CHAROITE SIBERIANS

After a quiet weekend last week where we got some nice training runs in and generally chilled, it was off down to South Wales on Friday to take part in the Open Race at Pembrey.

What a fantastic weekend ! We treated ourselves to a local hotel pretty much a stone's throw from the race site and took a leisurely drive down on Friday afternoon. Temperatures were falling as we gave the dogs the last walk before bed under an amazing full moon and clear skies and we woke up to a deep frost and a minus-five dawn.

The trail was absolutely outstanding with twists and turns, drops and climbs in this lovely coastal forest. Was a small entry but this meant the race was about the friendliest and most fun one we've attended so far this season with everyone pitching in to help out.

Kev ran a 6 dog team made up of Charoite and Mystic dogs - Pyewacket and Brew in lead, Raven and Zala in swing and Daisy and Chena in wheel. He had a good run on Saturday and was just a few seconds behind Graham Good and Fred Palmer in 1st and 2nd. Sunday followed with a blinding run and Kev and the gang took 1st place. I am soooo pleased with how the dogs coped - especially my yearling boys in lead on a completely new trail.

I ran a 3 dog open team with Kev's springer Dom in single lead and Beany and Shad in wheel. What a fab little team they make. Had two really nice runs and came in 3rd. We both ran the scooter class - me with Mojo (my first Siberian) and Kev with Delta who normally runs on his 4 dog team. We came 1st and 2nd, I'll let you guess which one was which !

Saturday was great as the weather was so dry and cool we spent the afternoon walking the dog we hadn't raced on the fabulous beach at Pembrey.

Great to catch up with people I haven't seen for a while as well as my relations from Pembroke coming over to visit us at the race on Sunday.

Pretty much perfect really !

Next week, BSHRA Elvedon !

Well winter has certainly hit the UK with a vengeance ! Although we're snow-free now here in North Lincolnshire, other parts are still experiencing the white stuff that's been around since before Christmas !

There have been two sled races so far this winter which is unheard of in recent years. We took part in the second, at Sherwood. Due to the fact my van couldn't make it up the steep snowy hill in to the forest, Kev and I took a small selection of dogs with us. He raced in C Class with Raven, Pyewacket, Brew and his youngster Zala. They won both days - finsihing over all a minute ahead of the musher in 2nd place ! A fab achievement considering that race was the first time Kev had even touched a sled ! I took out Daisy and Shad just to say I'd raced on a sled and I was nervous not least because Guy had kindly lent me the Danler sled he was using for the Aviemore race !

Last weekend we went down to the BSHRA race at Kings Forest West where the snow had changed to thick mud in places ! I ran Pye, Brew and Raven and managed a 2nd place on Saturday and 1st place on Sunday !

We're having a training weekend this week while everyone else seems to be off up to Aviemore.

Next week we are going to Pembrey for Sue Blake and Graham Good's open sled dog race !

Wow, nearly the end of 2009. It's been a great year and hoping 2010 proves even better.

We've been busy training and racing - and fitting in that little thing called Work lol !

Since we last posted, Kev ran Pyewacket, Brew, Raven and Daisy at the ABSA Sherwood race - coming in 2nd in C Class.

After a weekend at home training, we travelled South to a very snowy Rendlesham for our first BSHRA race of the season. I ran the boys and Raven in E class, Kev ran his 4 dog team and my 3 girlies and Mojo had an abolute blast in the scooter class in lovely fresh snow. The kids and me came in 1st on Saturday but had a bit of a dispute with a tree (who puts them on corners lol ?!?) and I fell off on the Sunday. The team didn't wait for me and after running 200 yards after them we were on our way again and came in a respectable 7th place and only 50s behind the leader in spite of having bent the brushbow almost in half ! I like the 2 x 1 day format lol.

Following a lovely Christmas, we made the trip down to Yately Heath for a one day race the day after Boxing Day. What a fun, challenging and tiring trail ! I ran a 4 dog team consisting of Tigerlily, Zala, Daisy and Shad and came in 10th out of 20-odd teams and didn't fall off in spite of the twists, turns, funny cambers and the odd bank to negotiate ! A gluton for punishment I also took out Delta, Beany and Chena. Kev ran Pye, Brew and Raven in E Class and came 1st ! I am soooo pleased with how the pups and Ray-Ray are running at the moment.

BSHRA Sherwood has been moved down to Kings East due to ice on the access road. Will let you know how we get on !

We took 14 dogs up to Tentsmuir for a weekend racing on the best trails I've ever seen. We were very lucky with the weather, considering the floods elsewhere and the rain conveniently fell before and after the action on the trail !

My 4 dog team consisting of Pyewacket, Raven, Brew and Daisy came 2nd in C class and managed to cut 50s off their time on the Sunday so another great result for the Charoite dogs ! Beany and Tiger had a more leisurely run around the sand-dunes and little Mojo ran her legs off in a tough 3.2 mile scooter class !

Next race - ABSA Sherwood !

Well, the racing season has started !

It kicked off for us at Delamere forest where my 4 dog team came in 6th ! Fab run only slowed a bit by a tangle not far from the Finish.

This past weekend saw us all down at Brandon for the Open Race organised by Fred and Amanda Palmer. The weather threatened to be dreadful but turned out okay really with a bit of rain on Saturday but a pleasant - if a bit warm - dry and sunny day on Sunday. Was a great trail and a really good atmosphere with lots of people I haven't seen for ages.

Unfortunatley I wasn't able to run my 3 dog team of Brew, Pyewacket and Raven as Brew headbutted me while I was harnessing him and bust my lip ! I was pouring with blood when I should have been racing. Kev stepped in and ran the guys for me and did better than I ever would have - coming in 1st both days ! Fab result  and I can't say how proud I was shouting in my dogs and seeing them Finish so well.

