HAILEY, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — Before being known for its ski hills, the Wood River Valley was known for its sheep. And this week, the annual Trailing of the Sheep festival is back for its 29th year.
“Our festival was born to educate people about the culture and history of this region, and that’s why we still continue today,” said Laura Drake, Festival Executive Director.
The Trailing of the Sheep festival first started back in 1996 when a new bike path was constructed in the area. Many bikers were upset with running into sheep, so John Peavey, a local politician, decided to educate to keep the history of sheep alive.
“John said, you know, the sheep have been around here for a really long time,” said Drake. “Why don’t you come have coffee with me and then come trail the sheep, and you’ll understand how this works.”
This then spiraled to the event held today. The five-day festival has over 30 events with around 25-thousand participants. While the Parade of Sheep is the main event on Sunday, sheep herding events are also a big draw.
Any dog can participate in the trailing, but one breed stands out.
“I mean, border collies are herders,” said Drake. “That’s their natural instinct is to herd. And so that’s why they’re wonderful dogs to participate in a trial.”
The dogs at the trial are a bit older, as training a dog takes years.
“It takes about two years to train a dog from puppy to being able to work sheep, okay, and mind the commands and do those sorts of things,” said Kelly Ware, USBCHA Trial Coordinator.
On average, a dog rounds up a group of four to five sheep and brings them into a pen within nine minutes. The handler guides the dog on where to get the sheep through whistle or verbal cues.
Even with a long history of sheep, the numbers are dwindling, and Drake said this is why a festival like this is so important.
“We used to be second only to Sydney, Australia as a region exporting sheep. That’s been a long time ago, so the numbers are dwindling. But keeping the stories in the history of sheep and the culture of the sheep industry and the families and the men and women who participate in the industry is really important.”
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