8 Oct 2025
The third woman ever to qualify for the Australian Trans-Tasman team and the second
from NSW
New South Wales sheepdog handler Jess Kimpton and her seven-year-old Border Collie
Newcomen Stitch is one of just four dog-and-handler teams chosen to represent Australia at the 2025 Trans-Tasman Sheepdog Test in New Zealand, where they will compete for the
prestigious Wayleggo Cup.
The international event, set for October 31 to November 1, pits the best handlers and dogs from Australia against those from New Zealand on a hybrid course. Teams must guide three sheep through four obstacles, with the top team taking home the coveted prize.
“I’m so excited to be representing Australia,” Jess exclaimed. “There’s always a strong rivalry
with New Zealand, but it’s built on good sportsmanship. We’re out there to win for our country and that’s pretty special.”
The 32-year-old from East Kurrajong has been trialling in three-sheep working dog trials for around 15 years and training sheepdogs for more than 12, alongside preparing her own dogs for national competition.
She grew up in a dog-sport family on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. At age four she ran her first agility course with her mum’s dog and later trained two chickens to weave poles and run tunnels just to prove she was ready for a dog of her own.
Jess’ achievements, however, span more than Border Collies, who she trains and mostly breeds under the Quickstep prefix (which Jess shares with her mum, who also breeds reining-bred Quarter Horses).
She earned Australia’s highest herding titles with a Samoyed and Shetland Sheepdog on sheep, ducks and cattle, and her Shetland Sheepdog, Fox, is the only of the breed to attain his Herding Champion title.
Beyond dogs, Jess has also competed in equestrian events with reining horses and has trained animals for film and television, including for the films Rams and The Fall Guy, and the TV series Colin from Accounts.
Jess earned her spot on the Australian team after standout results at the NSW Selection Trial
in Bungendore. Despite many competitors running multiple dogs, Stitch was her only eligible entry.
Finishing in the top three secured her a place on the NSW team, which went on to compete at the Ted Gaby Interstate Challenge at the Supreme Australian Sheepdog Championships in Northam, WA.
There, the NSW team placed second, and Jess and Stitch led the way with the highest overall score for the team. Their result ranked them in the nation’s top four, earning one of just four coveted positions on the Australian team! (Watch video)
Breaking barriers in a male-dominated sport
Sheepdog trialling has been part of Australia’s heritage for more than 150 years, with the first
recorded trials held in Forbes, NSW in 1870* . Today, the sport remains male-dominated. Jess is only the third woman ever to qualify for the Australian Trans-Tasman team and just the second from NSW.
“These days you’re just another competitor,” said Jess. “The women in the sport cheer each
other on, and we’re proving we’re not just making up the numbers -- we’re competitive!”
Jess credits her success in sheepdog trials to the unwavering support of her family, the
partnership she shares with Stitch, and her philosophy of guiding dogs to use their natural
instinct with confidence and empathy.
“Stitch is more than a ‘trial dog’; she’s my partner,” she said. “When we’re in sync it’s magic.
She’ll even ‘tell me’ when I’m wrong. It’s a true partnership – almost like we can read each
other’s minds.”
When it comes to training sheepdogs, Jess explained, “I reward what’s right, calmly block what isn’t, and let the dog learn to make good choices. Confidence is everything in the dog and in the handler. You can’t push sheep around a course; you guide them.”
Balancing motherhood and sheepdog trialling
Today, Jess balances motherhood, sheepdog trialling and life on her Hawkesbury Valley
acreage, where she and her husband Morgan are raising their young daughter Evie along with sheep, horses, chickens, a cat and a team of six Border Collies aged from eight months to 15 years.
“I’m so lucky to have the support I do to keep doing what I love – working sheep – even as a
mum,” said Jess. “When Evie was younger, I thought the dream of competing might be over. But I proved myself wrong; you can be a mum and keep chasing your dreams.”
Good luck to Jess and Stitch to retain the Wayleggo Cup at the Trans-Tasman Sheepdog Test in New Zealand! For more information about the trial, please visit www.nzsheepdogs.co.nz
To discover more about working sheepdogs and trials in your state, visit Australian Sheep Dog Workers’ Association on https://asdwa.org.au/