Basc Northern Ireland Game Fair

[siona]

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I would love to bring the puppy, just not sure what stage it's ok to bring him out as he won't have had all of his vaccinations - he'll only be about 10wks by moira!

 

[Macha]

I would love to bring the puppy, just not sure what stage it's ok to bring him out as he won't have had all of his vaccinations - he'll only be about 10wks by moira!

Síona, I think you'd better leave the puppy at home this time. Maybe you can get his injections just before the Randalstown show and bring him there - for the experience and to show him off. I think the pups have to be 6 months old to show and 9 months (or maybe more) to race.

I'm doing something else the weekend of the Randalstown fair, mid June. Someone mentioned a fair at "Emo" -- where is that?

Will there be any events for lurchers and whippets in the Northwest of Ireland?

BTW, I looked at the practice track at the Amelia Earhart Country Park. The dogs had a great walk there and back and running around at the park; we were out for about 3 hours in the great weather. It's a straight track, slightly up hill, and very long. I won't be using it unless I find some local dog-racing friends as you have to bring and operate your own lure. But seeing the length of it made me wonder if my lurcher might stop and come back to me during a race! :unsure: I don't think he will in the heat of the chase, especially if I stay still and don't call him. but he is so good when out playing o - keeps an eye on me and will leave other dogs to follow me if I turn to leave - so it is possible!

 

[dazgail]

(w00t) wow, didn't realise there were so many members on this site from Nothern Ireland. Streaky, i live in glengormley also. I would give my lurcher a run on the lure the odd time on the mallusk playing fields. There are also two greyhound schooling tracks which i have put my lurchers round. One of which is in Toome and the other about 8-10 miles outside of Toome. I hope to give one of my dogs a run on the lure this coming weekend, your more than welcome to bring your own dogs and give them a run if you wish, just phone me on 07921864859. :cheers:

I was at the Game Fair a few weeks back at Ballywalter and without seeming to be a complainer it was one of the worst organized shows i have ever been at. It was the saturday i was down and to say i was disappointed with the showing and the racing would be an understatement. I don't understand why the organisers need to bring in the NL&RC when there are local clubs who can do as good a job. I have been to shows which have been run and organised by the NL&RC over in England and frankly i don't believe the lurcher enthusiasts across th water would stand for the shambles that i witnessed at the game fair a few weeks back.

However i was very impressed with the demo the NL&RC did in the main arena with many of the crowds watching. I also understand that the organisers didn't allow the NL&RC much space for the showing and racing. Maybe next year they can request more space. :thumbsup:

 

[Macha]

it's probably best not to put phone numbers on the webpage; you can send personal mail messages ...I think that message was to "Streaky"

reiterating query re "Emo" - where is that?

 

[streaky]

Hey Dazgail, small world :thumbsup: Good to meet you today, hope you dont get any stalkers ringing you. and I thought i was the only lurcher owner in the village I'll give you a shout for a run as soon as my dogs shoulder improves, and maybe we can nip into the Crown and Shamrock for light refreshments afterwards :cheers: probably see you at Moira next weekend although i don't fancy putting the dog in for a race until i'm happy that she's fully recovered.

Macha, i think Emo is down south in county Laois, try this http://www.fallingrain.com/world/EI/15/Emo.html

its a good 3 - 4 hour drive from Belfast, good luck if your going!

 

[Macha]

I'm still looking into other chances to race whippets and lurchers in Ireland.

The fair at Greenmount Agricultural College, Muckamore (near Antrim town) 18-19 June sounds very good in other respects, but won't have any events for whippets and lurchers.

Lifford Greyhound Track in County Donegal, just over the border from Strabane, tried to organise a one-off fun event for whippets and lurchers last August as part of a "festival of racing". They had it all organised, dogs entered in advance, trophy bought, and then the racing commissioners wouldn't allow the event to go ahead. Apparently they had just one vociferous complaint, and a threat of protest at the track, by someone who was against blood sports and said lurchers were sheep-killers. Well, just about any dog might go after sheep if it isn't supervised. I have the impression that lurcher and whippet racing is very much a casual, fun thing and most of our dogs are pets. Some of the dogs may be used for hunting, but the formal events don't involve chasing live animals. Contrast with greyhound racing where there are problems with dog doping, dogs dumped or put down when they are finished racing, dogs being "blooded" with live animals as part of their race-training -- I don't see how greyhound racing is okay and lurcher racing isn't! So anyway, they had to call off the Lifford event last year and so far they are not planning to try to organise another lurcher/whippet event.

:rant: They should have called it a "sighthound" race, as it's obviously the word "lurcher" that upset someone.

 

[dazgail]

:thumbsup: Hello Macha, i was informed by people in the know that it was the Bord na gon, don't know if that is spelt right, who pulled the plug on the racing that was going to take place at Lifford Greyhound racing track. I was very disappointed myself as i had put 4-5 weeks hard work to get my dog ready for the race only to be informed that it was cancelled a couple of days before the race was due to take place. It is also of my opinion that it may have been due to insurance purposes as none of the lurchers would be registered with Greyhound Governing body...just my opinion as i don't know all of the politics behind it. I also think that if you check that the non ped whippets in England are only run on the Independant race tracks over in England and Scotland.

