Martin Waddingham, Lee Jamieson and Al Hort to take part in Supreme Australian Sheepdog Championships

Three state delegates have been selected to compete at the Supreme Australian Sheepdog Championships in Stanthorpe, Queensland from August 22 to 30.

Martin Waddingham of Westbury, Lee Jamieson of Clarence Point and Al Hort of the Central Coast will take their best dogs to the competition which also includes the prestigious Ted Gaby Interstate Challenge, named in honour of the founder of the Australian Sheepdog Workers’ Association.

In total there are three competitions, the annual Supreme Championships, which attracts more than 200 dogs from around the country, with the host state rotating each year.

Open to anyone wanting to test their trialling skills, it’s mainly an open competition with some smaller intermediate classes.

The Ted Gaby pits state against state, with the three reps from each competing over three rounds and the team points are accumulated from the nine runs to decide the winner.

Within that competition individual runs double as a selection trial for the Australian Test Team of four to compete against New Zealand on the final weekend of the championships.

Lee Jamieson is the Tasmanian team’s most experienced handler, with this being his sixth time representing Tasmania in the Ted Gaby competition and Australian Test Team selection trial. 

His dog Magic, a three-year-old male Border Collie, is the fourth dog he has trained to national level, and he said all four dogs have come from the same line as Mocara Ed, the first dog he worked with in the same competition in 2014 in South Australia.

“The last time this event was held in Queensland was in 2019 and I was lucky enough to qualify in the Australian team with Magic’s sire, Shannandoah Steele,” he said.

“We will be trying our best to replicate this result in August.”

Martin Waddingham, who has been trialling for about 20 years and has a strong background in obedience and agility, said he considers trialling to be the ultimate challenge.

“I enjoy the competition but mostly enjoy the challenge of training the dogs to a high level. I believe you get out of it what you put into it, plus I enjoy the comradery of fellow competitors.” 

Martin will be taking a dog he bred himself, five-year-old Border Collie Waterlea Ace.

Ace has proven to be a consistent dog, winning the Tasmanian Working Sheep Dog Association’s top dog award for 2024, finishing runner up in 2025 and winning again in 2026. 

Al Hort is an exciting newcomer in three-sheep trials and he’s thrilled to be representing his state with Border Collie Glenmurray Sammy.

Sammy’s mum Flossie was his daughter’s pet, which Al “pinched every now and then to use on the farm and go trialling”.

“We decided I needed a dog of my own and bred Flossie to Shannandoah Steele, who previously represented Tassie and Australia,” Al said. “Out popped five great pups and I kept Sammy and Lucy, both as mad as cut snakes, but they seem to do okay in trials.

“Sammy loves working and trialling sheep but I sometimes think he enjoys playing with Crocky, his toy crocodile, more.”

Unlike yard dog or utility trials, which involve large mobs of sheep, tight pens, and force, three-sheep trialling is an intense test of finesse, calm control, and exact positioning. Handlers and their dogs must work three randomly selected sheep in a large arena, navigating the mob through obstacles including a gap/gate, a race, a bridge, and a final pen, all within 15 minutes.

Competitors start with 100 points which are deducted by judges for every minor mistake, such as the sheep straying from the designated line, backtracking, or crossing paths.

Lee said that the best performing dogs will have a big week as they vie for the various titles.

“It’s a lot of work and real mental pressure on the dog,” Lee said.

“Those 15-minute intense workouts, where they’re expected to be centimetre perfect and there’s always pressure to get that perfect run, adds up over all the runs.

“While you always hope your dog will get better as the week progresses, the temperament of the dog comes into it and the consistency has to be there.”

The nature of three-sheep trialling is more suited to border collies, rather than the kelpies that dominate yard dog trials, with 80 to 90 percent of dogs competing in the Championships being Border Collies.