The Countryman's Weekly - 15th April 2020
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In this time of uncertainty I wanted to share a heart-warming story which is in this week’s The Countryman’s Weekly. Working dog Ralph is lucky to be alive and his rescue reflects the unrelenting dedication and devotion of our gamekeepers.  Many thanks to Megan Moody and Sonya Wiggins for their time and support with this article. I'm sure you'll agree reading a good book or magazine can take you anywhere and during these unsettling times losing yourself in a story may be the perfect distraction. For me it feels good to relax and disappear into a world of fact and fiction and with our period of staying at home it’s the ideal excuse to try and relax with a good book or magazine. I hope my latest feature in April's issue of the Shooting Gazette gives you the opportunity to grab a cuppa and unwind with inspiring gundog trainer Sam Thatcher and her team of awesome cocker spaniels.    I never known anything like what we're experiencing right now. I know you'll be as worried as I am about the health of your family and friends and the livelihoods of those around you. We've all got a role to play in supporting our gundog community and clubs as well as local communities across the country. My latest article in this week's Countryman's Weekly reflects on the wonderful spirit of camaraderie. I can't think of a time when this feeling has been more needed. Supporting each other in these challenging times will help us get through the next few months. I'm sending my thoughts to you all, hoping that you are finding the strength both physically and emotionally to weather these unsettling times. Take care xx  I knew Matty Lambden was an inspiring gundog trainer, so when i was given the opportunity to interview him for the Countryman's Weekly i just knew he'd have something interesting to say. We talked about keeping things simple with training, his awesome 2019 IGL experience with Arthur and how he has made himself a leading competitor on the British and Irish gundog Field Trial circuit. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed talking to the quintessential Irishman.  FTCh Tamrose Aragon is going out to stud with top trainer Keith Bedford who is based in Cambs/Norfolk. Photos supplied by Matty Lambden.  Thoroughly delighted and very excited to see my feature in the March issue of the Clay Shooting magazine. Slightly different from my usual gundog focus and a pleasure to write - this is a fascinating story behind the very first Perazzi MT6.     What a joy to see the Shooting Gazette has devoted TEN pages to the IGL Retriever Championship. Fantastic coverage and I'm sure you agree, amazing photography! This year I took a slightly different approach and interviewed three key people involved in the prestigious event - the IGL winner, judge and organiser. Hope you like it!      Published in the Shooting Gazette February 2020  Gundog feature in The Countryman's Weekly 15th January 2020. I’m sure you agree, it’s great when all goes right in the field but hard to know what to do when things go wrong. Some of us turn to social media to seek help and guidance from the gundog community and others train with friends or reputable experienced trainers to address the issue. Everyone has their own approach when it comes to achieving steadiness and there’s no doubt going back to basics and reinforcing specific commands is always a good starting point. So once the mid season mayhem has passed and the dogs are enjoying a well-earned rest I’ll reflect on the season and start planning lots of enjoyable training days in 2020.
Enjoy the last few weeks of the season with your dogs! What a year it has been! I've enjoyed following so many of you via social media and loved seeing your gundog photos and hearing about your achievements and challenges with your training, working tests and trials. My journalistic journey has taken me to many wonderful events this year. Most overwhelming of all has been the enthusiasm you've shared with me on shoot days. Whether it's picking up, beating or working your peg dog you have given me a real insight into the essential role they play in the field and you are all keen to share your passion for gundogs. There's no doubt your willingness to work hard and enjoy the sport depicts a bright future for our working dogs in the field. So with a few days to go before the big day can I wish all of my readers a wonderful Christmas and lots of enjoyable days in 2020 with your canine companion. And if you're scrambling around for last minute practical gifts I hope my latest article offers a a splash of inspiration...happy shopping!  Feature in The Countryman's Weekly. The national country sports newspaper - 18th December 2019 Preparing for Christmas is a traditional practice and however you choose to celebrate it's always a very personal one. For me, it's a special time to be shared with my family, friends and the dogs and a time when our home becomes festive and fun. So as we step into December can I wish all of my readers and friends a wonderful Christmas and hope you enjoy my latest feature in the Christmas issue of the Shooting Gazette.     Many thanks to Gundog Trainer Belinda Welbourn and her gorgeous team of working dogs: Left to right - Google, Ollie, Oleg and Sven.
