Special breeds on show

Visitors to the 2014 Fieldays will find a special animal Breeds Arena at the end of L Street.

The animals on display mainly include cattle breeds – galloways, jerseys and gelbviehs, along with a number of young alpacas.

The gelbvieh breed, pronounced ‘gelfie’ have a thick golden coat and a docile nature.

Sandy Mitchell said she and husband Robert have been breeding gelbviehs for the last 20 years, on their stud farm near Raglan.

Ashlee Peters is helping out with the Brenor Alpacas exhibit, which has travelled up from Rotorua.

“There’s 22 colours of alpacas, but we’ve just got the white and brown here today,” said Peters.

The young alpacas are aged between 6-12 months old.

Owner of Brenor Alpacas Ivor Gainsford said 2014 is the first year there’s been a separate breeds exhibition area.

In the past, animal exhibits have been intermingled with other exhibitors.

He and other alpaca and rare cattle breeders hope visitors to Fieldays can find their way down to the new arena easily enough.

Gainsford said people get used to site layouts from previous years.

“We got interested in alpacas ourselves from the Fieldays. When we got into alpacas, we didn’t do it overnight. It took us three or four years.

“You look, you look… You came and saw cute things, and then you start learning a little bit more about them, and off it goes.”

Gainsford’s young brown alpaca is a male called French Connection.

French Connection’s mother is named Paris, which is why the “connection” Gainsford points out with a wry smile.

The small white alpaca male is called King William.

“He is a prospective stud male for us. We’ve called him King William because we think he’s rather special.”