The Templet Border Collies
By Carol Mowdy Bond
Photos by Krista Davis Signature Portraiture
By the time she reached 10 years old, Border Collies and horses captivated Taylor Templet’s attention because of her stepfather. Through his business, Cletus Hulling Cutting Horses, he trained cutters in Brenham, Texas.
“What drew me to Border Collies was I found it fascinating that my stepfather could just talk or whistle to the dogs, and they would do exactly what he said,” says Taylor. “The dogs would go far out and gather all of the cattle and bring them to him with just one or two commands, and they assisted him in the arena to train horses.”
Taylor took riding lessons when she was growing up, and she showed cutting horses in the National Cutting Horse Association youth classes. After graduating from Brenham High School in Texas, she obtained her bachelor’s degree in agricultural business and animal science at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. During her college years, she earned money by working for horse trainers.
At a cutting in Fort Worth, Taylor met Jared Templet when they were both working for cutting horse trainers. The two married, and in 2024 they moved to Marlow, Oklahoma, along with Jared’s cutting horse training business, Templet Livestock. These days they grow out feeder lambs and also have cattle for the horse training side of the business. With about 45 head of horses and about 60 to 80 head of yearling heifers, theirs is a busy place.
About seven years ago, the Templets purchased a Border Collie, Riggs, and sent him off to a trainer before launching into the trialing world. “We intended to use Riggs to help with our sheep and cattle,” Taylor says.
But the Templets quickly added several more trained Border Collies to their crew. Now they have eight Border Collies. Some are experienced trial dogs, while others are retired and living the easy ranch life. A few are puppies still going through the training process.
“I send my young dogs off for training to an experienced professional handler in Oklahoma,” she says. “I visit her regularly and try to soak up every bit of knowledge I can. I believe it’s important to have a mentor who is knowledgeable and can help form positive working partnerships with your dogs that promote good stockmanship.”
Taylor’s dogs, Kel and Nate, are at the top of the Templet ranch dog crew. Both dogs listen well and are easy to run. As for trials, she says, “I run Nate in a class called the nursery, which is for dogs under 2 (years old). Later this year, he will move up to the Open Ranch class, the most challenging class. Kel and Nate were trained by our friend and trainer, Angie, who has a long list of accomplishments. She competed with Kel during her nursery years, when they won USBCHA National Finals Nursery Reserve Champion in 2023 in Colorado.”
Besides active and competitive sheepdog trialing, Taylor uses her dogs for cattle work in Jared’s cutting horse training business. She also travels with her dogs to competitions in Texas and Oklahoma through associations such as the United States Border Collie Handlers Association, the Texas Sheep Dog Association and the Oklahoma StockDog Association.
“When handlers compete in a sheepdog trial or cattle dog trial, stock are directed through an obstacle course designed to replicate real-life farm tasks,” says Taylor. “Some trials are judged, some are based on time and points, and others are a mix of the two. The primary focus of trialing is to promote minimal stress and controlled handling of livestock and to showcase the working partnership between the handler and dog.”
Border Collies are different than many other dog breeds because they function as thinking partners. Possessing a unique blend of instinct, trainability and mental endurance, Border Collies can anticipate movement, pressure and behavior. The dog doesn’t force the livestock but rather influences the animals and brings efficiency and reliability to the situation that might otherwise be chaotic.
Although their dogs are working dogs, Taylor maintains strong personal relationships with them outside of work. The dogs spend a lot of time inside the Templet home, and they travel with the family.
However, the Collies aren’t the only dogs in the mix. Taylor adds, “We have a Dachshund named Bo who is probably the most spoiled. He runs the show here, and he is the ultimate puppy raiser. He has helped raise almost all of my Border Collies that I have now.”
Hosting Border Collie trials may be in Taylor’s future. But for now, she’s leaning into the full ranch experience and says, “Border Collies and stock handling are my passion. I enjoy how smart and sensible they are. They are also very happy dogs that love to please and live to work. I also have a preference for freckled dogs. Almost every dog I have is freckled.”
