Karmala Merino and Working Kelpie Studs: Dogs

Glide is a versatile dog working cattle (and previously deer) for his owner David Hart, ‘Oakwood’, Gympie, who describes him :

‘Glide has a clever natural common sense cast, a calm strong presence on stock and true heading ability. He can vary his work rate to easily lift stock, and then gently guide them.
Glide has an effective search in wild country and assists thoughtfully in the yards. Glide’s temperament is as good as they come – he is a real mate in the camp. He is breeding on well with both linebred and outcross bitches.’

Glide is proving himself a sire of useful, versatile dogs. David is very pleased with a son of Glide’s, Tracker Chief, whom he rates an even better dog than his sire; he was delighted when he saw Chief work sheep for the first time.

Riana Glide

Riana Glide

Riana Glide prepares to block a breakaway.

Riana Glide shows power without the need to bite.

David Hart with his two main dogs, Riana Glide and Karrwarra Ruby, and (right) Karmala Lyddy and Karmala Ralph demonstrate calm control.

A very good dog in the Riana mould at present working for Jason Wright.
Finch is an excellent lead dog and saves Jason an extra man when moving cattle along the lanes which connect the farm near Rutherglen; he is also capable of mustering a mob of cattle single handed and is a classy dog on sheep.

Finch is proving a dominant sire, stamping his class on his pups. His litter of pups from Spice are starting work in the Finch mould, calm and clever.
I took this photo of Finch’s dam Spin some years ago, she has proven a good brood bitch.

A Finch trait is his work at an extended relaxed trot and this is also appearing in his pups, see pic. of Finesse below.

Riana Finch (Finn), January 2008.

Riana Spin, dam of R.Finch, at 9 mths.

Riana Finch( Riana LoteXRiana Spin)

Jason Wright with Riana Finch and his son, Cash. Like father, like son....

Karmala Zeb(R.FinchXW.Spice) starting at 10 weeks.

Karmala Finesse(XR.Finch)...works like her dad.

Dart is now working for John Halsted in the ranges near Merriwa on Hampshire Station.
John describes Dart as a clever, calm worker who adapted readily to working ewes and lambs. Dart’s dam, Keswick Nell(Riana JokerIIXRiana Jet) has been a very good brood bitch. R.Jet is by Driftwood Clyde and Riana Bounty is also by Clyde. Dart has an I.B.% of 20.2.
I saw Dart working recently when I picked up Lyddy, who is due to whelp to him in early August. He is a most impressive dog, very stylish and with a lot of presence.
Dart has brilliant footwork, or ‘short cover’.

Falcon Dart(Riana BountyXKeswick Nell)

Falcon Dart. These photos were taken by John Halsted.

The lower reaches of Hampshire Station. All mustering has to be done on horseback and clever dogs are a must.

A nice dog with beautiful footwork and lateral movement. Has the natural distance off his stock that is typical of Riana bred dogs.

One of his daughters, Karmala Qing(XRiana Quill11) has been retained in the stud. Clyde is a dog who needs work, and he has been sold to Adam Wheeler who breeds and works cutting horses at Boonah, Q.

Clyde is shaping up as a useful sire and has been used by Peter Austin(Kirkaldy), Pat Murphy(Karrawarra) and Bill Scott(Stockman’s). Peter has a nice dog by him from a Karrwarra bitch and Bill Scott is pleased with a nice blue pup by Clyde called Stockman’s Steel.

Karmala Clyde

Karmala Clyde

K. Clyde working with Riana Meggie (Delta's litter sister).

The Chief is a young dog bred by David Hart by Riana Glide from his bitch Pud’s Sookie. She was by Pud’s great old dog Signature. This is how David described her shortly after she died:

Sookie wasn’t too much of anything other than straight common sense. On cattle she would cast to where she had to be with minimum effort, whether that was 50 meters on a flat or 3 kms through a gorge, but she would get there and control stock. Chief has a much nicer more classic “Riana” style cast and is not at all short.

Chief has nice walk up strength and is a calm dog. I watched him get a huge lantana wrapped bull out of a creek bed and was most impressed. He can only improve as he matures.

Tracker 'The Chief'(Riana GlideXPud's Sooki) has a win.

Slick is owned by Jason Wright at Springhurst, Vic., where he is one of his main work dogs. Slick has a searching cast and is a clever dog; I watched him moving escaped feed lot steers recently and was most impressed.
Slick is a litter brother to Sly.

His sire Riana Coin was owned by Michael Croft and was his main working dog on both cattle and sheep. Coin was a tough, clever dog and a great character and Slick obviously takes after him.

