Show Placings
Bath Canine Society
26th May 2024
Judge: Mr Ian Higham (Comberdown)
I would like to thank Mr. Lee Cox and the officers and committee of Bath Canine Society for making my wife and I feel so welcome at their show. Also my two amazingly competent stewards Mark and Joyce who were just brilliant at their job.
I found nothing obviously untoward or concerning, apart from, surprisingly, a few too heavy ones, which cost placings. We need to remember functionality.
In general, overall, this was an entry of terrific in-depth quality. What an absolute privilege it was to go over them. Thank you all so much!
Minor Puppy - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: Lessien Honky Tonk
Placing Critique
G & T. Narrow with correct harsh coat. He moved well on good feet with thick pads. He had a nice head with keen eye. Good muzzle and correct bite. Ribbed well back, showing strength to loin.
Boston & District Canine Society Championship Show
5th Jul 2025
Judge: Tan Nagrecha (Chandimore)
My first time giving ccs in this lovely breed and an experience I enjoyed immensely .
To dig deep into such a numerically good entry and try find a pattern to type combined with condition and structure with good movement is always fruitful and I felt my line ups were good and uniform in general .
As a non specialist my intention was to find a specimen of good type but most importantly of the correct proportions and tail set and carriage . a dog in fit hard condition that can keep up with the horse and hounds on any terrain . short legs and deep chested dogs were not to my interpretation .
Dogs with good leg length and ground clearance with height at the withers being greater, a correct topline and underline ,a tail set off the back and at 45 degrees carriage were highly rewarded .
Expression is key and the otter head and expression is easily recognisable in the good ones .
Whilst most were spannable the correct flat ribs and loose pelting was few and far between .
Yearling - Dog /
Third Place
Name at show: Lessien Honky Tonk
Novice - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: Lessien Honky Tonk
Placing Critique
stood third in yearling dog, ok in proportions but a little short in backline , tail carriage is a little high , not in the best of jackets today .
East Anglia Border Terrier Club Partnership Championship Show
5th Jul 2025
Judge: Mr Mark Lowry (Ravenside)
Many thanks to East Anglia B.T.C. officers and committee for giving me the opportunity to judge their show, and to all the exhibitors for such a lovely entry. Special thanks to my two stewards, Richard and Julie for making sure everything ran smoothly on the day.
Overall, I thought the quality was good and I was pleased with my main winners, very balanced with lots to like and it was a pleasure to go over them.
Yearling - Dog /
Reserve
Name at show: Lessien Honky Tonk
Novice - Dog /
Third Place
Name at show: Lessien Honky Tonk
Joint Border Terrier Clubs Championship Show
31st Aug 2025
Judge: Mrs Jane Morton-Shaw (Fehmarn)
Many thanks to the committee for inviting me to judge what turned out to be the last Joint Ch Show. I had a wonderful day, & I was very ably and efficiently aided by my two stewards Tracey Anscombe and Peter Armstrong & I send my thanks out to them again (shows can’t run without good stewards).
My main down side to a lot of the Borders I went over was the front movement (I’m not immune to this either)! This needs watching and careful breeding to try and improve on this fault - not easy I know, but something to aim for. Again very few Borders with a good thick pelt which we used to have. Top lines have much improved generally and good to see that most of the exhibits were in good fit/hard condition.
Yearling - Dog /
Third Place
Name at show: Lessien Honky Tonk
Placing Critique
Bigger dog than the other two placed above & a little too long in body, making his overall appearance to be imbalanced, but a level topline with correct tail set. Coat not quite in. Moved OK
Novice - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: Lessien Honky Tonk
Midland Counties Canine Society
25th Oct 2025
Judge: Felicity Freer (Felfree)
Yearling - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: Lessien Honky Tonk
East Anglia Border Terrier Club Championship Show
18th Apr 2026
Judge: Mr Stewart McPherson (Brumberhill)
Unexpectedly judging, this year, being brought forward a year, due to the incapacity of the scheduled Judge. Best wishes to Dave for a speedy recovery. My thanks to the Club for the invitation and to my stewards, Andy and Rob, for keeping everything running smoothly and to the exhibitors for a super entry, which I enjoyed judging. It was a super large ring, giving dogs every chance to really move out and the weather, although a bit nippy at times, held out.
Now to the dogs, themselves. On the whole, heads were good, most having the “moderately broad skull” asked for in the Standard, very few being overly broad, with deep stops, more reminiscent of the Asiatic otter, rather than the native River otter.
Necks, into shoulder, were, on the whole ok, the main problem, as ever, being short upper arms, giving a front construction, set too far forward, on the body, rather than under it, more Fox Terrier than Border Terrier, meaning that the elbow was the widest part of the dog, not ideal on a dog bred to go to ground.
Bone varied, while we don’t want heavy bone, a few were too light, those with straight fronts and quality bone, down to small feet, with thick pads were a joy to find.
I’ve got hands like shovels, so the majority were spannable, but even I struggled with one or two! A few were, to my mind, short in rib, lacking the carry back, giving an untypical cut up underline.
Topline and tailsets were in the main good, just a few “not quite” sloping in croup. Tails, in the main, were good, not too many long ones. A few could have been thicker at the base, but none curled over the back.
The majority had good racy hindquarters, very few showing the stilted rear action that seems to be creeping in to the breed, totally incorrect in a breed that should be capable of “following a horse” as there’s no length of stride, driving from the hocks.
The main point of concern, I found, is an alarming number, whose back legs are simply not on the same track as the front ones, when moving, I assume, due to a slight imbalance between the front and rear construction, the angles not matching, to give efficient movement.
Coats and pelts were pretty good, even those short of coat, had, in the main, evidence of harshness. Given it’s pretty much the start of the show season, none were unduly penalised, my view being coats are transient, construction is a constant.
Limit - Dog /
Very Highly Commended
Name at show: Lessien Honky Tonk
West of England Ladies Kennel Society
24th Apr 2026
Judge: Mrs. Liz Wright (Totherend)
Limit - Dog /
Very Highly Commended
Name at show: Lessien Honky Tonk
