The Retriever Team Challenge 2026

Sponsored by Skinner’s Dog Food & Gamekeeper’s Goods

For 30 years, the Retriever Team Challenge at the Sherborne Castle Country Fair has drawn some of the very best working retrievers from across the South and West of the UK. These popular competitions are a real highlight of the Fair, showcasing exceptional dogs, skilled handlers, and exciting, well-designed tests.

The event began in 1996, when Angela Bullen, the gamekeeper’s wife on the Stourhead Estate, decided to put on working tests for retrievers and spaniels in conjunction with a small country fair, as a way to raise money for the Lady Hoare Trust. Because access to the Stourhead Estate was deemed inadequate, the event was held at Sherborne Castle.

That first year, the working test took place close to the Old Castle under the chairmanship of Basil Smith, while the Country Fair took place in front of the New Castle.

The working tests continued until 2002, when the relaxation of quarantine laws for dogs coming into the UK led to the creation of the International Retriever Event. For the first time, a dozen different countries sent teams of four of their top retrievers to compete at Sherborne Castle in conjunction with the Sherborne Castle Country Fair.

The International was a highly prestigious event and ran for four years at Sherborne Castle, following which it moved to new ground. Immediately after this, teams of four Open Standard Retrievers were invited to compete in a new event, run in the same style as the International: the one-day Retriever Team Challenge.

The very first Spaniel Team Challenge was held at the Sherborne Castle Country Fair in 2009, was revived in 2013, and has been held every year since.

In 2026, we are delighted to welcome the generous support of Skinner’s Dog Food and Gamekeeper’s Goods, whose sponsorship is very much appreciated.

This year, the Retriever Team Challenge will feature twelve teams of Open Standard Retrievers and their handlers competing in a series of working tests run under Kennel Club rules and regulations. Each test is carefully designed by a Kennel Club A Panel Judge, with scenarios that reflect realistic working situations likely to be encountered during the shooting season.

Using blank gunfire and canvas dummies rather than game and shot, handlers demonstrate their dogs’ abilities to retrieve and hunt both seen and unseen “quarry” over a variety of terrains, including a crowd-pleasing water test in the afternoon. The result is competition that is not only highly skilled, but also exciting and enjoyable to watch. Spectators are very welcome.