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Monday, November 14, 2011
MHR Misty's Perfect Storm
The last two fleece shows of the 2011 year are now in the books. The first of these last two shows, was the Lloydminster Fibre Fair Fleece Show, held October 14, 2011 - Lisa Shimeld from the US was the judge. There were a total of 54 huacaya fleeces in the show. We entered three white fleeces - two were Juvenile fleeces - MHR Misty's Perfect Storm and MHR Misty's Thunder - and one yearling fleece, MHR Misty's Peruvian Lily.
We were very pleased with the results of the show .... MHR Misty's Perfect Storm's fleece was awarded 1st place in the Juvenile white class of 10 fleeces, with a score of 79.5, and went on to win Reserve Colour Champion for the 18 white fleeces entered in the show. Thunder placed 6th in this class (score of 70.5), which is unusual for his fleece as he has normally been placing 2nd behind Storm. Comments for Thunder's fleece was "better skirting would improve score - nicely organized fleece". So, it wasn't the fleece but the skirting that was the problem!! I'll have to do a better job on this next time around.
Comments on Storm's score sheet were, "Nice brightness, nice handle, nice organization." The score for fineness and handle was 20/25; lustre/brightness was 9/10 and style was 8/10. This fleece also scored 13/15 in the fleece weight category.
Lily's fleece placed 3rd out of 6 in her yearling white class - excellent score of 14.5/15 on fleece weight. Her fleece achieved a score of 75/100. Nice going Lily!!
The fleeces going on to the Alpaca Canada Fleece Show in Orangeville, Ontario, were sent there for judging on October 28th by Jude Anderson, also from the U.S. As happy as we were with the Llodyminster show results, we were even happier with the results from the Alpaca Canada Fleece Show! There were 78 huacaya fleeces in total at the show, with 33 of them in the white classes.
MHR Misty's Perfect Storm's fleece was awarded 1st out of 16 fleeces in the Juvenile White Class and went on to win the White Colour Champion Award as well as Supreme Champion of the show - with a score of 79/100. Judge's comments were, "A lovely bright fleece!"
MHR Misty's Thunder's fleece was awarded 2nd place behind Storm in the same class, with a score of 75.5 and judge's comments of, "A fine fleece - watch your skirting!" There's that darn skirting comment again. I wonder what sort of score and placings Thunder's fleece would have gotten with better skirting? Something we will never know now, but can only surmise it might have been as good or possibly better than Storm's.
MHR Misty's Peruvian Lily - again also did very well! She placed 2nd in the class with a score of 76/100. Judge's comments were, "Excellent fleece weight!". Her fleece has consistently received 15/15 for fleece weight this year - and also scored very high in this category in her juvenile year, when she was awarded Supreme Champion in all of the Canadian fleece shows it was entered in (4 of them) as well as the White Color Champion in an AOBA fleece show in January 2011.
For the Alpaca Canada Fleece Show - the three (3) Misty Hills Ranch fleeces that were entered placed in the top four for the entire show. The reserve color champion for the white fleeces received a score of 78.5. This fleece won the Supreme Champion award at the Lloydminster Show - so we were trading places with very similiar scores.
So, all in all, it was an extremely successful show season for us, considering we don't travel out of our province for the halter shows, but did send fleeces around the country to compete in fleece shows. One other comment - we had only two cria born on our farm in 2010 - Storm and Thunder! We are a small farm, we only have two to four cria per year - so whatever we have we enter them in the shows - and so far, we have been rewarded quite well for our breeding selections.
As more and more attention is being paid to the luxurious fleece being produced by our animals in the industry, fleece shows will in the future become even more popular than they are now. In fact, we noticed a marked decrease in the number of animals attending the halter shows we went to this year, with the fleece shows seeing an increase in most cases (Olds / A.L.P.A.C.A. fleece show at the end of June is a good example), or a slight decrease in entries.
We would like to thank all volunteers who assisted at the halter and fleece shows this year. We have been a part of the organizing of some shows and know first hand that it takes a lot of dedicated people to pull off a successful show! There is a lot of preparation, exhausting work during the show, and then the post clean-up, reporting of results, and in the case of the fleece shows - shipping all of the fleeces back to their owners! So, our hats are off to you all - cheers on a job well!
