Stichting Oorspronkelijke Setters

Born for adventure

As free as a bird. Plus a thief of hearts. Through the centuries past many a writer, artist, poet and musician was inspired by a joyful character in athletic clothing, a sometimes rebellious red knight.

When you are originally an Arab of birddogs, born to gallop fields like a swallow on four legs, it is not nice to be caged like a parakeet and become a victim of vanity in shows only.

As a late 50^th birthday-gift, the Stichting Oorspronkelijke Setters (Foundation for original setters) was founded September 29, 2005. Its aim is to help the red setter retrieving its former glory in the Netherlands. This site is an instrument for that. This also marks the red line in half a century living of the founder: enjoying red setters since boyhood.

It was as well a celebration of 25 years of a small kennel, O’Conloch. It derives its name from novels by the Dutch prince of poets Adriaan Roland Holst, based on old Irish legends. To have a real party, the F-litter was bred (born August 1 2005), followed by the G-litter on April 6, 2006.

That way, it is hoped that the Irish setter as portrayed in Jim Kjelgaard’s trilogy Big Red (later filmed by Walt Disney), Outlaw Red & Irish Red will survive here. Big Red was renamed Roy in a strip that appeared in the Dutch youth magazine Pep (1962).

The foundation wants to prevent a situation like in the United States where show Irish setters became a clown of the Sporting Dog Class. Also in European show rings, some breeders fancy a future for the only breed with a character specified as “half a devil, half an angel” to be transformed into a dull baby doll and robbed from its Irish heritage.

Henk ten Klooster

Planning a summer litter in spring

Whereever you look, young life dominates. Whats more fun than enjoying double, spring 2008 offers a chance to plan the third and last summer litter of Redwing White Lightning, better known as Clancy.

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Clancy viewing seemingly endless fields before the EC 2008

Planning a litter, take your time for that. For sure, spring offers a lot of sun. In the shadow of oaks, planted on our arrival hare in 1986, searching for a partner for Clancy is fun. Enjoying again heaps of photographs, short movies and catalogues of European championships for working Irish setters for example.

Like swallows

Enjoying seasons gone by, two red setters make golden setter memories: Apache and Urtis. Closing your eyes on a spring evening brings them back. Flashing over seemingly endless fields like swallows on four legs.

What events for the eye, the European championship 2007 in Italy and this year in France. In last case Urtis easily won highest honours. An unforgettable event, if only because start of spring meant a mix of showers of hail, snow and sun.

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Teamcaptain Gerard Mirck holds the Dutch flag high during presentation of national teams for the EC working Irish setters in Sarry, France. The national anthem is played, there is busy photographing and filming. At that moment all chances are still in for Pallas Green Gina (Mirck), my Redwing White Lightning (Clancy-left), Pallas Green Graton Lad and Pallas Green Finnegan (Harry and Claudia Damstra-right). But French Urtis was the big -and only!- winner.

This brings back own preparations for this event as well. Crisscross through the country in search for locations to get Clancy into top condition after a winterseason. Good for dog and man. In an average working day lots of weight, gained in eating and drinking while enjoying fruits from winters hunting season, is lost.

Don't drown

Art is to bring Clancy on giant fields, which is not easy in the Netherlands, to prevent her from drowning in France where horizons are relatively faraway. This is what happened in EC Italy 2007, when according to field judges she was operating too much in a style of a practical hunting dog, staying too close. Whereas her couple mate Nash immediately disappeared, chasing horizons. A couple full of contrasts.

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Respectfully members of the French team listen to their national anthem played before the European championship for working Irish setters. Teammembers are: Urtis de la Chaume Rigault (Pernin/Gotti-Munini), Alex du Pied du Mont (Reau-Fusillier), Tyson du Val du Loue (Gotti), Apache des Sorcieres de Sancy (Guittard-Munini) and reserve Ulster des Sorcieres de Sancy.

Step by step it works to bring Clancy on that Italian/French level of competition. Every trainings day is one showing progress. Though in the first stage she kept working close, as expected in a hunting-season with 150 to 200 meters away from me. Luckily, stimulating to go faster, deeper and wider works.

She stays under control, even points and sets hares and -when they- run lies down. Attractive points on pheasant and partridge make training-sessions into a scene full of enjoyment.

Fast, wide and deep dominates as well on first field trials as a preparation for the EC. But Clancy has so much the taste of freedom that she does not stop contrary to training-sessions in case there are not yet feathers found. During the EC she shows one of these. She searches after the run in a couple with Vesper nearly all fields, out of hand.

A nice try, but failed. Though nobody can say she has not the physical powers needed for this violence of EC-competitors.

Perfect partner

Now the memory of Urtis. In everything: perfect. Not surprising, that his trainer Daniel Munini became a professional. With travels that help him over half of the world, with breath-taking locations in France, Andulusia (Spain) and for the best Paraquay. Not a coincidence that Munini is trainer of the winner of the prize for the best Irish style as well Apache.

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Urtis in action (Photo: Laurent Pernin)

Rainy May-evenings offer opportunities to dive into history of both French top setters. Luckily there is no lack of information on Urtis, he is not only winner of the EC, but gained as well in the world championship 2008 contrary to first in open competition with pointers and English setters a first place with excellent.

Going back in time with his pedigree begins. Sniffing into archives bring rapidly seven generations of forebears and a lot of enjoyment reading about them. You see a lot of top performing Irish setters, part of which seen alive when visiting or participating in the EC since 1996. Like Sheantullagh Rampant and his best son Oslo du Val de Loue. On the dams side inspiring names dive up like Samourai and Saga. Nearly all lines trace back to Moanruad.

Alas, no success is trying to cooperate with the breeding advice committee of the Irish Setter Club of the Netherlands. They have nearly or no information about working-lines. Of help are well documented club magazines of the Red Club France, the French Irish setter club. In it is a lot of info on Urtis, his fore bearers and offspring.

Researching roots

At the same time more digging in Clancys history is done. A new documentation of the National Red Setter Field Trial Club offers a chance to dive into roaring fifties in the USA, when the revival of working Irish setters was accomplished. Study all available American literature and reviving own travel-experiences, offers colourful images.

On the basis of results, it becomes more and more clear that the resurrection of working red setters in the country of stars and stripes is, contrary to what many books report or suggest, dominated by Irish setters from the famous kennel Sulhamstead. Dominant forebearers are Sulhamstead Norse and Askews Carolina Lady. And surprisingly very far back on both sides dives up Smada Byrd, main actor in famous books of Horace Lytle.

Further analysis of results clarifies that a link between Clancy and Urtis is in back regions of extended pedigrees, generation number eight. So it will be what breeders call an outcross, that is mixing families with very low or no ties. In a period in which discussions about a high percentage of inbreeding are in, this fact seems an advantage.

Though be that said the question raises, whether effects of a high COI are not influenced as well by absence of testing mental and physical properties in a show only system.

So on a late spring evening, the decision is made: it will be Urtis. Contact with owner Laurent Pernin is rapidly made. This means travelling 1700 kilometers vice versa and because of the short period of willingness to be mated this is a point to be reckoned with.

As long as hormones are still silent, 2008 is one of expectations. A first try fails du to lack of time. So waiting for the winter in summer when hormoines are in again, for the answer to the question whether or not the winner takes it all, including Clancy .