Result: NBHA Western Regional Open Championship

Location: Cheyenne, Oklahoma

Post Date: May 7, 2025

Submitted By: Tim Thornton

NBHA Western Regional Championship (l-r): Meadow Thornton, Kevin Guess, Tim Thornton with T D Sugar Show, Ken Sauer, Weldon Gardner with Piper, and Drey and Emory Gardner.

The NBHA Western Regional Championship commenced on March 16, 2025. The Championship had been postponed from its original date due to the weather and was rescheduled to follow the NBHA Free-For-All on the grounds at Croton Creek Ranch. Participants and dogs had already endured four days of high temperatures, 80 mph winds, and then cold! The temperature fluctuated 50 degrees during the eight braces of the Western Championship. Four dogs found wild coveys, with six coveys of wild quail being located during this single course field trial.

The Running
The morning started off a calm, crisp 22 degrees with absolutely no wind. The weather climbed into the 70s by mid-afternoon. It's been said that there's no place with more unpredictable scent conditions than western Oklahoma, and this day would do nothing to dispute that.
Under the conditions, birdwork came at a premium. Here's a synopsis of dogs that finished with birdwork.

Brace 2: Uptown's West Mountain Boone, fresh off of his Top Callback Dog Award and runner-up in the NBHA National Free-For-All a day earlier, and handled by Jon Smith, continued his bird finding ways with two finds, including a wild covey find in less-than-ideal scenting conditions. The young 3-year-old pointer, running his third one-hour brace in four days, gave a good effort on the ground. He showed his wild bird hunting background in the way that he interpreted the course and cover. His performance led the field for a good portion of the day, and he narrowly missed his second runner-up championship in two days.

Brace 5: Mayfield's Miss Kitty ("Rona") had a scorching start to her brace off of breakaway, disappearing over Willie's Ridge on the right side of the course with her bracemate, Bromance, handled by Ryan Eichelberger in the same area. Rona showed back to the front at about the 15-minute mark as handler Tim Thornton and gallery crossed the creek after Willie's Ridge. Rona had the course to herself for the remainder of the braces; Bromance didn't return. Rona hunted gamely, making some strong moves to the front. Rona showed a lot of grit as she was fresh off of whelping a litter of puppies, and the temperatures had warmed considerably. At about 40, Rona's handler called point. The bird ran but was eventually flushed by handler Tim Thornton, and all was in order. Rona finished her gutsy hour to the front and still going strong. During her find, a bird got up under the judge's horse, which caused quite a stir, and the horse's reaction and subsequent rodeo led to a lot of conjecture and laughter for the rest of the day.

Brace 6: The weather continued to warm up, and so did the action as K C's Next Gen (Ken Sauer) and Piper (Weldon Gardner) turned loose. Both dogs had big races throughout the brace. Ben had a find at 35 with Piper backing below the one-hour course viewing area hill. At about 45, Piper was found pointing in a group of trees and plum thickets below the 30-minute course viewing area hill. It was a wild covey, and all was in order. Both dogs continued strong races out across the open prairie, finishing to the front.

