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Sweden's First Road Trial
by Gayle Riggins I found myself in an unfamiliar country that I could not understand the language. What was I doing here? Oh yes it was time to help Sweden start their first Road Trial.

The people of Sweden welcomed us as if we had visited there for years. We travelled to the northern part of Sweden into the countryside. It was a cool but clear autumn morning. We had a beautiful background of orange and yellow leaves. The early morning brought with it excitement and butterflies of uncertainty. It was The Dalmatian Club of Sweden’s first Road Trial. None of the competitors had seen a road trial before. They only had rules and regulations and some of them had attended a seminar last year to discuss their interpretations of the rules.

The evening before we decided to give a demonstration to alleviate any questions and possible misunderstandings. With a language barrier to deal with I reminded myself that I needed to take my time. We used the arena. With the help of my husband, Bruce and both Alison & Tim Burgess from England, we started with the simple hock. It amazed me of how much they understood and how well they had arrived at the concept of the American Road Trial. With both Alison and I offering support, they were ready. Alison, Tim and Bruce served as ring stewards, distraction dog handler, and judge steward. Everyone was a teacher and helping someone to understand that role. Susanne Thell served as our constant interpreter and guide to her country. She was very proud of her country and it was important to everyone that we left with a better understanding of both the people and country.

Sweden had 5 competitors and six dogs completing the RD. There was one completing the Coaching Certificate. This was an excellent start for Sweden and I was impressed with the hard work that everyone had put into this event.

The excitement will carry them on to next year. There were several future competitors that watched from Norway and Sweden.

They are all eager to try this exciting sport for next year. We were very fortunate to have great rental horses, wonderful trails and unseasonably pleasant weather. You could not have asked for a better location.

A short history of road trials in the US
Linda Myers was a young mother of two who enjoyed riding her Thoroughbred on the groomed bridle paths that surrounded her rural subdivision not far from Seattle. With the purchase of a Dalmatian, Linda became a part of a picture-perfect trio: Linda with her glossy rich brown hair, riding a regal bay decked out in English attire, accompanied by a flashy, energetic Dalmatian.

It wasn’t long before Linda became an active member of a regional Dalmatian club, and began researching the history of her new-found love. With encouragement from other club members, she became determined to bring back the lost heritage of the Dalmatian. She contacted older Dalmatian Club of America (DCA) members who remembered Road Trials last held in the 1940s. With DCA approval, Linda Myers formed a committee, fashioned an updated set of Regulations, and hosted the first modern-day Road Trial in 1989 near her home.

The new venue attracted many Dalmatian owners who had never owned a horse, and attracted trail riders from across the country who were accustomed to riding with their dogs on narrow forest trails. In 1992, the second modern US Road Trial was held, this time in conjunction with the DCA National show in Pennsylvania. The location was a state game preserve, complete with rifle range, trap shooting, corn fields, narrow trails, and road-kill deer pit. Rental horses were trailered from a “dude ranch” rental stable nearby, and a new generation of Road Trials had begun.

The new Dalmatian performance event was a public relations success. Although not sanctioned by the American Kennel Club, the idea of a field test for the working ability of the Dalmatian provided a perfect showcase for the breed’s versatility and trainability. The Dalmatian Club of America sanctioned the event, awarding titles and providing the necessary monetary backing. Within a few years, an occasional regional Road Trial appeared on the yearly calendar in addition to the national trial.

The Trials have found a variety of venues including a game preserve, a redwood forest, a cattle ranch, state forest lands, around the perimeter of a city park, county bicycle paths, and on both private and public lands, with a variety of terrain and traveling conditions. Some exhibitors trailer their own horses over 1,000 miles for the chance to compete, while exhibitors who rent a horse, fly in from 2-3,000 miles away for the chance to ride a horse they have never seen on unfamiliar terrain.

Although American Road Trials have experienced the anticipated growing pains of any new sport, this test of the Dalmatian’s ability seems to have “caught on.” In the 14 years since Myers revived the sport, over 150 titles have been awarded by the DCA. For more information about the US Trials see the Dalmatian Club of America