Falcon Slick(Riana Coin 11XKeswick Nell)

Slick with Jason's other dogs, Riana Finch and his Collie bitch Jill.

Slick keeps his eye on the job as he quietly holds a mob of sheep.

Cap is a nice dog in the Riana tradition and has been used there in the stud. Bred from generations of tough workers that have needed to use their initiative to do the job, Cap is a classy, light running type.

Spice had a litter of 9 to Cap in 2004 which included Karmala Akubra and Karmala Spike.
This mating was repeated but there were only two surviving pups including Karmala Lyddy, who produced a litter to Falcon Dart 7/08.

Riana Cap

Riana Nap is owned by Michael Croft. He is used for both sheep and cattle work in difficult country, the Moonbi ranges near Tamworth. Nap has a great cast and is a sensible, steady worker.

Riana Nap

Riana Nap

‘Kuba’ is a beautiful Kelpie type with a great temperament. Has that extra bit of class that stamps him with sire potential, according to Arthur Hazlett of Riana. He has nice distance off his stock and is calm and willing to please. Spent some months at Milburn Creek in 2007 where he did some real work, helping muster difficult hill country.

Akubra has been used at Karrawarra and two sons, Karrawarra Kent and Karrwarra Coster have been retained. Coster has been used a sire with some success.

Karmala Akubra

Karmala Akubra, 2008

Karmala Akubra, a beautiful type.

Karmala Akubra keeps an eye on grazing ewes.

I mated Delta to Spike in preference to Akubra because of his proven work record at that time. A son of Spike’s from that litter, Karmala Swagman, is being worked by Queensland Kelpie legend Arthur Crumblin. He does a lot of contract mustering in the Traprock country and around Glen Innes, and reports that Swaggy’s now a useful member of his team and prospective sire material.

Last time I spoke to Arthur he had just used Swaggy to muster a mob of 200+ pregnant Merino ewes who were being brought in to be drenched for Barber’s Pole worm. He was surprised and pleased that they managed to walk in every ewe; he said Swags was patient with the slower ones, and smart enough to go forward and check the head of the mob.

Arthur said this ‘stock sense’ reminds him of Riana Ace, and is remarkable in a dog not yet a year old. Another point Arthur mentioned was Swag’s ‘light footedness’ in stony country, where many dogs tear their pads…his main complaint about the dog is his ‘over friendliness’, but no doubt that will sort with age.

Karmala Spike, June 2007.

Karmala Swaggy, 4 months.

Paddy’s Shadow is a big red dog that has done a lot of work for his breeder, Pat Murphy, out at Bollon in West Queensland. An all rounder, has a great cast but will back and bark in yards.

He is by Karrawarra Boogs (Karra. Trimmer X Karra. Sparkle) from Paddy’s Loo (Riana Don X Karra. Step).

The litter Delta had to Shadow produced some very useful types, it was a pity that some of the pups had quite a bit of white on them. Delta’s previous litter to Riana Nap also carried some white. This is always a risk when using old Kelpie bloodlines, as some of the old stud breeders would use a collie cross to maintain a good cast and biddability in their dogs. Kelpies have been used by collie breeders for their strength and hardiness, but the evidence is not as obvious!

Paddy's Shadow

Riana Raddle has been used twice at Karmala, both matings have been to Spice. He is by Riana Tumby, a litter brother of R.Delta Dawn(Driftwood ClydeXRiana Bula) out of Riana Sady(Riana GlenXRiana Polly). R.Sady has a lot of Glenville blood on both sides of her pedigree. Riana Glen, her sire, is a lovely old dog. I remember seeing him working a nanny goat with three new kids a few years ago, and backing her through a gateway. Sady is his only daughter at Riana.

Riana Lohti is the sire of Riana Finch, who has sired the latest Spice litter, born 24-3-08.

The Working Kelpie is fortunate to have devoted breeders like Arthur Hazlett maintaining the traits which made the breed so valuable originally.

Arthur Hazlett with R.Raddle

R.Tumby (top), R.Lote

I was fortunate to get a litter from Spice by Clyde. He was 12 years old and has since been put down with a tumour.

Driftwood Clyde

Driftwood Clyde shortly before he died, and his son Karmala Clyde.

The Driftwood ClydeXWoorivale Spice litter from left: Karmala Clyde: Karmala Macallister,'Al', Outlaw Kelpies: Karmala Condamine, Kirkaldy Kelpies: Karmala Swan, Simon Leaning.

Karrawarra Rip III is sire of Karrawarra Gift and litter brother to Karrawarra Sugar, dam of Woorivale Spice.

Karrawarra Rip III, sire of Karrawarra Gift IV