Show awards are an acknowledgement and disposition of the representation of your ranch. It reflects your breeding program, your root breeding stock, and a comparison of your herds best to other ranches best animals for that breeding year.

What needs to be understood by all alpaca breeding programs is that each year the seed stock improves to some degree. This advance is seen in the show ring first and is reflected in the national fiber herd later. If your ranch sits on its laurels for more then a few years, you will be playing catch-up. If you sit on your laurels for three to four years, you’re dealing in history. A good example of this is a great animal 6 years ago is just above average today. Ranches on the cutting edge on their breeding program today lead the way for the alpaca industry in the future. Numerous tools are becoming available to the rancher that will make breeding decisions more analytical then intuitive.

Some ranches chose to be a “fiber ranch” and ignore the advancements made by ranches with progressive breeding programs. The fiber ranch of the future will incorporate the results of this progressive breeding program into their fiber herd when it is economically feasible to do so.

Sundancer Alpacas awards that our animals received are listed below. These awards represent numerous shows around the country, both large and small. Most awards are for whites, but some are for other than white animals. Sundancer is proud of our ranches accomplishments in the show ring and our progressive breeding program that supports our breeding goals. Growth through internal and external influences brings Sundancer forward on the front edge.

 

CLASS                                                Number of Awards                   Percentage of Total

 
Sum of Champions+ 1st+ 2nd+ 3rd        66                                                     69.5%

Sum of Champions + 1st + 2nd             50                                                     53%

Sum of Champions + 1st                        29                                                    31%

Color Champion-                                    4

 

Reserve Color Champion-                       3 Sum of Colors Champions (7)       7%

 

First Place-                                            22                                                        23%

 

Second Place-                                        21                                                       22%

 

Third Place-                                           16                                                        17%

 

Fourth Place-                                           8                                                          8%

 

Fifth Place-                                              8                                                          8%

 

Sixth Place-                                            13                                                       13%

 

The number of awards total is 95 with the largest counts being first through third place. These three places plus Color and Reserve Color Champions total 66 awards, which is almost 70% of the awards earned. This says a lot for Sundancer’s foundation stock and trying to stay on the forefront of alpaca breeding for the advancement of our herd and the national herd.