Description
Kate is a 4-year-old top-class competitor with a cool, calm character and an exceptional ability to deal with any sort of sheep while leaving them settled. She combines natural authority with intelligence and feel, allowing her to perform consistently under pressure in both trials and everyday farm work. Her achievements include Reserve International Brace Champion at just 1.5 years old, Welsh National Brace Champion 2025, and multiple wins and placings in Open trials in the UK and mainland Europe. What Tim loves most about Kate is her cool, calm nature and ability to settle sheep in any situation. Off sheep, she is sweet, cuddly, and a constant companion who never leaves his side.
We welcome Tim Thewissen as he comes to Soldier Hollow for the first time. Tim is an international sheepdog trial competitor originally from Belgium, currently based in the UK where he works full-time as a shepherd managing 4,000 ewes and 120 cattle. He began working with sheep in 2016 in the Netherlands and committed fully to competitive sheepdog work in 2018. Since then, he has represented Wales at national level and competed successfully across multiple countries in Europe. Tim’s competitive journey started with Fellside Finn, who proved to be an exceptional dog and remains one of the most influential partners of his career. With Finn, he earned nearly 300 Open points, achieved multiple placings and wins including the Talgarreg Double Gather and the Dutch Open in 2023. Finn was selected as a Welsh National Team member in 2022 and 2024. In 2026, at 10 years of age, Finn is retiring from competition with an outstanding record. In addition to trials and shepherding, Tim also judges and gives clinics, having officiated at Nursery, Open, and World/Continental qualification trials.
