July 1, 2024

2024 Meeker Classic Judge – Bevis Jordan
Northumberland, England

A manager of a 4200 Acre

upland farm in Northumberland, England will preside over the 2024 Meeker Classic Sheepdog Championship Trials. Bevis Jordan will travel to Meeker, Sept. 4 – 8th to judge 135 top border Collies and their handlers as they face off against tough Meeker sheep.

Judging the Meeker Classic is not for the faint of heart – it involves five long days of the utmost concentration, judging and scoring each run. Following the Handler’s meeting each morning at 6:45, the runs start at 7 am each morning and last until 4 or 5 in the afternoon.

Guidelines for judging

a USBCHA sanctioned sheepdog trial are modeled after trials in Britain where sheepdog trials and the Border Collie originated. In judging a sheepdog trial, the judge must impartially apply the same standards of evaluation to each run on the course. A trial course is designed to test the dogs ability to manage sheep in a manner that demonstrates practical working skills on the farm or ranch. That course is divided into six scored components.

It is the judge’s responsibility to see that every competitor has a fair chance while scoring each run to the same standard. The judge must sign off on the final score sheet that is the official record of each run and is responsible for upholding rigid rules of decorum, sportsmanship, and humane animal treatment.

This will be the second time

Bevis has judged the Meeker Classic. He came to Meeker in 2013. He brings to Meeker a lifetime of experience breeding and training his line of border collies for farm work and competitive trialling. Learning much about dogs and trialling from the many great trial handlers in this very competitive area, Bevis’ success with dogs has been the result of implementing his training methods, dedication and hard work on the farm and competing at trials. He now competes in about thirty open trials and twelve nursery trials a year. He’s been very successful representing England at the National and International and competed at the World trial in Ireland in 2023.

Bevis breeds, trains and sells pups and young dogs that have gone on to compete at the National level. He has exported dogs to USA, Canada and Europe.

Bevis is a Director for the ISDS and is on the judge’s panel. He judged the English National (singles and doubles), Finals and Championships in France, Finland, Czech Republic, Holland, Iceland, Canada and the World Trial in Holland. He judged the USBCHA Finals twice, in addition to judging the Bluegrass, Meeker Classic and numerous state championships and trials all over the USA. Additionally, Bevis competes in and judges cattledog trials.

Born in the south of England,

Bevis’ father and grandfather were both shepherds. He and his wife Debbie relocated to the county of Northumberland in the North of England where he has been the farm Manager for Mains Rigg Farm for 29 years. The couple has two grown children, a son who works in New York at a top fashion house and a daughter that works on the farm with him. The 4200 farm terrain ranges from 700 to 1700 feet above sea level. The farm runs 1600 Swaledale breeding ewes, lambing out in April/May and 140 Saler cross cows that calve in February and March. Bevis does this with the help of one full time worker and his daughter.

The farm produces over 2000 lambs a year for breeding replacements and fat lambs, and sells over 100 calves a year while keeping their own replacement heifers. Bevis was awarded Farm Manager of the year in 2021 by a National Farming Press magazine in a contest against between some of the best Managers in the Northern region.

Bevis is known in the states as a tough and capable judge that has the respect and friendship of many handlers. While in Meeker he plans to spend some extra time visiting ranches and seeing the country. We look forward to sharing time with Bevis again!