Smalahundur Posted August 28, 2012 Report Share Posted August 28, 2012 Weather permitting I will ride for the hills next friday morning for the first gathering of free roaming sheep. My horses will be Máni and Þröstur, two halfbrothers we have owned since they were one year old foals. And of course Gláma, who will partake in this season´s gathering for the first time. It is a two day event, we spend the night in a cabin in the hills. For me it is also a first, having a bordercollie with me. Up til now I took my now retired icelandic mix, Kuggur, who is a dog with a driving, barking (till it drives you nuts) working style. The kinda dog I would deem "better than no dog", which is not that bad, a lot of dogs here fall in the catagory "a lot worse than no dog". So I am very excited. Especially because we are going to have pretty tough "judges", my neighbours, whose sheep are amongst the the ones that will be gathered. Well we did our homework to the best of our abilities, I know I have a good control of Gláma, so though I am getting a bit nervous, I am also pretty confident she will do a good job. NB. Because we start this fall gather relatively early here I will miss the Icelandic National trial, that will be held next weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildFlower Posted August 28, 2012 Report Share Posted August 28, 2012 Best wishes for a successful gathering! Perhaps you will be able to share some pictures with all of us?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frisbeegirl Posted August 28, 2012 Report Share Posted August 28, 2012 Sounds so awesome. I rode a trek in Ireland gathering sheep. Good Luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEC Posted August 28, 2012 Report Share Posted August 28, 2012 The nerves will disappear after long days gathering sheep. Pictures and full description are expected. -- Best wishes, TEC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted August 28, 2012 Report Share Posted August 28, 2012 Good luck and have fun! I, too, would love to see pictures. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maja Posted August 29, 2012 Report Share Posted August 29, 2012 That's great! I am very excited for you all! I love the description of the drover "drives you nuts with barking" . Gláma will do great, I am sure. I wish I could go and help with my little goof-dog. I used to be a decent rider. And I would like to join the crowd pressuring you to take pictures . Maja Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted August 29, 2012 Report Share Posted August 29, 2012 Sounds great, enjoy, and take photos (while riding and working your dog)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smalahundur Posted August 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2012 Thanks for all your good wishes. The weather forecast looks allright, my neighbour came with his two horses to the farm we live, and this evening we will ride together and leave our horses to stay overnight at the location where we go up the hills. They stay the night in a kind of corral. The other farmers and helpers meet us there friday morning, most will come with horses, there probably will be one or two on quads (actually not a very good area for using those vehicles). The group is not very large, probably six to seven men (oh yeah one of us is a woman). If all goes well we will come down from the hills with the sheep saturday evening. As for pics, I am not that hopefull. I would like to make some, but I will only have my crappy phone camera to take them with. Also the most interesting pictures would be during work, so on horseback, leading an other horse through very rough terrain, while keeping an eye on the dogs and the sheep, not an easy time to whip out a camera and start shooting . So I´ll see what I can do, of course there will at the very least be a written report. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maja Posted August 30, 2012 Report Share Posted August 30, 2012 Also the most interesting pictures would be during work, so on horseback, leading an other horse through very rough terrain, while keeping an eye on the dogs and the sheep, not an easy time to whip out a camera and start shooting . Nothing is easy about stockwork. It it,as you know very well, a job for the toughest . Blizzard, rain, scorching heat, stampeding sheep - nothing stops the work. So if you are juggling horse riding, keeping an eye on this and that, then whipping your telephone out to shoot a picture is nothing, it's just another little task to do . And besides, boring pictures are ok. Really! I mean really-really. Maja Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smalahundur Posted September 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 4, 2012 We are back! Well, we have actually been "back" since saturday evening, otherwise there wouldbe rescue teams out there looking for us. I am happy to report that Gláma passed judgement of my fellow farmers. One comment was "that´s a useful dog", you´d have to know icelandic farmers to appreciate how high that praise actually is. We spend friday afternoon riding to the cabin, and looking for sheep on the highlands surrounding it. Hardly found any, unusual few sheep there, but a lot of raindeer tracks, all over the place. A big herd of them has been spotted in this area (over 200 animals), that might have been the reason the sheep didn´t wander very far. Saturday morning we went on gathering sheep as we moved back home towards our neighbours farm. Gláma really shone as I and my neighbour encountered a very onary stubborn ewe with her lamb, that needed a lot of convincing to move east, instead of her preferred direction, west. Gláma had to head her about three times to get her turned around, and after the job was done my neighbour commented "that would not have succeeded without the dog". What I personally was very satisfied with was she calmly took my commands through the excited screaming and swearing of said neighbour . After crossing a river, hardly deserves that name after the summer´s draught, we were mostly driving the now bigger group of sheep along the river. Gláma did that just fine. Of course we didn´t "win them all", Gláma is young, just over two years, and I think she is on the soft side. When those old experienced (and not all of them good experiences) decide to defend their lambs, she has trouble standing