Now we just need to get through the winter, and start all over again in March at the A.L.P.A.C.A. Spring Halter Show ...
All the best everyone ... keep warm and safe!
Storm's fleece sample
MHR Misty's Thunder
Thunder's Fleece Sample
MHR Misty's Peruvian Lily
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Sunday, October 09, 2011
Bernie & Beanie - Oct 2, 2011
We have recently acquired a couple of new kittens from the Humane Society in Calgary - Beanie & Bernie!
The whole story begins, however, when our son, Randy, and his girlfriend, Chelsea, surprised me with a rescue cat her Dad found in Taber and brought back to health. He was quite thin, I'm told, when he was found, but her Dad was not able to keep him as he travelled a lot with his job. This little kitten's name was Flash! We had lost my dear and loyal friend - Figaro at the end of January 2011 - and I missed him terribly - hence the gift of a new kitten.
Shortly after Flash came to live with us, we decided he needed a girlfriend, so a trip to the Humane Society took place - and little Beanie (Jelly Bean they called her at the HS) came home to live with us three days after Flash arrived. They were a happy 'kitten couple'.
Unfortunately, when I took Flash in to be neutered, he never came home. We are not sure exactly what happened, other than he came out of the anesthetic well, but suddenly, shortly after, dropped into a coma, with his heart rate dropping very low, as well as his oxygen levels. I was called and went to the clinic where my little kitten was limp, wearing an oxygen mask, and the staff at the clinic were keeping him going by massaging and stimulating his heart. I helped them as much as I could - we worked on him for a total of 4 hours, hoping his little heart would keep going on his own - but alas, it was not to be! That was a very tough day!
Now little Beanie was all alone - so the very next day, off to the Humane Society we went again - and fell in love with "Bernie"! Actually, at the HS his name was Honeybee - but that name just wouldn't do!! Bernie came home three days later, after his 'surgery' at the HS, and he and Beanie have become the best of pals!
These little kittens have certainly livened up our household - there are kitten toys everywhere, and they have been keeping us laughing with their antics!
Cheers ... to Bernie & Beanie's long and happy life together with us at Misty Hills Ranch!!
Beanie - Oct 2, 2011 (4 months)
Bernie - Oct 2, 2011 (3 months)
Bernie & Beanie - Oct 2, 2011
Flash - Sept 11 (3 months). Gone, but not forgotten!
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Saturday, September 17, 2011
Wonderful, good news to report, once again! Our MHR Misty's Perfect Storm's fleece has won Supreme Huacaya fleece for the third fleece show in a row!! In addition to the Alpaca Ontario Fleece Show, his fleece was also entered in the Olds and Navan Fair Fleece Shows. We are so excited by this 'guy' - and the fleece shows are a good way to confirm what we thought were exceptional fleece characteristics! His fleece has the whole package - fineness, character, brightness, weight, length!
His half-brother's fleece, MHR Misty's Thunder, continues to place right behind him in the same class. He has placed 2nd in the last two consecutive fleece shows - Navan Fair and Alpaca Ontario. It placed 3rd at the Olds Fleece Show. His fleece is also gorgeous - at the Navan Fair it went on to win the Reserve Supreme fleece and Reserve White Colour Champion!
To top it all off, the third and last fleece we sent to this show was MHR Misty's Peruvian Lily's - and it also proudly represented our farm and our breeding program. It was awarded 1st in her yearling white class and went on to win Reserve Champion White (behind Storm's Champion White fleece)! That is a testament to the quality of her fleece as well. Her fleece last year won Supreme Champion in all four major fleece shows it was entered, as well as White Colour Champion in one AOBA fleece show (Sunset Hills Alpaca Cruise Fleece Show - Supreme was not awarded). The weight of her fleece is a big factor - it has received top score in all the shows it has been entered in 2011.
We couldn't be happier with these results! The quality of the fleeces in the white classes (and the coloured fleece classes) has continued to improve year after year and the competition is huge! To place top in your class indicates good breeding practices - congratulations to all of the ribbon winners! To go on to Champion and Supreme awards is truly an honor for us - recognition that we are very proud of!
