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The 4th Symposium
From REBECCA AND SUE WIMPEY , England
The 4th International English Springer Spaniel Symposium held at Scotterthorpe, Lincolnshire proved to be an enormous success from the very beginning. This two day event was blessed with glorious sunshine and wonderful company. On Saturday morning everyone gathered bright and early for the start of the Symposium, for what was to be a very interesting day ahead. The sun already blazing hot, welcome cups of tea and coffee were readily served and all were soon chatting and enjoying themselves. David Swank opened the Symposium with a friendly introduction, and each of the panellists provided a resume of their involvement in the breed; the day was already off to good start.
The morning was filled with two very fascinating presentations. The first expert Gill Averis gave a brilliant talk on Artificial Insemination, and the pros and cons of the technique. Afterwards, Jeff Sampson provided a marvellous lecture on his life-long interest of canine genetics. These talks were a must for both English Springer Spaniel breeders and dog lovers alike.
At half twelve the Symposium broke for lunch, and everyone tucked to a scrumptious hog roast. Lunch time provided the opportunity for the people to get to know one another and to take a refreshing drink. When lunch time was over everyone retreated to the welcome shade of the marquee in anticipation of more discussion.
Marie Merchant gave a very professional presentation where she compared and contrasted the UK and US breed standards, and afterwards the panellists provided individual accounts of the ESS breed standard. Each talk was varied and concise and complemented the main discussion by Marie. Carolyn Muirhead then gave a fascinating insight into the role of the ESS in the field, which provided a reminder as to the original purpose of the breed, and was excellent for anybody who was interested in this aspect. The final presentation of the day was provided by the expert Peter Bedford concerning the subject of eye conditions. This was found to be an extremely essential and interesting talk, which increased my awareness of the necessity for eye testing (especially for glaucoma) in our breed. Overall the discussions during the first day must have been both interesting and entertaining for all experienced ESS enthusiasts and any newcomers to the breed. It had been a lovely day, thoroughly enjoyable and extremely worthwhile. Everyone was looking forward to socialising and a good dance.
Saturday evening was spent at the White Swan Hotel in Scotter for a buffet and disco. The light buffet was just what was required after such a hot day, the food was good, and dessert was particularly delicious. Our symposium crowd were in good spirits and danced all night long. New friends were made and old friends had the opportunity to catch up with one another. It was a very memorable evening indeed!
The second day started a little later than the first, which was probably welcomed by most in consideration of Saturday night's festivities. Sunday proved to be even hotter than the Saturday, it was another beautiful day and not a cloud was to be seen. It was lovely to be in the fresh air in such a beautiful part the world surrounded by merry dogs and happy people. Sunday morning got off to another good start, this time in the open air, where we were provided with an interesting demonstration of the judging protocols in Scandinavian countries. This particular event was informative and good fun for all participants. I am not sure who enjoyed themselves the most, the owners or the dogs!
Then came the Parade of Champions which proved to be one of highlights of the weekend. The rock band Queen's "We are the champions" belted out from the music system as the first of fourteen champions made their way around the show ring and stood for photographs. All the champions were impeccably turned out and looked beautiful in the glowing sun. There was even a heroic and valiant performance by one of the champions with his poorly foot, who played to the gallery even more after sufficient "ahhs" were provided by the crowd! At the end of the parade all the Champions gathered together for a final photo shoot. It was a wonderful treat to see all the beautiful dogs in a line up.
After lunch everyone gathered in the marquee where our panel of experts were available to answer any questions about the ESS. This provided the participants with a good opportunity to ask any questions that they had gathered during the weekend. Then a light hearted dog quiz ensued, yet again, everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves. To round the weekend off, Jan Fennell "The Dog Listener" gave a marvellous talk about canine communication, and her question and answers session was equally as interesting. During the day there was also the opportunity for any dogs to undergo an eye test by Prof. Peter Bedford, who had given his discussion the previous day.
The 4th International ESS Symposium was a great opportunity which we would not have missed for the World. We have been able to take home with us lots of new knowledge and also lovely memories beside. The hospitality provided by Glen Miller and Jan Fennell was wonderful. Thank you to all of you whose hard work has made our symposium weekend such a memorable and worthwhile event.
DAVID SHIELDS, England
Moderator
"Over the weekend of July 15th and 16th,the 4th International English Springer Spaniel Symposium was held in Lincolnshire. The event was blessed with two days of glorious weather,infact at times it was to hot for the participants, which could have been the excuse for the steady supply of cold beers and lagers enjoyed by many who were staying for the two days!
A strong International Panel, from Australia,America,Sweden,Norway and the UK proceeded over the event, with myself as the Moderator. The first day started with each of the panellists giving a short illustrated overview of the breed in their respective countries. There then followed three excellent presentations during the day from Gil Simpson on artificial insemination, Jeff Sampson on genetics and Peter Bedford on eye conditions. Each of these generated lively questions and discussions. The panellists also took it turn to go through their own interpretation of the breed standard and Marie Merchant from Australia presented on the differences between the UK/FCI standard and the AKC standard. By the end of Marie’s presentation it was agreed there was maybe not quite the differences between the two standards as many thought, but was more down to the fashions and the exaggerations our American cousins are looking for in the breed. The official part of the first day finished with Carolyn Muirheads giving a presentation on the role of the ESS in the field. It was then time for everyone to freshen up before the evenings entertainment.
The second day started with a few sore heads from the previous nights festivities, but these were soon forgotten as the days programme got going. The first event on the Sunday was a demonstration on the judging system in Sweden and Norway, which those from the UK who had never judged or visited shows in those countries found most enlightening. The morning session ended with a parade of 14 ESS champions, ending up with them all in the ring together for a very informal photograph!!
After lunch a light hearted quiz kept everyone amused, and a big thanks must go to the Springer world’s own "Magnus Magnusson",Colin Corbett for organising this. Proceedings ended with an open question and answer session and a superb talk by Jan Fennel, the "Dog Listener".
Apart from those from the UK who attended the two days, there were visitors also from America,Sweden,Finland,Norway,France and Wales!! All I can say to you that could not make it, you don’t know what you missed!
Last but not least a big thank you must go to the organising committee and to Glen Miller and Jan Fennel for opening their home to host the event."
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