heading down the highway

well, I'm leaving in a short while for our first trial this year.
 Bracken is running both days and since there is a two dog limit I am running Spirit one day and Dream the other.
We will need some luck on good draws of sheep as there will be many of the " Big Hats" running this week. Each having two great dogs to steer around the course. The sheep can make or break someone like me and this trial has some cranky ewes. Good dogs have had to walk in years past because even the most valliant effort proved futal in convincing the sheep to behave . Yet to see these handlers who are so very very good at this, manage a group of sheep that would have me beat short into my run. How to keep them flowing , or at the very least either not running for the hills or turning and facing the dogs is an education in it's self. Each Open trial I get to is a handling clinic for me. I make sure to sit and watch the cream of the crop run the course, handle through difficulty or try to figure out how the make it look SOOOO easy.
Wish me lucks friends.