Congratulations to all the volunteers of the fleece show for another successful show! Your time and hard work is very much appreciated - it has allowed the breeders from across Canada to showcase their fleeces and breeding programs, which is very important as we strive to increase the awareness of alpaca fleece throughout the country!
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Sunday, August 28, 2011
MHR Misty's Perfect Storm
It's been a pretty good start to the fleece shows in 2011 for Misty Hills Ranch. As mentioned in my previous blog, we were awarded Supreme Champion at the Olds Fibre Week / A.L.P.A.C.A. Fleece Show by Judge Wade Gease, for the second year in a row. It was our yearling male, MHR Misty's Perfect Storm who took the honours.
He is a really, really nice male - but, we thought, "Can his fleece do it again?" So, we forwarded his fleece, his half-brother's fleece (MHR Misty's Thunder) and MHR Misty's Peruvian Lily's fleece to the Navan Fair Fleece Show in Ottawa, Canada, on August 11th, 2011. Well, we got our answer - absolutely his fleece could do it again!
The results of the three fleeces we sent to the show were:
1st place, Juvenile White - MHR Misty's Perfect Storm (score of 83)
2nd place, Juvenile White - MHR Misty's Thunder (score of 80)
1st place, Yearling White - MHR Misty's Peruvian Lily (score of 79.5)
White/Light Colour Champion - MHR Misty's Perfect Storm
White/Light Reserve Colour Champion - MHR Misty's Thunder
Supreme Champion - MHR Misty's Perfect Storm
Reserve Supreme Champion - MHR Misty's Thunder
The scores these fleeces received were the top three scores of the entire show, as awarded by judge Dawn Brooker.
This is the second year in a row that one of our fleece has won Supreme Champion at this particular show. Last year it was MHR Misty's Peruvian Lily's fleece that took the honours - she received White Colour Champion, Supreme Champion and Judge's Choice. Her's was the only fleece we sent to the show last year.
We are so pleased with these results! We are very selective in who we breed on our ranch, as we are striving for fleece and conformation excellence and lately it seems we have been getting it right!
We have sent these fleeces on to the Alpaca Ontario fleece show, and plan to also enter them in the Alpaca Canada Fleece Show after that .... we hope they will continue to do well!
We'll keep you posted!
Storm's 2x Supreme Champion Fleece
MHR Misty's Thunder
Thunder (L) & Storm (R) - Sire: Ghost River Sol
MHR Misty's Peruvian Lily
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Monday, June 27, 2011
MHR Misty's Perfect Storm's Supreme Champion Fleece
The annual 2011 Olds Fibre Week Fleece Show was held June 25th at Olds College. There were over 150 fleeces submitted to the show, which is most likely the largest fleece show in Canada. The judge was Wade Gease from Wisconsin, who started judging the fleece on Friday, June 24th, and finished judging the following morning.
A lot of people attending the marketplace or fibre week courses popped in and out during the judging and were amazed by the number of fleeces - there were boxes and boxes of gorgeous fleece lined up on tables arranged in the various colour and age categories! It was quite a sight and I saw a number of photos being taken of the room full of fleece!!
The show results will be posted to the website (http://www.oldscollege.ca/programs/ContinuingEducation/fibreweek/fleece-shows.htm), but in the meanwhile I am extremely pleased to announce that the fleece from one of our juvenile white males, MHR Misty's Perfect Storm, was awarded 1st place in his fleece category; Grand Champion for the white colour category; and also received the Supreme Champion award for the entire show! His fleece score was 87 out of 100! This is very exciting for us and our breeding program to have won this award for the second year in a row!! Last year's winner was MHR Misty's Peruvian Lily with a score of 88.5!
We were also very pleased to have received three more ribbons for the other three fleeces that our ranch submitted. MHR Misty's Thunder's fleece placed third in the Juvenile White class (same class as Storm); Lily's fleece was awarded 1st place in the Intermediate White class and MHR Misty's Sir John Eh's fleece received a 1st place ribbon in the Mature Brown class! To be awarded this recognition is very gratifying as it gives us confidence that our breeding program is working and the results are being recognized.
