Handler Profile - Michael Longton

Country: UK

My Dogs

Michael currently owns 10 Border Collies and was always involved in dogs through the family, but started trialling at 12 years old.

Achievements

3rd at the Supreme Championship with Moss in 2005.”

Biography

Michael currently owns 10 Border Collies and was always involved in dogs through the family, but started trialling at 12 years old.

Asked for his most memorable success, Michael replies, “3^rd at the Supreme Championship with Moss in 2005.”

Monty is another of Michael’s most successful dogs – winning the English National in 2004 and being runner up in 2006.

The famous Longton sheepdog trialling family has farmed at Rooten Brook Farm for over 50 years, taking in four generations.

With outstanding views of the Morecambe Bay, southern tip of the Lake District and all over the Fylde coast, the farm is 800 acres, 350 acres of which is rough fell ground, which all the dogs are used to gather.

The farm is currently run by Michael and his father Timothy, who spend their time tending to the flock of 550 Swaledale sheep and 80 suckler cattle, whilst finding enough time to train sheepdogs.

Rooten Brook roots...

Tim Longton Snr

The first of the Longtons to farm at Rooten Brook was Tim Longton senior, in the late 1940’s when he took over the tenancy.

Tim started trialling at the age of twelve, he won the English National at Morecambe with Dot (4844) in 1949, and was runner up at the Supreme in 1954, again with Dot.

Tim Longton Jnr

Tim Longton was the next to farm here, after working as a county patrol shepherd in Cumbria based at Tebay, then managing a 3000 acre hill sheep farm for the water board at Dunsop Bridge.

He didn’t start trialling until 1947, when he was 29 years old, after serving in the Border Regiment, seeing action at Arnhem, as well as North Africa.

He won the English National for the first time in 1965 going on to win it 5 times in all and the Supreme once in 1966 with Ken.

He represented his country over 40 times at the International. When the BBC started with the idea of trialling on TV he was the obvious choice (due to his book A Sheepdog, Its Work and Training) to educate the producers and presenter Phil Drabble, and the first programme was filmed at Rooten Brook to show not only the trialling but also the training and working aspects of the sheepdogs.

Timothy Longton

Michael’s father, Timothy’s starting point “getting serious about trialling” was in 1982/3 with Gel and at the present time she is in the pedigree of all the current trial dogs at Rooten Brook.

Gel and her kennel mate Liz both qualified for the International in 1987 and since then Timothy has been a team member 17 times, including Farmers Champion in 1999, Reserve English National Champion in 1997 with Rob (200948), 1999 and 2002 with Vic (213967), English Brace Champion 4 times.

Timothy is a respected judge, judging the English National at Bolton Abbey in 2003, and runs training clinics.

Contacting Michael

You can see photos and details of the family’s dogs and contact Michael on: http://rootenbrooksheepdogs.webeden.co.uk