Charlotte Varcoe
BACK in action for the 2022 Stockmen’s Challenge at Casterton was Gippsland’s Travis Scott who attended the Kelpie Muster event for the sixth time.
Many flocked to the small country town recently to participate in a range of kelpie-based activities for the 26th annual event.
The Stockmen’s Challenge event involves competitors on horseback with their kelpies driving sheep through a number of obstacles, including penning up, and the event is held each year in the spirit of Jack Gleeson, the founder of the kelpie breed.
Finishing second in the dog section of the Challenge and fourth overall, Mr Scott said the unique event was getting bigger and better each and every year.
“I have been to the Kelpie Muster a couple of times and always enjoy the event,” Mr Scott said.
“It is a very unique weekend and we don’t get anything like that anywhere else so it is nice to be a part of it.”
He said the Challenge event was a unique aspect of the weekend-long activities due to it being invite only.
“I have been invited to the Stockmen’s Challenge a number of times and it is fantastic because it gets people to display their dogs in a different way,” he said.
“They try and get people from different regions to display different stock and dogs and each year I have been invited back; I haven’t done too bad.”
According to Mr Scott, the Challenge was the only one of its kind where participants work sheep, ride a horse and work a farm dog at the same time.
“I really enjoy the Challenge each year as well as the Kelpie Muster because most people in Casterton own a kelpie themselves and they understand what we do out in the real world with these working dogs,” he said.
“Almost everyone who attends knows how big of a part working dogs are in our day-to-day lives and they love it and get so excited to see them working.”
Already looking forward to the event next year, Mr Scott said he would love to be invited once again after observing the weekend event growing bigger and better each year.
“The way the muster has grown over the years and become more popular is fantastic because it gets people connected and over time has gone from a small community event to a massive one,” he said.
“Australian people are iconic and we love to attach ourselves to something if it is good and kelpies are great, they have become an Australian icon so to have this unique event held each year is fantastic.”