The A.L.P.A.C.A. club sponsors the fleece show - and a HUGE thank you goes out to Leanne Sept and the many other volunteers who assisted with fleece show! It is a tremendous undertaking to organize a show of this magnitude - starting with organizing and getting the information out, arranging for the judge, receiving and organizing the fleeces and the categories, record-keeping, and last but not least, returning all of the fleeces that were not picked up at the show! It takes a great organizer and dedicated volunteers to pull it off seamlessly, which this group did! To all of you - thank you for a job well done!
And congratulations also to all of the award winners in the various classes - the competition was very competitive, with many of the large farms in Canada participating. In addition to fleeces from Alberta, I noticed there was representation from B.C., Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec! It is very good to see participation from so many farms and ranches from across Canada - making it one of, if not the, largest fleece show in Canada!
Fleece from various sheep breeds and cashmere are represented at Fibre Week and also have their own fleece judging competitions. It is very important for Alpaca breeders to be represented at this show and have a presence in this event, which has most certainly been the case the last two years our farm has participated! I know we will be making every effort to be a part of it in 2012 as well!
Storm - 1 month old - brilliant brightness!
Storm's Fleece June 2011
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Saturday, March 12, 2011
Sir John Eh - 2x Reserve Color Champ. (1 Halter & 1 Fleece Show)
My broken arm is coming along nicely and am anticipating I should have the cast off in time for the first halter show of the year for us - the A.L.P.A.C.A. Spring Show in St. Albert at Horse Sense Stables (just outside of Edmonton, AB), March 26 & 27, 2011. As it has been extremely cold up until just recently, and with my arm issue, we have been unable to do much training of the juveniles we plan on taking to the show. A number of other breeders I have talked to lately have expressed the same sentiment. It might be an exciting time in the ring this year!
We have registered our two juvenile males, MHR Misty's Thunder and MHR Misty's Perfect Storm - both are Ghost River Sol offspring! Also registered are two females - MHR Misty's Peruvian Lily and MHR Misty's Annie - who did extremely well last year in both halter shows and fleece shows - but this is a new year, anything can happen! Sir John Eh, our upcoming herdsire, will also be making the trip - he did very well last year in halter and fleece shows as well.
We are hoping the warm weather we are currently experiencing holds out until this particular weekend is over at the very least (would really be happy if it stayed until spring and we would be finished with that really cold weather, but it's Alberta - wait 5 minutes and it could all change). There have been some years when this trip has been made under some very 'bad' winter driving conditions - we are going to think positive this year that this will not be the case again.
Reconnecting with breeders after the long winter, and seeing all of the new show alpacas that they will be bringing to the competition are definitely highlights of this particular show for us! And knowing that 'spring' is just around the corner also adds a little more 'spring' to our step and general outlook on life!
Take care everyone and safe travels - looking forward to seeing you at Horse Sense Stables!
Debbie & Paul
(Update on the results of this particular show:
MHR Misty's Sir John Eh - 1st place in the Male 2 year old and older class
MHR Misty's Perfect Storm - 2nd place in the Juvenile White Male Halter Class
MHR Misty''s Peruvian Lily - 3rd place in the Yearling White Female Halter Class
I did not write a blog on the CNASF Show in April, however, here are the results of that particular show as well:
MHR Misty's Thunder - 1st place in the Juvenile White Male Halter Class
MHR Misty's Peruvian Lily - 3rd place)
Lily's Fleece - 5x Fleece Show Champion
Perfect Storm & Mom - back when things were nice and green!
Thunder on his b'day - really need to update his pics!
Annie - 7 shows in the last 3 years - 3-1sts, 2-2nds, 1-3rd and 1-4th!
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Sunday, February 20, 2011
Group photo
I know the last post said I would update the results of the fleece shows some of our other animals were entered in in 2010, but I cannot resist the temptation to write about the fantastic Caribbean cruise we were on at the end of January, 2011. It was the Sunset Hills Caribbean Cruise and fleece show, which was a 7-day cruise from Miami, Fl. Overall, it was a fantastic cruise - thanks to Dave and Laurye Feller from Sunset Hills for making the arrangements with Carnival cruise lines, for the seminars and the fleece show. Thanks also to Al and Catherine Beatty from Bellasera Alpacas for taking on the fleece show superintendent duties.
