Away To Me

Away To Me is a sheepdog trial you run from the handler's post. Five sheep graze at the far end of a hill course and your collie waits at your boots. Draw her outrun with your finger, then guide her with the real whistle commands: come bye, away to me, walk on and lie down. She lifts the sheep, brings them through the fetch gates, drives them round the course and pens them before the judge's clock runs out. The hill answers back. Every sheep has her own temper, and each day's draw brings a headstrong ewe who breaks away if your dog pushes too hard. The wind on the real course is checked live, and into a stiff wind your whistle reaches the dog late. Score 55 out of 90 to qualify and open the next course, each with a new dog that works in her own way. Features: • Draw the outrun yourself, judged on width, shape and whether she crosses over • Four whistle commands as buttons or swipes, delayed by the live wind on the hill • Real-style judge's scorecard: outrun, lift, fetch, drive and pen, with the judge's notes • Four courses: the Yorkshire Dales, Bala in Wales, the Canterbury high country and Bathurst in Australia • A dog with her own temper on each course: steady, keen, strong-eyed or hard to stop • A new draw every day, with an optional daily reminder • Watch a demonstration run on any open course • Put a photo of your own dog on her kennel card, taken with the camera or picked from your photos • All your scorecards are kept on your phone Walk out to the post and send her away.

First release.