Brace 8: T D Sugar Show (Tim Thornton) was the last dog turned loose after five grueling days on the single one-hour middle course at Croton Creek. Sugar broke away in warm conditions with the Oklahoma wind making its presence known. She made a big move to the front right of course up onto Willie's Ridge and then hunted the ridge to the front before dropping down into the valley. Thornton watered her there and then sent her to the right side of the course. As she swung to the front, she hit scent and pointed. She was in the creek bottom with a plum thicket above her. It was a tough flushing situation, and no birds were produced. Handler chose to relocate, and Sugar once again established point. The bird ran past her and left the thicket in front of the judges, and all was in order after the shot. Sugar continued forward, working objective to objective down the long grassy chute. Finally, making a sweeping cast to the left and pointing. As the handler walked in to flush a covey of wild birds, they blew out in every direction, including right at the dog. After the shot, Sugar was once again released and hit the second water station well in front of the handler; she was in and out and continued on. Judges pointed her out well to the front as she topped a ridge and disappeared into the valley. She was seen moving well to the front again but failed to reappear after dropping off the edge of the dry pond. Jon Smith was scouting, and the handler asked the judges if he could send him for a look. Permission granted, Jon was gone a short time when point was called. An extended flushing effort was made, and the handler deduced the birds had made an escape and decided to take his dog on. Up and over Willie's Ridge and back onto the front side of the course, Sugar made a cast to the right into a group of plum thickets with no success, as she crossed back to the front, running strong, and disappearing into the next group of thickets.
Down through the creek and across the pond, Sugar hit scent again and began to trail. After about 150 yards, a covey of wild birds took to the air too far to the front to be pointed, but close enough that they had had enough. Sugar put on the brakes and stopped to flush. Handler shot and made up the 250-plus yards up the hill to retrieve his dog. Sugar took to the front and went out of sight over the last ridge. As the handler topped the ridge, he expected to see her well to the front in the open flats, but instead, she had gone left up the steep hill and was now bounding down the steep face and out onto the flats to the front. She went to the left of a plum thicket draw, using the wind to her advantage. Her gait changed, and she dropped off into the draw and didn't reemerge. The judge called point; the dog was standing at a steep downward angle on the side of the cut. As the handler entered the cut, wild birds erupted in all directions. Time was called, and the judge remarked, "That's how you end it!"
Field trials aren't possible without individuals taking time out of their busy schedules to participate, judge, plant birds, drive the dog wagon, cook, and any other number of things that come up that need to be taken care of. It is with the sincerest thank you that we recognize everyone involved who helped and attended this trial. I would like to thank our judges for their attentiveness during a long day in the saddle, as well as Jesse Lambert, the original chair of the event, before its postponement. He put in a lot of work to line up judges and trophies and organize the event. The NBHA is an incredible organization; without them and their sponsors, these events wouldn't be possible.

A Little Background
This being the first Championship that we've won, I wanted to share a little about Sugar and her development and the place she holds in our string and as part of our family. Sugar was a Covid baby, as they say. Shortly after we acquired her, the whole world seemed to shut down. Her breeder and my good friend, David Uphoff, allowed me the privilege to own her. In those early days, my wife Melissa, who was learning to ride and learning about field trialing, would go out every evening with me and ride and run Sugar. We had other young dogs with her as well, but none of them found birds like her. It became a daily family outing to drive roads in the evenings and work her on ditch pheasants--my wife Melissa, daughter Meadow, and baby Hazel. Later, we worked her on Prairie chickens, pheasants, and quail that were plentiful around our little farmstead. She was a November-born pup out of a Funseeker's Rebel frozen semen breeding to Deep Creek Myrna. As such, she was just 10 months old when she began her derby season! We broke her at 12 months old, and at 14 months old, she narrowly missed a runner-up championship with three broke finds in the Region 17 Shooting Dog Championship! As a derby, she had wins at the Big Sky Open Shooting dog Derby in Circle, Montana, as well as in Kansas and Colorado.
Our whole family has been there watching and helping as we developed this magnificent dog, and it just so happened that they were watching and cheering from the dog wagon as her run progressed. The excitement on the kids' faces as Sugar was announced the champion is going to stick with me forever. Truly a family achievement, and we couldn't be prouder.

Cheyenne, Okla., March 16 - One Course
Judges: Kevin Guess and Dray Williams
NBHA WESTERN REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP [One-Hour Heats] - 14 Pointers and 1 Setter
Winner-T D SUGAR SHOW, F1691312, pointer female, by Funseeker's Rebel-Deep Creek Myrna. Tim Thornton, owner and handler.
Runner-Up-PIPER, F1687183, German Shorthair female, by W&W Rip N Dig-H&R Miss Rock Star. Weldon Gardner, owner and handler.