Winter - Classical MileEnd Alpacas

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Birthing & Cria Care a guide
for the new alpaca owner.
Send a cheque for £16 plus
£1 p & p (UK mainland) to
help their gate receipts. In short they have a but certainly the big shows are outgrowing the
MileEnd financial Farm incentive Ltd, and are thus not always facilities currently used. However the shows
being magnanimous to the alpaca exhibitors. that do 'stand alone' will have to be aware of
If we have stand-alone shows there are two budget. It may well be that the entry costs
immediate benefits to the alpaca industry. need to increase but this can be in part offset
The first being that any visitors would be by sponsorship and entry fees for the public. It
specifically interested in alpacas and the may well be that this is more acceptable if we
second is that monies earned stay within the don't have to spend endless days in attendance
Vulscombe Farm, Pennymoor, Tiverton, Devon EX16 8NB
purse of the show organisers.
for no good purpose. There are many areas
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that can generate income for show organisers
Will our alpacas have enough fleece to although in the short term, whilst confidence
show in the winter?
builds, the breed society would need to
www.alpaca-uk.co.uk
become involved in backing individual shows.
This is nothing new as it has been doing so for
the Royal Show for a number of years.
If they are old enough to show then they will
have enough fleece. With the intermediates and
older you will be able to shear early enough in
the year and the fleece will be at its best.
Who will organise the shows?
The current show organisers would find the
task less onerous given that it would happen
at a time of year when they perhaps have less
pressure on their time from their own alpaca
enterprise. Also they would not be dancing to
the tune of the host show organisers. It may
well be that more people would be willing to
help because of the timing.
If we move away from the Agricultural
shows who will underwrite the cost?
Certainly this area will cause most concern.
Not all shows will need to change their timing
32 Alpaca World Magazine Summer 2007
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What about keeping animals in show
condition?
The current timings pose as many problems.
Although the biggest challenge would be
winter weather and mud, we have all seen
our alpacas in dry weather bathe in the water
tanks or roll in the dust bowl shortly after a
shower. Indeed as I write I am looking at some
very dirty alpacas destined for a show in 24
hours. I am sure they will be fine on the day!
Where are the shows going to be held?
There are tremendous indoor facilities
available at various show grounds that would
accommodate the majority of shows. I was
offered an equestrian facility this year that
752490. Email: alpaca@jarbon.com. Website: www.jarbon.com
could have accommodated an alpaca show of
200 plus, and at a cost of less than one-third
the cost of a marquee that would only cover a
show ring. One racecourse has offered their
parade ring and seating for no charge.
"What started as a germ of
an idea seems to have taken
hold with at least some of this
year's show participants."
The above are but a few of the issues and I
am sure many of you will have other concerns.
However, I think it useful to consider the pros
and cons of the concept.
What started as a germ of an idea seems
to have taken hold with at least some of
this year's show participants. Whatever
individuals may believe, things cannot
change without discussion and consensus.
If you have comments on this subject I am
sure the editor would welcome constructive
contributions. Above all else we do need to
ensure the welfare of our alpacas. A change of
show season is doing no more than mirroring
the practises of countries whose alpaca
industries evolved before ours. We now have
the alpacas to rival the best elsewhere, it is
time we recognised this and acted accordingly
to protect their well being.
Alpaca Alpaca World World Magazine Magazine Winter Summer 2007 2007 / 08 69