I recovered enough to run Daisy and Tiger in 2 dog later and we came in 4th.

Great weekend ! Roll on next week and Tentsmuir !

x

Mel and the gang

Summer was a bit of a damp squib and probably best forgotten !

Training is well underway for the approaching race season with the core dogs getting their fitness up and loving their runs out in harness. Delamere Night Rally on 31 October will be the puppies' racing debut and so far, I'm very happy with how my boys are faring. Their mum Beany is having a break from training at the moment as her allergies have really bothered her with the change in the season. Beany is never happy working when the temperatures are this warm so will probably not be out on the race trail until late December. Thankfully, the others don't require her sub-zero temperature of choice or we would never get out !

We have shown a little over the summer though not very much as finances are still tight. Pyewacket came pretty close to gaining his Junior Warrant but ended up a few points short due to small class sizes making some of his wins not count. Anyway, my pretty boy caught the eye of quite a few judges and has had some nice write-ups in the dog press, for example:

Leeds Championship Show (Chris Barry)

JD 1 Hannam’s Charoite Pyewacket, 15 months gr/w at the upper end of the Standard, I have watched him for some time & this is the best I have ever seen him, masculine head, good eye shape, good outline, well balanced, smooth movement, plenty of reach & drive.

I judged up in Perth in September and took the opportunity to visit Emma, Henrik and most importantly Calvin one of the two pups from last year's litter who moved on. Calvin is a beautiful dog who is also showing a lot of promise in harness. I was so pleased he seemed to remember his first mummy and he spent a lot of the weekend sitting on my knee. The show was lovely - a very warm late September day - and I along with the bitch judge Paul Greenhough had a lovely entry. Best of Breed went to my Best Dog winner the very lovely Navajos Captain Jack. He's a cracking young boy with hopefully a very bright future ahead.

I will try and keep this updated a bit better - especially as the race season gets underway !

Winter came and went in a flurry of training and races.

Life has changed a bit. Credit crunch crunched and I am now in a new job - pay is less but I'm enjoying it a lot more and am close enough to home to pop back on a lunchtime ! Money is tight, the van is rickety and sponsorship would be great !

The boys made their debut in the show ring back at the Nordic Show in November. They have done really well and have been consistently highly placed - well apart from Crufts and the SHCGB Champ Shows ! Pyewacket is calmer than his brother and shows his lovely conformation off to better effect than Brew who finds the whole thing a bit of a trial and is going to take some time out to mature.

Some of the latest show results for the Charoite gang:

Nordic Show (Tracy Storey, Qonos)

Pyewacket, 1st Puppy and BPIB - "6 month old grey and white baby boy, tall and rangy moved well for one so young. Handsome head, good earset, nicely arched neck level topline good sloping croup correcet tailset and carriage well handled"

Brew 3rd Puppy

Tigerlily, 1st Graduate - "Sable and white, happy waggy little girl, very nicely put together, good shoulders and rear angulation, moved correctly for the breed with a lowered head to produce good forward drive, pretty head and sweet expression well handled. "

LKA Championship Show (Barbara Stanier, Arctictrek)

Brew, 2nd Minor Puppy (11), "7 months. of rangier type than my first. Another in excellent condition. Well put together boy with good outline standing."

Pye, 1st Puppy (10), "7 months & litter brother to my 2nd in mpd good head & earset well constructed & put together’ Good top line& tail. Good length of body to leg was more settled on the move than his brother. Will watch this pair as they mature"

Crufts (Dianne Gale)

Daisy, 2nd Limit Bitch,

Working and Pastoral Breeds of Wales Championship Show (Simon Luxmoore, Zima)

Brew, 2nd Puppy, "Top of the range pup, who has a nice head and disposition. Good overall structure and a well held topline with a correctly angulated croup. Good bone, nice feet. Long striding and easy gait. Will take a long time to mature which is good in a siberian puppy. Nice east gait."

Pye, 2nd Junior, 1st Novice and BPIB, "A puppy who was a "tighter" better conditioned litter mate to his brother, who was second in puppy. Very well angulated. Strong, properly held top line and a well angulated croup. Moved with absolute ease with a smooth ground covering gait. BP"

Daisy, 1st Open Bitch and RCC, "Another I have admired for some years. This B/W has good leg length and holds a strong top line. Excellent angulation, covers lots of ground, nice croup with a well set tail. Shown in good condition and has a super tight double coat. Well handled and presented."

Bedford and District CS Open Show (Tracy Kirkpatrick)

Brew, 2nd Junior and BPIB and Working Puppy Group 1

Raven, 1st Postgraduate

The National Dog Show, Birmingham (Lindsay Sutherland)

Brew, 3rd Puppy

Pye, 1st Junior.

Well, it's cooling down a bit and we've had some nice training runs. As we continue to be locked out of our training ground at Sherwood, we've had to run elsewhere and so far I haven't run the 4 girlies together for months now .... The new rig is also waiting to be tried out !

Went to Darlington CS last Saturday which was something like a cross between Broxa Forest and Glastonbury. Never seen so much mud and had to have the van towed out. Kody got a second in Veteran and has qualified for Crufts ! Nice for a dog who found herself unwanted at the age of 7, bless her ! Poor Beany inexplicably didn't get placed  which was a shame as (well I think so, lol) is looking pretty damn wonderful with the best coat she's ever had !

We had a trip up to Scotland at the end of August and did the Club champ show up there and SKC. First champ shows for ages. Not a resounding success, lol. Daisy and Raven managed 2 5ths at SKC. After everyone having such a good year last year you have to wonder if the dogs have suddenly all changed shape or something, lol !!!

Anyway, here's hoping the temperatures continue to drop and it stops raining !!!