Meet the 2011 Trial Committee ...

Ellen Nieslanik

Ellen Nieslanik lives with her husband (Joe) and three children on the family cattle ranch where she grew up in Meeker, Colorado. Ellen operates a specialty lamb business, helps on the family ranch, and most recently served for seven years as the Director for the Meeker Classic Sheepdog Championship Trials.

Her education includes a Bachelor of Science from Colorado State University; Major in Agricultural Business; Minor equivalent in Animal Science: Paralegal degree; and she has also been licensed in property and casualty insurance in Colorado. After college Ellen pursued work in politics where she became a legislative aide and event planner for a Member of Congress in Washington DC and later in his District Office in Tucson, AZ. She has worked extensively in event planning; with volunteers and in fundraising. In addition, she has worked in in re-election campaigns on the the State level. She went on to become a contract paralegal – working primarily on criminal defense and insurance defense cases.

Herding dogs have been part of Ellen’s life since childhood on the ranch where they utilized mostly Australian Shepherds. In 1990 she bought an unregistered Border Collie pup named Molly who changed the way she utilized and trained working dogs, and it’s been only Border Collies since. Ellen has started numerous pups, and worked her way up from Novice, Pro-Novice and finally into the Open Class, having limited success, but primarily using her dogs for daily work on the ranch. Her trial experience is limited, but something she studies and hopes to spend more time doing, as her children get older.

Now work has taken Ellen full circle as she returns to her hometown to live a life in agriculture, raising sheep (and her three children), training her border collies, and working each day at something she’s truly passionate about. Her work with the Meeker Classic offered an opportunity to learn more about the breed and an opportunity to come to know and work with some of the most accomplished stockdog handlers and trainers in the industry. In 2010 Ellen retired from the position of Trial Director at Meeker, and now sits on the Board of Directors. Her day job has taken her another direction, and Ellen looks forward to spending more time training and trialing her dogs, and less time organizing events.

Bridget Strang

Bridget was born in 1966 and raised on the Strang Ranch. Strang Ranch breeds registered Hereford and Lowline cattle, Suffolk sheep and warm blood sport horses. Bridget went to school in the Roaring Fork Valley until high school and then went to the east coast to pursue the equestrian sport of three day eventing, and to finish her education.

She then spent several years competing and working in the show and race horse industry on the east coast. She was lucky to have a horse that her family bred and raised, that took her to the international level in the sport of three day eventing. That led to the United States Equestrian Team in Massachusetts as the “rider in residence” for three years.

After working as a barn manager and professional rider on the east coast, she returned home to Colorado, managing the horse business at the ranch. Her daily ranch-work involves teaching lessons, training young horses, and managing the events at the ranch.

The Strang family hosted a USCTA recognized horse trial for many years that drew competitors from all over the Rocky Mountains. The ranch still puts on many horse shows and clinics each year. Bridget rides horses competitively as a professional in the hunter/jumper division, has a large lesson and training business as well as a group of clients that show nationally. She also has a sport horse breeding business.

Bridget came to Border Collies easily! Always fascinated by the breed, her cousin, Ellen Nieslanik, gave her a puppy which proved to be a useful ranch dog. Having expanded her horizons Bridget now has a pack of three dogs and is beginning the training of a puppy. Her goal is to someday compete in the Meeker Classic Sheepdog Championship Trials. Bridget is new to dog trialing, having competed in less than five trials, but has jumped in with both feet and after hosting her first dog trial in October of 2009 at the Strang Ranch.

Dan Keeton

Trailing Experience: Twelve years as a Trial Handler, competing at many regional trials and a few National Level Trials. Trials as: Free To Be Ranch SDT, Tabletop, SDT, LeBar SDT, Snowbirds On The Border SDT, Hotchkiss Sheep Camp SDT, Cottonwood Ranch SDT, The Zephyr SDT, Nicomodes Gulch SDT, Kelly Creek SDT, Icebreaker SDT, Hot Sulphur Springs SDT, Colorado State Fair SDT, LaPlata County Fair SDT, Montrose County Fair SDT, L and M SDT, Muleshoe Goat Trial, Meeker Classic, Solider Hollow Classic, USBCHA Open and Nursery Finals. Eight years, host & trial coordinator, Nicomodes Gulch Stock Dog Trial. Co-Host Two years Tabletop, SDT Colorado State Fair Stock Dog Trial Coordinator and Livestock Provider for Eight Years Committee member of Trial Committee responsible for course set up open and nursery and coordinator of exhaust, 2008 USBCHA Finals. Elected Representative Director of District #2 USBCHA.
Community and Career: Past Mortgage Loan Lender with San Luis Valley Federal Savings and Loan, Alamosa, Colorado Past 4H leader Rio Grande Co. Colorado, the Dust Devils 4H Horse Club Three Years as SLV of Colorado 4H Horse Superintendent, coordinating with SLV Fair Board..(SLV–San Luis Valley comprising six counties in Southern Colorado–Alamosa, Rio Grande, Mineral, Saguache, Conejos and Costilla. Current Business Owner of Commercial Chemical Application Company relating to Stored Potatoes Thirty one years. Owner K-Nip, Inc and Majority Owner The K-NIP COMPANY, LLC. Past Livestock producer of Cattle and Sheep. Military Service Veteran of the Vietnam era conflict- USN Business Service Credit Committee member of a Chapter 11 case in the US Bankruptcy Court Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division
Sponsor and Participant of Annual San Luis Valley, Colorado Grain and Potato Conference; Annual Participant of National Potato Council Conference
Numerous seminars and Ag conferences as speaker or participant in stored commodities.
Education BA Degree in Business Adams State College, Alamosa, Colorado Licensed Real Estate Broker, State of Colorado Certified Secondary Ed Teacher, State of Colorado Certified QS in Stored Commodities, State of Colorado