There were 19 farms represented on the cruise, 4 of which were Canadian farms - Amber Autumn Alpacas, KJ Alpacas, Alberta Rose Alpacas and ourselves, Misty Hills Ranch. There were 41 people on the cruise from these 19 ranches, including judge and seminar spokesman, Wade Gease.
Every attempt was made by the organizers to have the fleece show take place on the cruise, but at the last moment, US Fish and Wildlife decided the fleeces could not be taken on the boat, so the fleece show took place once the ship returned to Miami (more on the results later in the blog). One other disappointment was that the cruise ship did not stop at Belize as originally planned, due to negotiations taking place with the tenders at this location with regard to safety issues.
We did stop though at some beautiful locations - Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Roatan and Costa Maya (in place of Belize). The weather was gorgeous every day - high 20's C. We took the submarine excursion in Cozumel; the island tour (including the turtle farm) in Grand Cayman; the Black Pearl Pirate Ship cruise in Roatan; and visited the Mayan ruins in Costa Maya!
The food was great on the ship, as was the entertainment. We had an extended deck off our room at the aft of the ship, where we spent time sipping wine, enjoying the views and the fantastic weather!
One of the highlights (there were many),was indeed the results of the fleece show! There were 54 fleeces entered, arranged into 17 classes. Lily's fleece was entered in the Juvenile White Huacaya class, which was the largest class of 8 fleeces - it won first place! Then on to the color champion award - which her fleece also won - 18 fleeces represented!! The number of fleeces was not high - but the quality of the fleece certainly was! There was representation from some major US farms - Sunset Hills, Alpaca Palace, Mary's Alpacas, Island Alpaca Co., Tierra Prometida, Oaklawn Alpacas, Sundancer Alpacas and Marathon Alpacas. Lily's fleece was the only Canadian fleece in the show. There were only two color champion awards - white and fawn. The winner of the fawn color champion award was Sunset Hills Golden Thunder.
Lily's fleece had been judged in four shows previous to the cruise, however, her fleece score still achieved a fantastic score of 83 points, with a annualized fleece weight of 3.9 pounds. Judge's comments were: "Flashy, bright, great fleece weight - fantastic!
So, it was a fantastic experience for a couple of first-time cruisers ... looking forward to doing it again! Maybe we will see YOU there!
Grand Cayman
Roatan Beach from Black Pearl
Mayan Ruins in Costa Maya
Lily's fleece - Color Champion
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Sunday, February 20, 2011
We have been having some interesting weather - some nice high temperatures when the snow melts and it almost feels like spring; and other times when it is bitterly cold - like now when it can get as low as -30 C at night (without the wind chill).
With these changes in temperature also comes the slick, icy conditions - of which I was a victim this past Wednesday, February 16th. On my way down to check on and feed the alpacas this particular morning, I slipped on a patch of ice even though I was being extremely careful not to! The herdsires found this event to be very pecular and stood around me as I tried to orient myself - it was definitely a different view from my perspective as well.
I picked myself up and continued with my chores, albeit a little tenderly and much slower as I limped along favoring my right arm.
Once everyone was fed and I had 'addressed' each of them as is my usual morning routine, I headed back up the hill to the house. Once there, I decided this was not a typical slip on the ice with some minor bruising. I called Paul, who promptly returned home and took me to emergency - where, after 4 hours, I left with a bright orange fibreglass cast on my right arm. I had broken my arm just above the wrist and sprained my ankle!
So, it will be another new experience for me the next 6 to 8 weeks as I maneuvre myself through various routine household and farm activities. "Pecking" out correspondence will definitely be one of these - so please excuse 'typo's' if you happen to get an email from me in the next couple of months!
Regards - and be safe out there!!!
