What a weekend!
There is always a lot to do before taking alpacas to a big two
day show, but then if you are on the organising committee of that show, the forward
preparation and workload just goes off the scale. So now the show is over – hard to believe
really after months of work! – we are delighted not just with the success of
the show but with the success of our alpacas. My remit was organising the Fibre Zone area which proved to be a huge success. We showcased the very best in British alpaca products including the award winning cloth produced by Doug and Sam Steen of Teesdale Alpacas.
In a change from the usual way of doing things, the females
were all shown on the Saturday and the males came along on the Sunday. This was a brilliant idea as it kept the
interest alive for spectators and exhibitors.
Winning rosettes is a pretty tough thing at a national show
and up against the “Big Boys”, but we proved that we have some cracking
alpacas.
First into the ring was our light fawn female Fallowfield
Alicia, who came third but Australian judge Natasha Richardson did say that on
another day she might come second if she was more relaxed! She was just a bit reluctant to walk around
the ring.
Next into the ring for Fallowfield was our Intermediate white girl
Livia, who looked as if she was about to enter the Strictly come Dancing completion
with those nifty little steps. Livia
took a 4th place rosette.
Then on Sunday, Orlando was due to be first into the
ring. I have to say that he could
definitely have done with a wee bit more halter training but against all odds,
Mike got him round the ring and guess what... he took first place with the
judges saying that he was the out and out class winner. Not bad at all from such a competitive class
of 12 alpacas. Then to put some icing on
the cake, Orlando went on to win Reserve Light Male Champion.
So at this point we really were not too bothered whether our adult male Octavian won a rosette or not but he too got a 5th place in an extremely competitive line up.
Needless to say that we are feeling slightly weary today but really pleased that the show as a great success from a personal and from a professional viewpoint. Huge thanks are due to all those who contributed tot the success of the show.