her ground, a good clean nose grip would be helpful, but she doesn´t do that (yet?). In such situation I ride as fast as I can "to the rescue". Mind you, she won´t turn off, but she will back up, this is fine in my book because the goal gets reached; the sheep are stopped. That she can´t lift or turn those kind of sheep, well, I think that will come with growing experience, and self confidence. When we got down the farm by saturday evening she did a fine job helping to get the flock into the coral. No commands needed there, it was very obvious to her what we were trying to accomplish. Again screaming/cursing farmers don´t bother her at all. So a lot to be happy about. As I knew beforehand in this kind of work an ironclad "that´ll do" and "call back" are worth gold. It happens a lot that you have to leave a group of sheep to get others. Or to walk quietly for kilomters on end behind stock, pretty slow and without bothering them. Gláma is very obedient in this respect. Also she has more than enough stamina to work a whole day in rough terrain, without slowing down or getting trouble with sore feet. I was a bit worried about that, as I heard of other bordercollie owners having trouble with sore feet. As for pictures, I did shoot some, and as expected they are very lousy, but some of them are recognizable, and I will post some in this topic soon (don´t get too excited though, when I say lousy, I mean it...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maja Posted September 4, 2012 Report Share Posted September 4, 2012 That's great! Fantastic! Two years old is, as Derek said, just a baby, so Glama did terrific! I am so glad for you both! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smalahundur Posted September 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 4, 2012 Thanks Maja. Oh, and you and your dog would be more than welcome to lend a hand, but apart from the difficulties visiting this island with a dog, you might change your mind having seen our "luxurious" accommodations... Yeah, Gláma is still young, and we both have a lot to learn. These tough older ewes with their lambs are a lot heavier than the flighty group of yearlings we have been training on since lambing time. But she is not a quitter, and I think this has been an overall positive experience for her. NB. Is it possible to upload pictures directly from my computer, or do I have to put them on a photobucket or similar site first? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maja Posted September 5, 2012 Report Share Posted September 5, 2012 you might change your mind having seen our "luxurious" accommodations... :lol: You are kidding me? I mean, didn't you sleep under the stars? Sissies! :lol: The thing that I am most happy for you about is that the feeling of a very special trust that grows after an outing like that must be wonderful! maja P.S. So where are the pics? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEC Posted September 5, 2012 Report Share Posted September 5, 2012 We are back! Well, we have actually been "back" since saturday evening, otherwise there wouldbe rescue teams out there looking for us. I am happy to report that Gláma passed judgement of my fellow farmers. One comment was "that´s a useful dog", you´d have to know icelandic farmers to appreciate how high that praise actually is... Enjoyed reading about your adventure. Good job. Summer mountain pasturing and trailing sheep are done less and less in US. What a great experience for you and dog. Herding dogs take wide leaps in proficiency doing practical work. -- Kind regards, TEC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smalahundur Posted October 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2012 Lets see if this works, if so it was easier than I thought...: This is at the start of the first "göngur". On this very bad picture you see someone holding a chestnut and an isabel, called Þröstur and Máni. The black and white blur is not Gláma, but Snati, a bordercollie/icelandic sheepdog mix of my neighbour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maja Posted October 8, 2012 Report Share Posted October 8, 2012 It looks like a painting Maja Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smalahundur Posted October 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2012 Okay, four more and then I will stop torturing you people with these cell phone pics . On the first our very luxurious mountain cabin. It has a gas stove, there is a brook nearby for water. The bathroom = the great outdoors. The second is the view from the cabin, with our horses. On the third you might be able to see Gláma work, if yu have a vivid imagination that is. The last one was taken between Máni´s ears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maja Posted October 8, 2012 Report Share Posted October 8, 2012 Beautiful! Thank you for posting. It's good to have some better idea what it looks like. The shed is great! My type of accommodation . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smalahundur Posted October 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2012 That was a pretty fast reply Maja. Yeah, that tiny lens of my cheapo nokia is not really up to taking landscape pictures. Yeah, makes it look like an impressionist´s painting Glad you like them (you had to wait long enough!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gideon's girl Posted October 8, 2012 Report Share Posted October 8, 2012 Absolutely beautiful! Monet couldn't have done better! Iceland is gorgeous in the fall, or is the Fall gather still technically Summer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smalahundur Posted October 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2012 You are right, it turns out you don´t need trees for stunning fall colors. Especially the blueberry bushes turn flaming red in the autumn. And yes it is considered fall ("haust") though there is a tradition here to divide the year just in summer and winter. The first day of summer being a national holiday, people going around wishing each other "happy summer", and "thank you for the winter" (the first day of winter gets noted but not celebrated ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tea Posted October 8, 2012 Report Share Posted October 8, 2012 Really nice! Interesting country! Glad you had a good time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.