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2007 BORDER COLLIE NATIONAL SPECIALTY |
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Kent's
first introduction to herding dogs came in 1975 when he began using stockdogs on
his family's cattle ranch in north central Kansas. His first AKC registered dog
was purchased in 1988, and he began trialing in 1989, originally with Australian
Cattle Dogs. Since that time he has trialed several of the herding breeds at all
levels of the program. He has been successful in both the arena and open field
trials, and on cattle, goats, sheep and ducks.
Kent has trained and handled High in Trial winners at the Australian Cattle Dog Nationals, Border Collie Nationals, German Shepherd Nationals, Collie Nationals, and the Briard Nationals. He has trained and trialed multiple dogs successfully to the Herding Championship level as well as having successful Open level dogs in the USBCHA. He has qualified for and placed at the Finals at the USBCHA National Cattle Finals, and has twice earned Reserve Grand Champion in the Open Cattle Class at the USBCHA sanctioned National Western stockdog trial in Denver. He trained and handled the 2005 GSDCA National Herding Victor, and also trained and trialed the very first conformation champion German Shepherd to earn an Advanced herding title. He has trialed in AKC, ASCA, AHBA, USBCHA as well as numerous unsanctioned trials. He is the founding president of the Central Oklahoma Herding Dog Association and is on the Board of Directors for the West Central Oklahoma Kennel Club.
Kent served as the Trial Chairman of the very first AKC herding trials, which were held in January of 1990 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was also chosen to serve on the 1991 and 1994 National Herding Advisory Committees for the American Kennel Club. Kent and his wife Lori now travel extensively judging and giving herding training clinics across the United States. When not traveling, Kent is a fulltime rancher and professional stockdog trainer and handler.
Kent has won High in Trial and/or Reserve High in Trial at the BCSA nationals with six different Border Collies, over the past 6 years. Kent and Lori have bred three litters of Border Collies, producing three herding champions (another with just three points to go) and several XP offspring are competing successfully at the Open level. All of the XP Ranch breedings are out of herding champions.
Kent and Lori own the XP Ranch in western Oklahoma, where they run sheep and cattle and train dogs on 400 acres near the South Canadian River.
Page Updated 10.22.2007