Increasing number of women competing in sheep dog trials

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Increasing numbers of young women are taking up sheepdog trialling. The sport has long been dominated by men now more women are having a go at competitions across the country.

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00:00Five-year-old Minnie is laser-focused on herding sheep.

00:06Minnie's owner is part of a growing number of new faces at Sheepdog Trials.

00:11A really good community of women who are trialing and they all get quite competitive at times,

00:17but we're just a really supportive community.

00:20Trialing draws spectators from across the country to regional events like this one

00:25in the town of Barmarah in South Australia's Riverland.

00:28The travelling sport has been male-dominated for many years, but that's changing.

00:33I think it will stay and continue to grow with more women coming in.

00:37With our training schools, a lot of the people that come are women and girls my age, which I also find really fun.

00:43Sheepdog trialers don't just go from farm to field.

00:46A lot of training and connection building is required in between.

00:50Probably half the people in our training schools now at least are women

00:53and that comes across out here on the trialing ground as well.

00:57You know, in agriculture.

00:59The event this year has attracted a dozen women, five more than last year.

01:04The changing diversity has been welcomed by those with a strong passion for the sport.

01:09Years ago when I was at school doing it, there was only a couple of older women who were wives of other trialers.

01:16Whereas now I think there's more like independent women doing it.

01:20Stay there, stay there, come around.

01:23With a national trial scholarship up Annie Dakey's sleeve and Minnie by her side, they'll have no trouble leaping into a bright future.

01:31So, I love that we have an excellent work for you.

01:32I love that.

01:33I love the coolest thing.

01:34I love that, though.

01:35But that's it and it's one of my teammates.

01:36I love that too.

01:37I love that too.

01:38I love that.

01:39So I loved that.

01:40So, here's what is going to make sure that we're doing.

01:41I love that.

01:42To be honest with you there.

01:43We'll be honest with you, that's all you do very much, like yeah.

01:45I'll be honest with you.

01:47I'll be honest with you, though.

01:48I just love for this and it's just a little bit of a car.

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