Click to go to Fall Fest website
Over 500 alpacas. Over 200 alpaca farms from sixteen states. Fifty-eight white male entries alone.
Is this our small local autumn show? If so, I don’t recognize it anymore. The competition was fierce and the judges impressed. The ABR Fall Fest alpaca show reached a Level IV halter show for the first time ever. The fleece show a solid Level III. And this during an economic downturn. What does it mean that breeders are competing as avidly as ever? I like to see a message of optimism and commitment to the industry. We’re alpaca owners and here to stay through good times and bad.
Undoubtedly the big dog at the show was Crescent Moon Ranch. Although I heard that their presence stirred up some resentment among the locals, it’s hard to retain in the face of the professionalism and courtesy that Debbie and Scott Miller present.
The judges were new to our venue. Helen Humphreys, a relatively new judge, presided over male classes except for white, grey, and multi and jointly over optional classes. I remember when she trained at our Fall Fest fleece show a few years ago when it was held in Castle Rock. It was interesting to see her development from trainee to judge. I have to say she moved the classes with decisiveness, authority, with clarity in her oral reasons.
Kevin O’Leary, a seasoned veteran judge, assessed females, males (white, grey, multi), and jointly over optional classes. He is obviously at ease in the show ring, both in judging animals and explaining his rankings to educate spectators and exhibitors alike.
I can’t really say I had a complaint with either judge. There is, of course, variability from judge to judge – that’s a given. Some judges discriminate based on size, others don’t. Some consider head type in the rankings, others don’t. That’s just the way it is in the range of judging guidelines.
For the first time in my experience, the judge invited the spectators to come into the ring to look at the ribbon winners because of the depth and quality of the class . This happened in the Bred and Owned Yearling Light males that I showed in but I don’t know if it was offered for any other classes. It was actually a neat twist to allow everyone to view the line up one after the other, the way the judges get to see them. Part of me was fretting over the damage to the fleece from being worked over. After all, the animals still had to show in their respective halter color classes. But for the most part, I thought it was really a great idea to make the show a bit more interactive and educational and it really upped the enthusiasm in the ring. So bravo, Mr. O’Leary.
So now I am back home, exhausted and dehydrated the way I am after each show. I have mountains of e-mail to catch up on, some rather filthy stall mats that require attention, and mounds of laundry queued up for the washing machine. The adrenaline from an exciting show is draining out of my system and normal life is replacing it. I’m already thinking about scanning the events schedule for the next show.
For now, however, it’s time to think non-alpaca-ey thoughts like the holidays and Christmas planning.