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Wednesday, December 29, 2010
2010 Lloydminster Supreme Champion & Colour Champion Fleece
Hi everyone! With this being our first blog and it's December 2010, I thought it would be good to reflect on the 2010 Alpaca Fleece Competitions we have entered in 2010.
It was a good year! Our female, MHR Misty's Peruvian Lily, has a gorgeous fleece and has done extremely well in fleece shows and halter shows in 2010! In the halter shows, she received 2 first place ribbons and one Reserve Color Champion ribbon from three shows she was entered in. Her fleece was entered in four major fleece shows, and received top honors in all four shows!
Her first fleece show was at the Olds College Fleece Show at the end of June in Olds, Alberta (Western Canada) - there were 118 entries at this show alone! Her fleece was awarded with Grand Champion White Huacaya and Supreme Champion Fleece - you can't get better than that!! Her score card showed a total of 88.5 out of 100: 23/25 for fineness and handle; 4/5 for micron uniformity; 8/10 for brightness; 5/5 for color uniformity; 9/10 for character; 4/5 for length uniformity; 9/10 for density; 8.5/10 for medullation /guard hair content; and last, but not least 14/15 for weight!
Her second fleece show was at the Navan Fair Alpaca Show in Ontario (Eastern Canada) - there were 86 fleeces entered in this competition in August of 2010. Her fleece was once again awarded Grand Champion White Fleece, Supreme Champion Fleece and the Mary Ann Judge's Choice Award! Her score card showed a total of 86.5/100: 24/25 for fineness and handle; 8/10 for micron uniformity; 8/10 for brightness; 5/5 for color uniformity; 9/10 for character; 4.5/5 for length uniformity; 5/5 for density; 7/10 for absence of medullation and guard hair content; 4/5 for impurities, stains, tip damage; 12/15 for weight.
Her third fleece show was at the Lloydminster Alpaca Showcase fleece show in Lloydminster Alberta/Saskatchewan (Western Canada) - there were 78 fleeces entered. Again, her fleece was awarded Grand Champion White Fleece and Supreme Champion Huacaya Fleece. Her score card showed a total of 91/100: 24/25 for fineness and handle; 8/10 for micron uniformity; 9.5/10 for brightness; 5/5 for colour uniformity; 9/10 for style (character); 5/5 for length uniformity; 4.5/5 for density; 8.5/10 for absence of medullation and guard hair content; 4/5 for impurities, stains, tip damage and 13.5/15 for weight.
The fourth fleece show her fleece was entered in was the all-important Alpaca Canada / CNASF National Fleece Show in Edmonton, Alberta in November 2010. There were 77 fleeces entered. Amazingly, her fleece was once again awarded the coveted Grand Champion White Fleece and Supreme Champion Huacaya Fleece awards! Her score card at this show totalled 85/100: 23/25 for fineness and handle; 8/10 for micron uniformity; 8.5/10 for brightness/ 5/5 for color uniformity; 9/10 for character; 4/5 for length uniformity; 4/5 for density/ 7/10 for absence of guard hair/ 3/5 for impurities, stains, tip damage and 13.5/15 for weight.
As you can see Lily's fleece was done extremely well all across Canada in some very major fleece competitions! Her fleece competed against 359 fleeces in the four shows and was the best in all four shows. The competition included fleeces from some of Canada's very best breeders!
Her fleece is now on its way to Florida to go cruising! We have entered her fleece into the Sunset Hills Farm Judged Fleece Show which will cruise the Western Caribbean! We will be joining her fleece on this cruise andwill visit the islands of Cozumel, Belize, Isla Roatan and Grand Cayman at the end of January 2011! We know the competition will be very, very tough against some of the best breeders in the United States - it will be interesting to see how Lily's fleece will stand up against them. How can we lose though when we will be cruising the Caribbean and enjoying the sun at the end of January!
As this blog only covered the achievements of Lily's fleece in the 2010 fleece competitions in Canada - my next blog will cover the fleece awards achieved by some of our other animals' fleeces at these same shows!
Alpaca - good for the body and soul!
MHR Misty's Peruvian Lily - Spring 2010
2010 Navan Fair Ribbons
MHR Misty's Peruvian Lily's Fleece
Seasons Greetings from Lily!
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