I horseback trialed for many years, enjoyed it for the most part. I've seen trial dogs give amazing preformances, like 15 legitimate finds on an hour course. I've also seen dogs lost off the course, and out of judgement. Frankly a lot more of the later than the former. I will say that we have big running field trial pointers and setters to thank, without doubt for the general competence of the FDSB dogs as hunting dogs. Almost all FDSB pups come from some relatives who were trialed, all may not run big enough to win at horseback trials, but pretty much universally they make a useful hunting dog. Which lest we forget is the point, a superior hunting companion is the ultimate title, we trial to make hunting dogs, we don't hunt to make our trial dogs better, though it has that effect. I think NAVHDA is great, the trials to show finish of a walking hunting dog marvelous. I have always questioned the practice of imitating the pointer/setter all age dogs by every other breed, German Shorthair, Brittany, to name two, who take a household companion, and superb foot hunting dog, and stretch them out with training and or selective breeding, to produce hyper rockets which the average foot hunter and his family, thinks they should have, because they are titled, but aren't really prepared to handle, physically or mentally and is not completely happy with in the long run. The Britts and shorthairs of my youth, basically got taken along, trained themselves, had a little more penchant for fur, than I liked, but hunted fairly close and thoroughly, hunted dead better than the avg. pointer or setter, excellent dog for what we have all become, aging hunters with sagging midlines, who want low stress. You will need to search hard, and probably pay dearly to find that model today! Nothing prettier than a dog at the horizon covering ground at dead run, sticking birds, holding and handling on a string. We already had those, why make every other breed over into their image? Equally vexing is that the horizon screamer is not really suited to the hopscotch patch hunting most of us find ourselves with now. As relayed on this very forum, dogs lost, dogs getting shot, off the permissable property, screaming, whistling with acme thunderers till you companions ears ache, electronic devices to try and wrestle control back, all the price. Cramming the square peg into a round hole causes lots of frustration for man and beast alike. Myself and others rail on this forum over the farmer who tiles a wetland, dozes a treeline, for the sake of agricultural improvement, how is that any different from attempting to remaking or improving an entire breed of dog to a standard not intended or envisioned by the breed founders. Improvement? by who's definition? Both run counter to nature, both beg the question, why? The french have a saying "Celebrate the Difference" sounds like good advice.