A Westbury woman and her dog represented Great Britain at the 2026 IFCS World Agility Championships for the second year in a row, despite having to manage injuries in the lead-up to the competition.
Claire Barton and her cocker spaniel, Woody, competed with Team GB at the championships in Spain earlier this year. Leading up to the competition, Woody had an injury to his foot, which meant the pair were uncertain as to whether they could compete.
“One week before we went, we had the all clear for Woody to go back to doing some training which was a relief but still stressful to see if going back would flare up his injury again,” said Claire. “Thankfully it didn’t, we worked really hard with his daily exercises keeping his foot strong.”
Claire and Woody competed between 28th April and 3rd May, running in jumping classes, agility classes and strategy-based games classes such as Gamblers and Snooker.
“Every run had its challenges with some hard skills needed,” said Claire. “I definitely felt more relaxed, but I was still worried that Woody’s foot may flare up again, but he was super strong.
“I felt really lucky to be able to go and run Woody at the championship. We had the best time together with Woody showing some super skills on these tough courses.
“The team was super supportive to each other; there was a great atmosphere with all the other countries where we all exchanged tops with one another which is great. Team GB came home with 13 medals which is amazing.”
Claire is hoping to be selected to compete again at next year’s championships, which will be held in Italy.
