Thunder, lightening, torrential rain and widespread flooding throughout East Sussex and Kent heralded the advent of the Rye Country Show, which took place last Saturday (August 15). But this was just a dramatic curtain raiser. Show visitors experienced brilliant sunshine, a light breeze, lush grass and the going was good, for both humans and animal competitors.
The dogs were again the stars this year, though they faced tough competition from the horses, ponies, owls and ferrets. But surely there can be no better spectator sport than the Grand National? In this unique event, a variety of dogs jump over fences, accompanied by their human companions. At least, that is the idea. In practice, the dogs had other ideas.
Some circumvented the fences, others simply refused and a handful bounded off into the distance, never to be seen again. The humans did their best, dragging or throwing their dogs over the fences, calling and running after them in vain, but in the end the dogs won as they always do. Two heats and a final race took place, under the watchful eye of the brilliant commentator David Rhys Jones.
Poppy Overy, with her human Annabel, was the overall winner. The pair showed their class early on, winning their heat easily. Poppy had clearly trained Annabel very well as the two worked perfectly as a team, with long, accurate strides and a clear focus on the finish line.
The best spectator sport? But then the terrier racing started. So it’s a hard call. The race organisers had been delayed by terrible traffic, so by the time they arrived the arena was hyper-tense. As the protective fencing was rolled out, spectators barked and howled to hurry them along. But the event was worth the wait.
Many dogs took part in the event but more chose to support them from the sidelines. Some clearly regretted their decision not to participate in the race and tried to break in through the fence while it was being run. One human made the fatal mistake of cheering her dog on as he exited the trap. Unfortunately this distracted him so he rushed over to her and gave her a lick, destroying his chances of winning. The winners were as follows: Under 12 inches category, Tigger; Over 12 inches category, Bullet, and in the highly respected Odds and Sods category, the mighty Bryn.
Photo: Seana Lanigan
