Westcountry Sled Dogs

Currently we meet at least once a week,  usually on a Sunday, however we try to meet during the holidays and sometimes on Saturdays.

It has become increasingly harder to find places to run, due to a changes in rules with permits on Forestry Commision land.  We advise you to talk with your local FC and local council where you can, because if there is an incident with members of the public, current training teams may loose out on places to train, especially with rigs.

On all Forestry Commisioned land, you will need to apply for a permit in order to run sled dogs with either rigs, scooters or bicycles.  But it does not stop us from looking for new places to run!

 Mid-September to Mid-April

This is the main season to train sled dogs, as many people also enter rallies during this time too.  It is also the best weather as sled dogs prefer the cold when running.

We generally meet at 7.30am on a Sunday and arrange extra runs for the following weeks, which can include some night runs too.  Scary but fun!!! 

 Summer Running

As it is fairly warm at this time, it is an early risef or all!  We do not run our dogs in temperatures of 14 degrees or above, so as the weather warms up, we get up earlier.  This can feel like the middle of the night at times.  Some mushers stop running during the hot and humid weather, other do shorter trots to keep up the dogs fitness, however we are still very aware of the humidity as dogs with dual coats can over-heat quickly.

We continue to meet on Sunday mornings due to work commitments, and try to fit in some evening runs too.  Some of us run more locally during the Summer months due to holidays, etc.

There have been quite a few changes over the past two years on places to run, due to permit availabilities.  However, we are not going to give all our secrets away!  You'll have to be a member to know more!!  

The majority of us have permits for Haldon Forest, with a few having permits for other FC land.  Some have access to private or council owned land with permission, which is why we can't disclose all the places we run.

Haldon Hill

Our main place has always been Dawlish Water Works in Haldon Forest, Kenford, Exeter.  Huskies have been running with permission here for several years, the first group being "Haldon Huskies" .  We would not be here if we had not been introduced to this group.

We now run a group that focus' mainly on scooters, bikes and plenty of socialising.  As a group we train/exercise for fun and only enter one or two rallies.  It has also become popular within our group to enter open shows locally too, and the Siberian Husky classes seem to be increasing in size!!!  I would like to think that is because we have encouraged more people to have a go.

Cornwall

There are several of our members who live towards Plymouth and Cornwall, and they have access to woodlands in their area, which we are lucky to visit.

North Devon

A couple of members live in North Devon with access to woodlands in their area.

Somerset

There are quite a few teams who live and work their sled dogs in this area, with permits.

We try to arrange runs around the people who are available at the time and where it is most convienent to run.  If you wish to take part, you have to be more than willing to travel further and furhter in order to train you dogs.  Sometimes this can be between 30mins and a 2 hour drive away, and when you are running before dawn - that is an early rise for a Sunday morning!