12,000 acre Farr Estate hosts prestigious Scottish national sheepdog event
A 12,000 acre Inverness-shire estate is hosting the prestigious Scottish National 2024 sheepdog trials.
More than 150 of Scotland’s finest sheepdogs will be gathering flocks at Farr Estate where skilled and knowledgeable contestants will pit their wits against each other for top medals and a place in the Scottish home nations’ team.
Farr’s success in being chosen as the host this year was, in part, down to the International Sheepdog Society event’s local organiser and chairman Mike MacNally, who is also an experienced competitor.
The brace/doubles event, featuring two dogs running simultaneously rather than a single dog, began earlier today, while the highly-competitive singles class will take place from tomorrow (Thursday) to Saturday.
Spectating is free with crowds and competitors giving the local economy a significant boost by packing out accommodation and catering venues.
The Scottish event was held at Conon Bridge in 2015 and at Cawdor way back in the year 2000, but Inverness-shire events are rare - and this year’s hosting is a first for Farr.
Mr MacNally said: “In terms of attracting the event, it is a case of saying to the Scottish president that we’ve identified a potential venue here and they come and have a look, deciding whether to approve it.
“I do quite a lot of gathering for the Matheson family, who are tenants on the Farr Estate, as a contract shepherd.
“A couple of years ago I was holding sheep in the corner of the field while the hill gathering was coming in, and it just came to me in a lightbulb moment that they could hold the National there.
“It just snowballed from there, with the Mathesons very supportive along with the landlords.”
The most recent Highland hosting was in Caithness just as the event resumed following the pandemic.
In the doubles, there is a clear favourite - but the singles could be extra exciting with the contest wide open.
Mr MacNally said: “Seamus Campbell from Uig in Skye is going for a hat-trick in the brace competition, having won the previous two, while also competing in the singles.
“In the singles, since I’ve been competing, there is maybe not so much domination by a handful of people. There is a much broader range of people who could make the Scottish team and, with a bit of luck, win the outright competition.
“It is hard to single out any one likely winner.
“That’s something that has developed over the last 10 to 15 years with a lot more female competitors than there used to be, whereas it used to be very male-dominated.”
Chris Toner with his dog Niro Mace is the defending 2023 singles champion, while Seumas Campbell with Bell and Queen is holder of the brace competition.
The top 15 competitors at this event, plus one reserve, will form the Scottish team.
They will go forward to the home nations event, held in Scotland this year in Lanarkshire in mid-September.
Local entrants include Don MacKillop, who has worked at Borlum Farm at Fort Augustus, now of Invermoriston.
Mr MacNally added: “Don is a previous winner from 2015 when the event was held at Conon Brae Farm, Conon Bridge outside Dingwall.
“In terms of other Highland interest, I’ve qualified for the team a couple of times, while Ian MacDonald from Staffin on Skye is also a past qualifier with hopes this year.”
Unusually, the sheep used this year will be pure blackface sheep, as opposed to the white faced breed most southern competitors are used to gathering.
This year, in another first, the event is hosting secondary school visits, co-hosted by the Royal Highland Educational Trust, with over 100 pupils from Inverness sampling the event and some of the skills on show.