If you wish to give your dogs a run around a track there are a few flapping tracks in the North which would allow it.

Also hello Streaky it was really nice to meet you up at the playing fields. Your Lurcher looked in superb condition and i am pretty sure she will do very well at the shows. Hope her shoulder heals very soon so that you can race her again. The only thing is our dogs will be in the same racing class....should make for some friendly banter. Wish i could get both my dogs in the same condition as your own, as they are a credit to yourself. Just let me know when you want to give her a run on the lure. Please don't tell anyone the amount of work i am putting into the dogs at the minute, cos i give them all the impression i go to the shows for the fun, but deep down i'm a competitve git who wants to see their dog win lol (w00t) .

 

[Macha]

:thumbsup: Hello Macha, i was informed by people in the know that it was the Bord na gon, don't know if that is spelt right, who pulled the plug on the racing that was going to take place at Lifford Greyhound racing track. I was very disappointed myself as i had put 4-5 weeks hard work to get my dog ready for the race only to be informed that it was cancelled a couple of days before the race was due to take place. It is also of my opinion that it may have been due to insurance purposes as none of the lurchers would be registered with Greyhound Governing body...just my opinion as i don't know all of the politics behind it. I also think that if you check that the non ped whippets in England are only run on the Independant race tracks over in England and Scotland.If you wish to give your dogs a run around a track there are a few flapping tracks in the North which would allow it.

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Bord na gCon, you don't pronounce the C but it shows you the root word, meaning hounds.

it was a representative from the track who told me the event was cancelled due to a complaint to the governing body (that would be Bord na gCon) about lurchers

now I'm hearing that I CAN take a lurcher into the trials at Brandywell track; not officially confirmed yet

 

[dazgail]

The Greyhound track at Ballyskeagh used to run a lurcher race at one of their charity nights but again the powers to be down south pulled the plug on it also, so much so that you cannot even trial a lurcher around the track, i managed to give my own dog a couple of trails but once they found out she was a lurcher they put a stop to it. So if i want to give her a run i just use the flapping track. I have never run her around Brandywell but i know Billy Harper has put his own lurchers around there in the past.

 

[Macha]

The Greyhound track at Ballyskeagh used to run a lurcher race at one of their charity nights but again the powers to be down south pulled the plug on it also, so much so that you cannot even trial a lurcher around the track, i managed to give my own dog a couple of trails but once they found out she was a lurcher they put a stop to it. So if i want to give her a run i just use the flapping track. I have never run her around Brandywell but i know Billy Harper has put his own lurchers around there in the past.

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I went to the Brandywell Tues evening and people seemed friendly enough. they would only let me run my dogs individually ... for one thing I was warned that the greyhounds might kill my whippet. They aren't all muzzled at the trials. My dogs probably would run after other dogs but they had no interest in the mechanical lure and both ran back to me, though the lurcher did follow the lure a short distance before he turned around. He is limping slightly with a sore paw (glass cut) so I don't know whether he'll be able to try racing at Moira Sat.

 

[Macha]

I put an update in the newer thread about Moira, but it really had to do with things that were written at this thread, so I'll repeat:

"there was a question earlier on about showing neutered dogs and someone said the lurcher judge wouldn't be looking. Well, he most certainly was feeling the balls of all the male dogs, if they had any. I had to explain that the rescue people had had my dog doctored as a matter of policy (before I ever saw him). The judge also asked about the dogs' breeding, and I can only guess at mine dog's background.

"it's true the show dragged on for ages and we were getting tired waiting on the racing. The show classes were very large and there was no room to move the dogs properly; I do think movement is one of the most important qualities. Many more dogs were entered in the show than in the races.

"although the organisers had told me by e-mail that muzzles would be required for the racing, no dogs wore muzzles"

on Sat. my pup started slow - largely my fault as a beginner slipper - but came up from behind. He caught up very well; he is fast. I wasn't sure that he followed the lure and not just the other dogs. But on Sun. morn he definitely went for the lure from the beginning (even if another playful novice dog put him off his stride so then we had a rematch). The big dog didn't chase the lure Sat but he was keener on Sun morning. The fox tail lure is much more attractive to the dogs than that clackety mechanical rabbit they use at the greyhound track. and of course, it does help to run with experienced dogs.

 

[Macha]

... ...
another question about the lurcher show ring - is it or is it not the done thing to trim the dogs? My lurcher is short coated. In the kennel club shows if you were exhibiting a whippet or greyhound, you would do a bit a of trimming of the longer hairs on the neck, hindquarters and the tail feathering. My whippet is very sleek; it seems sort of unfair that the dog with heavy tail feathering will appear the same as my smooth dog once they are shaved. ... Do people trim race dogs? I've seen male racing cyclists shave their legs supposedly to increase speed.

...I'm thinking probably trimming isn't necessary for lurcher showing because it sounds like it's rather informal and because a lurcher is supposed to be a hardier dog than a whippet or greyhound, a hunter more than a racer, and thus a  thicker coat is more desirable.

... ..

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I found the following in a web search:

http://users.ox.ac.uk/~cycling/mb-events.htm

"OUCC mountain bike club is involved in a vibrant racing scene that

anyone from enthusiasts to shaven legged whippets are welcome to

participate in."