Classic SettersWe have been travelling to Wisconsin to grouse and woodcock hunt and meet with fellow Ryman Setter breeders and friends since the 1980’s. In recent years we have combined this trip with a trip to South Dakota to hunt prairie grouse and pheasants. We pack up our setters and our Airstream trailer and…
We recently imported a stud dog, Hafrafells Mori, from Iceland. We have admired hunting english setters from Iceland for years and got to know some breeders there and were offered the opportunity to import Hafrafells Mori. We especially thank Hjalti Reynir Ragnarsson and Oddur Orvav Magnusson for what they have done for hunting…
October Setters
Ryman-Type Range Range is an important aspect of a dog’s performance for hunters to consider. Ryman-type setters’ range is often described as “close”, “close working”, or “foot hunting”. These are, at best, highly subjective terms that have VERY different meanings to different people. Most of us who are attracted to the Ryman-type want…
Ryman-Type Breeders Are Focused On Maintaining The Ryman-Type Setter That We Already Have The answer to the question of whether the Rymans could be re-created from today’s field trial and show dogs is that it will never happen. Could somebody do it if they devoted a lifetime to working on it? Maybe, but…
Continuing our exploration of whether the Rymans could be re-created from today’s field trial and show dogs, in this article we will cover changes in the show dogs. Changes in American Show Setters In 1913, the year Ryman’s first litter was registered, the English setter was closer to it’s origins. The show setters…
To begin our exploration of whether the Rymans could be re-created from today’s field trial and show dogs, first let’s discuss the field trial dogs. Evolution of the Field Trial Setters Before looking at the changes in field trial dogs since Ryman was breeding it’s important to remember that all modern English setter…
The Rymans Were Not Pedigrees, They Were a Distinct Type of Actual Setters Breeders who don’t understand George Ryman’s breeding practices often try to copy him by using pedigree-based schemes—i.e. 50/50 show/field trial crosses, breeding to a show dog to improve structure, or a field trial dog to improve “hunting” performance. The breeders…