Suri Alpacas of Gettysburg

Article by Helen Hornbake
Published in Show & Tell Alpacas Magazine, Fall 2006

Suris: Skirting for Show
by Helen Fritz Hornbake

Why don't more breeders enter their shorn alpaca fleeces in competitions? That, I submit, is one of the greatest mysteries of the alpaca industry! In our two short years of entering fleeces in alpaca shows, we've learned that it is really easy to prepare an alpaca fleece to show. It's also one of the least expensive ways to promote your breeding program. It's an extremely rewarding experience. And it's fun. So why don't more people show?

Patti Anderson, who, with her husband Alan, has operated Wild Rose Suri Ranch in Havre de Grace, Maryland, since 1995, hosted a group of suri breeders not long ago for a seminar on the "how to" of skirting suri fleece with particular emphasis on skirting for shows. ("Skirting" is the process of removing the inferior parts of a fleece). She also addressed the question of why we should enter our fleeces in shows emphasizing that fleece competition should occupy a much more important place at alpaca events than it currently does. "After all," she asked us, "isn't that what we are about as an industry? Fleece is the foundation of the alpaca industry, providing a niche market for hypoallergenic fiber that is perhaps the world's best fiber in terms of color, fineness, and characteristics such as luster in suris and crimp in huacayas." Most importantly, the ultimate world end market for alpacas is for their fiber, and breeders need to continue to focus on fiber improvement for fiber processing, and not just how the alpaca looks in the show ring, Patti insisted. The Andersons have been taking or sending fleeces to shows since 2001, and the ribbon-covered walls of their seminar room were testimony to the success of their efforts. In six years of showing fleece, Wild Rose Suri Ranch has won 14 Color Championships, four Reserve Color Championships (with three of those having Wild Rose alpacas as the Champions), 48 first place ribbons and 38 second place awards (15 of which were second to Wild Rose firsts!). Most recently, Wild Rose was twice awarded the "Spirit of the Fiber Industry" award for suri fleece presented by the Alpaca Fiber Cooperative of North America (AFCNA). The inaugural award was given at the 2006 AOBA Conference in Louisville, KY. It was also presented at the first national show of the Alpaca Fiber Cooperative of North America in Las Vegas.

Why show fleece?

The most important reason for showing your fleeces is to maximize the value of your alpacas for sale and foundation breeding stock. Showing your fleeces and winning can help increase the selling prices of your alpacas and increase the notoriety of your top herd sires within the industry. Just as winning in the show ring will help bring higher prices, so will champion fleeces, Patti said. "It is interesting to note that not all halter champions are fleece champions!" Another plus for showing fleece is that breeders have an opportunity to show off their wares without ever leaving home, Patti points out. This is particularly helpful for small breeders who cannot get away to attend shows. Some shows, notably the AFCNA National Show and the Suri Symposium, even accept mailed-in fleeces.

Those who attended the seminar, many of whom traveled great distances to Maryland, were already motivated to focus on fleece in their breeding operations, but when the allday educational event was over we were more determined than ever to show our fleeces, and to show them in the best light possible using proper skirting techniques.

Preparation

Actually, we learned, skirting suri fleece to show is not very difficult, especially if you start by preparing the fleeces that are to be shown even before the animals are shorn. That means getting out as much dirt, dust and dung as possible while the fleece is still on the animal. (Since many of the fleeces destined for the fleece show are also those that will be shown in halter classes, it is often possible to clean only once. Animals prepared for halter showing are often shorn later at the same show so you have relatively clean fleece going into the bags at that time).

The first step in this process is to remove as much dust and debris as possible from the animal use a skirting wand or "kwik 'n slick" grooming tool available from several industry suppliers. Also helpful for removing vegetable matter from suri fleece are rubber hand mitts.

After removing debris, some breeders like to wash their alpacas (using plain water only - no shampoos or conditioners!). This is most easily accomplished without disturbing lock structure by holding a garden hose nozzle very close to the animal's skin and washing until the water runs clean. Animals can be partially dried using a bath towel and gently squeezing the fleece. If the weather is warm, the animal can be just left to air dry in a clean place. Never use a hair blower on a suri! The job of skirting the shorn fleece can be completed in a matter of minutes if the above steps were taken before shearing.

Skirting Table Construction

Once the fleece has been shorn with the animal's blanket kept separate from the leg and neck fleece, the table skirting can begin.

Most breeders use some type of skirting table. We constructed a skirting table at our farm based on the model designed and built by Alan Anderson. Alan constructed a dozen 3' x 6' tables (a few were 3' x 3' squares) using 3"x1/2"x 6' firing strips as the frame and 1/2" galvanized welded wire mesh stapled to the frame. (We chose to use plastic-covered wire mesh. We also included a "lip" or raised edge to keep the fleece in place during skirting.) The height of the table is a matter of personal preference and whether one prefers to stand or sit during skirting. Our table is 28 inches high. The legs can be made of wood or PVC pipe. We used PVC pipe with caps attached to the frame to make the legs removable for storage. (See photo at left .)

The steps to follow in skirting your suri fleece:

1. Lay the fleece out on the skirting table.Check the fleece for soundness by taking a sample of the staple or blanket and putting tension in the middle to see if it easily breaks. For fleeces with a high degree of staining on the tips, (usually cria fleeces), pull on the tips to see if they are brittle and break. If you find that the fleece breaks, DO NOT SKIRT THIS FLEECE FOR SHOW!

2. Check to establish the color of the fleece. Use the Alpaca Registry Color Chart to determine the main color.

3. Remove excess dust and debris by bouncing the fleece on the table. Small debris will fall through as well as some "second cuts" (very short fibers caused by the shearer making a second pass over a portion of the fleece).

4. Determine what part is the prime fleece or blanket. Take a small sample from the middle of the fleece and compare it to other areas of the fleece. Remove anything that doesn't match for color or length. Look for areas that are discolored, different lengths, medullated, matted, or contain pieces of dung or hay, and remove them gently. (Medullated fibers are often called "guard hairs" and are much coarser than those in the overall blanket.) BE CAREFUL NOT TO DESTROY LOCK STRUCTURE! For showing in solid color classes, pull out the odd color patches or spots that may be significantly lighter or darker in the fleece and put them aside as "seconds" to be processed later to make yarn.

5. Repeat the steps for skirting your fleece until it is ready to show.

6. Finally, place the skirted show fleece, lock ends to the outside, into a clear plastic bag making sure to place the best area (center of the fleece) at the opening of the bag to allow for a good first impression by the judge!

7. The most important thing to remember when skirting suri, Patti told us, is not to be afraid of skirting out too much fiber that is short, matted, a different color or contaminated. The loss in weight is made up by the higher scores in other areas.

The above steps, though long on words, are very quickly and easily accomplished. In addition, when it comes to skirting shorn fleece, when it's done, it's done. The same select fleeces can be entered in shows over and over again for one year from time of shearing with no additional work except filling out the simple entry forms. Those who enter fleece shows each year believe that showing their alpacas' fleeces pays dividends far beyond the initial effort to get those fleeces into bags and on the road!