Pointing dog field trialing is a very old and honored tradition. It no doubt stems from the pride people have shown in their four footed companions from the time they were first domesticated. Surely it is not difficult to see two guys hanging around the watering hole debating the hunting prowess of Ole Blue and Jessie. Finally the gauntlet was thrown and the first competition was on. Faithfully ready to carry the first trialers into competition stood two gaited horses. Thus the field trial team of proud dog handler, talented pointing dog and gallant horse was born!

Formal field trials have been held for more than a century in the United States. "The American Field," a publication dedicated to the sport has been in continuous circulation for 131 years. There are several sanctioning bodies for field trailing and while the rules vary, the basics are the same: dog, handler and horse, all hunting birds. Typically a course is determined by the host club and dogs compete in pairs called a brace. Each dog is judged and scored to determine a winner. A dog must show that she is hunting for the handler, not just for herself. When the dog scents a bird she must lock onto a steady point and stand at point until the handler tells her to move. The handler moves in front of the dog, flushes the bird and fires a blank pistol to simulate an actual hunt. The handler then "releases" the dog from point to continue the competition. The dogs are scored on how well they cover the terrain, how they respond to the handler and their pointing ability. An adult dog that cannot run like a banshee, stop on a dime when they scent a bird and hold point like a statue until the handler releases him is generally thought of as a nice pet by a true bird man!

Pointing dogs can cover some ground! Thus the gallant horse becomes the star of the show. Generally, field trialers use gaited horses. It is very common for a professional handler to be in the saddle five or six hours a day during competitions and eight or ten hours a day while training dogs for clients. Field trialers often use Tennessee Walkers, Missouri Foxtrotters and Paso Finos because they can keep up with a fast dog and go for hours, all at a comfortable gait.

Jim and Jimmy (Jr.) Heckert of Waterford, Pa. train pointing dogs for a living. They travel the country to various training sites and competitions and trailer their gaited horses and 20-30 dogs. Jim said it takes a special horse to be part of the field trialing team. Horses have to be steady on the trail, level headed and absolutely well mannered. They must ground tie and hold in the midst of the controlled chaos that is a field trial and they must be in top shape to handle the demands of hours of work. While training, Jim notes there are times when they are in the middle of 30,000 acres of wilderness and they must leave the horse ground tied for extended periods for time while working a dog. It would be long walk home if the horse spooked at the sound of the blank gun or a dog that ran under his feet.

Local professional dog trainer Dave Pomfret of Orange, Va. agrees and spends many hours working with his horses to insure they will be good team members. Dave notes that a vital part of a trial team includes the scout, a second rider who moves away from the main action to keep a big running dog in sight or find a dog if he goes on point in the thick edges of the track. He says that a scout horse must have all the qualities noted but must also be more independent minded and willing to take the scout through the briars and thick woods.

It is easy to see why the horses used in field trialing are both a vital part of the team and take special training. These horses need to work steadily for hours, be immune to gunshots, dogs, birds flushing and tough terrain. They need to have good manners on the trailer and the picket line and interact well with people and strange horses.

Without hesitation the many field trialers at the Southern Maryland English Setter Club agreed that their horses were a vital part of the field trial team and made the entire experience more enjoyable. Horses are used for training, competing and many spectators come with their horses to ride in the gallery and view the competition.

The final tribute to the role of the horse in field trialing comes from Professional Dave Pomfret who says that if the rules ever changed and horses were not allowed, he would find another line of work.

For more information about field trials that use horses and links to rules and event schedules visit American kennel Club at akc.org. Many of these trials are run at Phelps Wildlife Management area near Fredericksburg, Virginia.