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ABSA - Affiliated British Sleddog Activites
Updated: 24-11-08 |
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SLED DOG SPRINT RACING - TREKS - SOCIALS
ABSA was founded in 1992 by a few established event organisers living in the South of England. Over the preceding years, they had become increasingly aware of the need for a specialist body to offer guidance in all aspects of the rapidly growing Sport of sleddog competition in Great Britain.
ABSA's aim, therefore, is to not only encourage and support events encompassing all the various sleddog activities and co-ordinating them into a workable calendar, but to also show the way to achieving quality organisational skills and progressing the Sport alongside other countries.
ABSA Membership is restricted to Event Organisers who are willing to give of their time to assist others and who continually strive to improve standards and promote the Sport in a co-operative manner.
ABSA is now entering its seventeenth season, continuing to attract
good support from mushers by averaging nearly 60 entries per event,
with several events each winter which span the south and middle of
the UK. The 25 year old ABSA Affiliated Sled Dog Events' New Forest
weekend event near Southampton attracts a large entry each season and celebrates
its quarter-century anniversary this time.
Mushers are invited on a yearly basis to compete at the various events
which include socials. The ABSA structure allows the scheduling of several
standard classes and variations of them, the event organisers free to
choose classes that suit their preferences and their venues. The majority
of races have computer-assisted timing and provide result printouts
for the mushers.
Entry to ABSA Events is restricted to dogs on ABSA-approved registers,
without exception. The present approved registers are:
(UK) KENNEL CLUB
All KC recognised and registered sleddog breeds (i.e. Alaskan Malamute, Canadian Eskimo Dog, Greenland Dog, Samoyed and Siberian Husky) may compete in any ABSA standard
class and most others.
SIBERIAN WELFARE
Run by Breed Clubs such as The Siberian Husky Club of GB and The Scottish Siberian Husky Club. Siberians that are accompanied by their KC registration documents into Welfare are neutered and issued
a Welfare Registration Number and are permitted to compete at SHCGB/SSHC Breed Club
working events (their KC documents remaining with Welfare). Such Siberians may also compete in any ABSA standard class and most others. Each entry must be supported by a letter from the relevant Welfare Secretary confirming KC registration, Welfare Registration Number, name and ownership.
ALASKAN MALAMUTE WELFARE
Run by The Alaskan Malamute Club of UK. Malamutes that are accompanied by their KC registration documents into Welfare are neutered and issued
a Welfare Registration Number and are permitted to compete at AMCUK
working events (their KC documents remaining with Welfare). Such Malamutes may also compete in any ABSA standard class and most others. Each entry must be supported by a letter from the Welfare Secretary confirming KC registration, Welfare Registration Number, name and ownership.
SLED DOG EVENTS
The SDE Register has been run by Lynn
Harrison for many years and is strictly for individual purebred
KC recognised sleddogs who, for one reason or another, do not have KC
registration documents. Each applicant is considered on its own merits
and specific verification. It must be neutered as this Register
is not intended to encourage the breeding of unregistered
purebreds. Dogs on this Register may compete in any ABSA standard class and most others.
The Register is closed
August-April.
NON PUREBRED SLED DOG
The NPSD Register is 'older' than most mushers in the UK and was first introduced by The Eskimo Dog Club of GB. When that Club ceased to hold
working events many years ago, ABSA inherited the Register and it is now run by the ABSA Group (Registrar: Stuart Marle, tel: 01225 865216). The Register is for suitable individual dogs of non purebred-sleddog breeds (as defined by the KC) and not for those
purpose bred/owned for sledwork. Each applicant is considered on its
own merits. Most dogs holding a registration number are KC registered
and are the odd dog owned by purebred-sleddog mushers.
Those dogs that are not KC registered, including the occasional crossbred, must
be neutered as this Register is not intended to encourage their breeding. Dogs on this register are confined to ABSA -O sectioned classes, but may freely compete/attend at social events/classes.
The Register is closed
August-April.
NB Although ABSA does not object to such dogs in principle, currently
it has no immediate plans to introduce, or accept, a register for purpose
bred/owned non KC recognised sleddogs to its events.
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| GANGLINE - The Newsletter of ABSA |
Gangline was a yearly publication sent out each year to all the previous ABSA Season's competitors. A roundup of that ABSA Season's events' results and containing articles of interest, Gangline was copyrighted and edited by ABSA Member Lynn Harrison. With a change in policy, Gangline ceased in 2001.
Press the Gangline button on the navigation bar above to read past articles, both technical and light reading, headed with respective year of publication in brackets. ABSA does not hold itself responsible for possible inaccuracies or errors contained in any of the articles, or necessarily associate itself with individual opinions expressed therein. |
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