. "Our big concern is getting more young people involved in it," he says, referring to horseback field trialing. At the same time, he understands the limitations. "You have to have trucks, trailers, horses. And it takes a lot of time and patience," he says. We guide our horses down a hillside, through a stand of trees and back through the field. Fornear continues to talk with the quiet, unaffected air of a Southern gentleman. His sense of self is representative of the people here today. And the gallery — members from the Rend Lake Field Trial Club and several field trialers from out-of-state — is in turn an excellent example of field trialers as a whole. They see grace in nature, value in the relationship between man and animal, and significance in time spent with others. It's this blend of Southern hospitality and Old West independence, of gentry and gentility, of camaraderie and competition, that have combined to create a sport which demonstrates the finer points of style. As Musser might say, that's class. And that's what you're looking for. For information about field trialing in Illinois, contact Jim Raftis, field trial program manager for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, at 217/785-8287. 12 ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING OCTOBER 1998 |
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