You might not know this, but every year Kingston, Ontario, hosts North America’s largest sporting event of its kind: the Kingston Sheep Dog Trials Festival.
Again this year, from August 11 to 13 at Grass Creek Park, herding dogs and their people will gather to compete for the title of trial winner. Arguably, this Limestone City event is the Olympics of sheep herding. And you can be there.
Open to the public, this event is a festival for dog lovers, though the star focus is clearly the competition involving herders (usually border collies), a handler, a small flock of sheep and an open grassy course with a few obstacles. The dog must navigate a flock of often stubborn but skittish woolly friends through the course, then eventually into a gated pen and out again. Don’t worry—the sheep are rotated during the competition, and none are harmed. Scoring is based on the dog’s cautious yet controlling interaction with the sheep.
Sheep herding: Harder than it looks
Teams of canines and handlers come from across the U.S. and Canada to compete in the Kingston Sheep Dog Trials Festival—it’s a sport of passion rather than riches. By day, many handlers either breed border collies or train dogs, herding or otherwise. And if you think sheep herding is all about letting the dog loose in a field to do what it’s bred to do, you’d be mistaken. The dog is actually taking its cues from the handler—particular whistle sounds mean go left, go right, slow down or speed up.
The handler is essentially directing the dog, who is directing the sheep, through a maze of bushes and hurdles while being timed and scored. It’s like playing Pac-Man, if your controller were a herding dog. Only in a rare moment does a feisty sheep channel its inner ghost and confront the dog (though I did see it happen the last time the Kingston Sheep Dog Trials was open to the public, pre-pandemic). A more common challenge is requiring the dog to splinter a couple of sheep from the flock, forcing the dog to divide its attention and then corral them back in line.
But don’t expect the fast pace of greyhound racing, or the thrill of canine agility competitions. Sheep herding is tense and methodical—mesmerizing in its precision and fascinating in its subtle unpredictability. In previous years, the play-by-play announcer was particularly adept at explaining the nuance of the dog/handler/sheep ballet unfolding in the pasture, which was extremely helpful for the novice spectator.
What else can you enjoy at the festival?
Otherwise, for the public attending, there’s a market where vendors sell everything from pet products to wool socks, and there’s a “sheep to shawl” demonstration. Food trucks are the source of lunch and dinner. Dog agility demonstrations run three times daily. On Saturday only, horse carriage-racing events share the trial fields. Bring a hat and a water bottle. Seating is on portable bleachers or a grassy spot under a tree.
Yes, you can bring your own dog along—just keep it leashed and away from the competitors. No, your pup cannot try herding the sheep, though I suspect my new spaniel might plead to give it a go when I bring her along to this family- (and pet-) friendly event. Admission is by donation; no ticket is necessary this year.
If you go to the Kingston Sheep Dog Trials Festival
The Kingston Sheep Dog Trials Festival, sponsored by Subaru of Kingston, runs August 11 to 13, 2023, at Grass Creek Park (2991 Highway 2, Kingston, Ontario). Trials run from 7am to 6pm. The vendor tent is open from 9am to 5pm. Parking is free.
Looking for more things to enjoy in Kingston while you’re there? Check out the Ottawa Road Trips guide to Kingston.
And if you’d like to stay overnight, you can use the map below to find accommodation. (Disclosure: If you book a place using this map, Ottawa Road Trips will receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you.)
Cover photo at top of page by SheltieBoy on Flickr. Used under the Creative Commons 2.0 licence.
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