SHOW PREPARATION
BY DIANNE CONDON
SHANBROOK ALPACAS (AUSTRALIA)

Showing is an extremely important part of stud breeding, and is a means by which one animal can be compared against another in a show situation. It is a way of promoting the breed and your stud and should be taken seriously. Showing is the showpiece window to the industry and should be done in a professional manner.

Show selection should start six to twelve months before a show, and show preparation takes in nutrition, training and fleece preparation. Show animals should be presented to the judge in a clean and as close to paddock condition as possible. To achieve this can take many hours of preparation and not all animals need the same attention. Judges do not want to see over-prepared animals that have been brushed, blown washed and clipped, but at the same time these are show animals and must be presented in a clean condition. It is a very fine line as to how to achieve a natural look, and not to over or under prepare the alpaca. The most important point is that which ever way you choose to prepare, do it six to eight weeks before the show - to give the fleece a chance to settle back to its natural state.

BLOWING:
I personally do not recommend blowing, as this can open up the fleece and blow all the crimp definition out of the fleece. If the fleece is particularly dense, you will find blowing will tend to make the fleece cross-fibre and knot. Black fleeces can be blown to remove the dust from the fleece but this should be done six to eight weeks in advance of a show and then the animals should be put into the rain to settle the fleece back down.

BRUSHING:
Brushing the fleece, particularly the blanket area, will distort the fleece. A judge is looking for an even fleece with crimp from the base to the tip, if the fleece has been brushed there is no crimp to be seen. The dragging and pulling of the fleece will only damage the fleece and is very painful for the animal. Therefore, I would not recommend brushing.

WASHING:
If you live in a wet area where the fleece on the legs becomes covered in mud, a light wash can be done weeks in advance, but remember the last thing a judge wants to see is a snow white animal. Washing is only necessary on light coloured animals if they are extremely dirty and then I would advise washing eight weeks in advance to give the fleece time to settle back. Do not use harsh shampoos or conditioners in the fleece. These will leave the fleece harsh and will often leave a sticky grease in the fleece which alters the handle. If you choose to wash the legs, let them dry naturally and do not use blow dryers on them as this will fuzz the fleece out. Once the animals have been prepared and are clean, put them in a clean dry paddock or on slatted flooring in a shed.

CLIPPING:
Only certain fleece types can tolerate clipping. The fleece needs to be very dense and have a high frequency crimp to withstand clipping. Clipping a broader style crimp or a fleece without density will result in a fleece covered in lines throughout the fleece, and gives the appearance of a badly prepared animal. Young stock are really the only animals that need to be clipped, and this is mainly done to get them through to the end of a show season. Alpacas should be shorn annually, both for fleece quality and the animal's welfare. Animals in their second fleece should only need a light clip on the bonnet and the chest. This is mainly to have them looking neat and in show condition. A fleece cannot be improved by clipping but it can be destroyed if not prepared correctly.

SHOW DAY:
Remember judges are human and make their decisions based on a lifetime of knowledge and experience. A good judge is one who has been consistent throughout the day and has explained his/her decisions in a confident manner. There can only be one winner on the day and often the judge's decisions do not meet with the approval of the exhibitors on the day. You must respect the decisions gracefully as there is nothing worse than a poor loser, and they soon gain a bad reputation.

Showing should be taken seriously but it should also be a friendly event where fellow breeders can meet, compare, learn and improve their stock for next time. It should a pleasant event, so have a go, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.