 Mark and Joe Taylor from Dorset are passionate about their working Korthals Griffon gundogs. Father and son have owned the breed since 2000 when Mark brought the first Korthals Griffon into the country. This versatile and intelligent breed stands out in the field and creates some interest among the shooting community who are not familiar with the breed. I'm thrilled to see The Countryman's Weekly have published my interview this week which offers an interesting account of the Korthals Griffon in the shooting field. Hope you enjoy! Many thanks to Mark and Joe for your time and support.  Find out what motivates The Countryman's Weekly Gundog Trainer of the Year 2019. Hope you enjoy reading the interview as much as I did writing it! Photo credit: Lindsey Corbin  Article in October 9th issue of The Countryman's Weekly  I can vividly recall when we brought Jack home. A lively black furball of a puppy who loved life. We rescued him from a precarious domestic situation and had no idea what we were taking on. Little did we know life would never be same. Jack grew into a handsome affectionate dog and quickly became a huge part of the family. We started the gundog journey together and my creation of BiddableBardsley blogging stemmed from Jack’s passion for retrieving. His love and loyalty were boundless and there’s no doubt he was happiest being by my side. Throughout the primary school years he was a firm favourite with the kids, always winning hearts as they came through the school gates. I never tired of his enthusiasm and admired his calming ways. He was our little piece of gold dust and gave us 13 years of unconditional love and affection. Letting Jack go this week was the hardest decision to make. His body couldn't cope with daily life even though his mind was still keen. He was a cherished part of the family and the house feels quiet without him. I can’t think of him without welling up and I feel a crushing sense of loss. An emptiness that’s left in my heart. As I’m writing I glance down expecting to see the tilt of his head, the look in his eyes, the wag of his tail and then a gentle nudge of a wet nose. He’s gone but his beautiful spirit will always be us. Forever... Miss you Jacky boy xx "A good dog never dies, he always stays, he walks besides you on crisp autumn days when frost is on the fields and winter's drawing near, his head within our hand in his old way." Anonymous  An interesting topic in the field and a subject which is no doubt popular in the beaters' wagon throughout the season. I hope my article in October's issue of the Shooting Gazette gives you something to talk about whilst enjoying the season.   Be inspired - by the best of our gundogs! A round up of the Game Fair 2019 in October's issue of the Shooting Gazette.  I fell in love with Exmoor earlier this year and had a wonderful stay at a unique gundog retreat. Check out my latest article in The Countryman's Weekly (September 18th) and find out more about the charming Wintercopse Barn Cottage.   Delighted to be part of the tribute and a real privilege to meet Marilyn Cox. You can read the full article in September's issue of the Shooting Gazette 2019.   One of my favourite memories this summer has got to be The Game Fair 2019. At the end of July on the hottest day of the year we headed up to the beautiful grounds of Hatfield House and enjoyed the world’s largest countryside festival. This year we camped on site which gave us the perfect opportunity to sit back and relax with friends and enjoy the festival experience. Being able to mix work with pleasure I was able to meet with my gundog buddies and colleagues and discuss some writing ideas for the future. I also grabbed the opportunity to capture a flavour of the gundog activities which you can read in this week's The Countryman's Weekly. I had a fantastic time and can’t wait to do it all over again next year! Here are a few pics which reflect my best-loved moments…  As always the weather played a huge part to our Game Fair experience. From sizzling hot temperatures to thunder and lightening - we had it all!  It was pleasure to meet the gorgeous German Shorthaired Pointer - Withamfriary Maddison (Maddie) winner of the HPR Tower Bird BASC Trophy.  The sea eagle, one of the largest eagle species in the world. What an awesome sight!  The Sporting Dog Pavilion showcased a variety of working dogs. I think you'll agree these three Welsh Springer Spaniels are simply stunning!  Team Scotland enjoying the Home International team competition - top handlers and fabulous dogs go head to head in one of the most hotly contested events in the working test calendar.  I loved every minute spending time with our happy campers...a lot of laughs, catching up with friends and enjoying the ambience of the Game Fair experience. Can't wait to do it all over again next year!  Check out the full article in this week's The Countryman's Weekly.  July issue of the Shooting Gazette. I recently caught up with the captains of the English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish gundog teams to find out more about their roles and how they deal with the pressures and challenges of managing a team. With a mixture of national pride, experience and drive to succeed each captain prepares their team members for the big gundog events. There's no doubt these guys have a passion for the sport but my feature highlights - having a passion and turning it into a winning team are two wholly separate things. With the prestigious Home International event fast approaching I have a feeling it's going to be an interesting Game Fair!
A huge thank you to Roddy Forbes, David Latham, John Williamson, Willie Edgar and Mark Bettinson for your time and support.
I loved my day spent with a fantastic group of Countryside Management and Gamekeeping students at Wiltshire College. They gave me a real insight into the 'working dogs' unit which is embedded into the course curriculum and were keen to share their passion for gundogs. It's fair to say the unit is a firm favourite among the students and has a vital role to play within the education domain.   A big thank you goes out to the course leader, Neil Bianchi and the students involved - you are all truly inspirational!
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