As the social prominence of the aristocracy and gentry receded after 1880, so too did their role in defining the nature of the sheepdog trial.
If a good sheepdog seems 'almost human' that is because a good shepherd has made it so.
At the same time, the shepherds and farmers, who made practical use of sheepdogs, assumed direction of the sport.
The gather is thus what the sheepdog is quintessentially about: bred for its ability to aid the hill shepherd in collecting his charges over vast distances and exceptionally irregular terrain.
But as the social prominence of the aristocracy and gentry receded after 1880,4 so too would their role in defining the nature of the sheepdog trial.
There might be a case of a sheepdog in wild open spaces, and there poison would be a very considerable danger.
But these could surely be exempted from the tax, just as sheepdogs are exempted.
The sheepdog is a highly skilled worker, as is his master.
