Michigan Alpaca Breeders Show and Fiber Fair

Being only a week since we were in Wisconsin, it really was too much to haul all our show alpacas to this show this weekend. While it's close, in state, we do have to pick and choose which shows we go to, and who we take. We can't take all the alpacas to all of them. J is working some of this weekend (Sunday night), and Emma has a soccer game on Saturday (she missed one last week which was bad enough, missing 2 in a row would make her being on the team sort of pointless). Sometimes life does limit the farm.

We are very thankful that our friends at Ashton Stone Alpacas are willing and able to take some of our alpacas to this show.

What we did when we set up our Spring Show schedule was try and see if all of our show animals could get to at least 2 shows. The best ones going to more shows (like Tehya and Po :) ). Our show animals being: Tehya, Shelby, Lily, Pocahontas, and Rosco (the girls) and (the boys) Lightning and Cavalier. Lily and Shelby were sold at our first show of the year. We had thought Shelby would sell, but we had not planned on Lily selling (it's a nice bonus that she did - 2 sales is great!). We had Lily signed up to go to both Indiana and Wisconsin (she's one of the good ones we really wanted to get to as many shows as we could). In Indiana, Rosco took Lily's place. In Wisconsin, we took Cafe. We had originally thought Rosco would only be going to the Best of the US in Columbus, Ohio, so going to this Michigan show would give her a 2nd spring show. As it turned out, this will be Rosco's 3rd spring show, which is even better to get another show under her belt. Lightning went to the Indiana show, but because he's a breeding age male, we did not bring him to Ohio or Wisconsin (would have meant sectioning off the trailer for him, and a separate pen). So this will be Lightnings second spring show. Tehya, Po and Cav already were signed up for at least 2 shows, it was only Rosco and Lightning that we signed up for 1, so that is why we decided to send them to this show.

Sancha's White Lightning (AKA Lighting, or Lightning Bugs, or Bugs). This likely will be Lightnings last show before beginning his breeding career. I know some farms do bring 2+ age males to shows. We have at times in the past (Tucker last year and Greyt this year). But ideally we don't. It's more work in transport and pens at the show to keep them separate. And Tucker was such a pistol in the pen at the show, kept trying to get out. They really are more work in that sense. We hope our males prove themselves in the ring as juvi and yearlings. Then, the proof is in the cria.

Here is a picture of Lightning from this winter:



Ashton Stones Little Miss Rosco is also going. Here she is on our farm this past spring (looking at that picture I do think she's grown quite a bit since it was taken):



One of these years we will make it to this show, even if it is just for the day. We debated trying to go for a day this year, but between Emma's soccer game on Saturday, it left Sunday, and J can't go into work on no sleep.