Another llama for our show string - Wheatfield's Spencer

While we were at the LOCC Fall Classic Llama show and the Rocky Mountain Regional Llama Show over Labor Day weekend, we fell in love with this young male llama. His name is Wheatfield's Spencer. His owners/breeders are retiring and getting out of the llama business so they wanted to get their animals placed into new homes.

Spencer was already entered into the LFA Fall Harvest Show and the LFA Futurity Show on September 16-18 so we agreed to have them show Spencer at these shows and we would figure out how to then get Spencer here to Colorado from his home in Kansas. Spencer came to Colorado yesterday with some friend's who live 20 miles to the west of us; they had also attended the LFA show and sale so they brought him back home with them. We went to pick Spencer up last night.

I fell in love with Spencer's color and his adorable face. His color is a gorgeous rose gray and the fiber is incredibly silky soft.

Just look at his fiber!

Spencer placed first in his class and then took Grand Champion Heavy Wool Male at the LFA Fall Harvest show!

I checked Spencer's other placings that I could find on-line and see that he also placed first and Grand Heavy Wool Male at the Nebraska State Fair this summer.

Stay tuned for more of Spencer as he grows up here at Split Rock Ranch!

RIP Stage Stop Midnight Hour - A True Champion

I just received news that one of our former llamas, Stage Stop Midnight Hour, lost his battle today with cancer. We sold Midnight Hour about a year and a half ago to some very wonderful new llama owners who fell in love with Midnight. It was a really tough decision to sell him but we had retained several of his daughters and one of his sons so we felt like we could let him go to a good home since we still had those bloodlines in our herd.

We purchased Midnight Hour from Stage Stop Llamas when he was only a couple of weeks old in July 1997. We had decided we didn't "need" any more male llamas (we already had two) but Jim fell in love with Midnight Hour and we made the decision to purchase him. We have never regretted our decision. He was an amazing animal.

During his show ring career, Midnight did very well:

• ALSA Recognition of Merit at Halter
• 2000 & 1999 Grand National Top Ten Finish
• Grand Champion 1999 NWSS & 
• Grand Champion 1999 LOCC Spring Show
• Reserve Grand Champion 2000 NWSS
• 1st place 2000 LOCC Spring Show
• 1st place 2000 Laramie County Fair
• 1st place 2000 LOCC Fall Show

We made the decision to retire Midnight Hour from the show ring after the 2000 show season and he sired some beautiful crias for us and other llama owners. He only sired a couple of males and we own the only intact male from Midnight Hour, Kemui Yama. Kemui is following in his sire's footsteps in the show ring.

Rest In Peace Midnight Hour - you will be missed.

WW

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Mesquite's Fleece in a Treasury!

Wordless Wednesday - Baby Dee

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday - Are baby llamas cute or what?!

Name That Cria

Name that Cria!

Winona Wildfire and IceBreaker

Okay - we're still trying to decide on a name for the black and white cria. Momma is Split Rock Winona Wildfire - Poppa is IceBreaker. Here are the names we're debating on:

Split Rock Wildfire's Hotshot

Split Rock Ashes in the Snow

Split Rock Fire Breaker

Here's the thought process: Wildfire (HOT) and IceBreaker (COLD) so Wildfire's Hotshot because the Hotshots come put out wildfires. But then hot ashes (the black) in the snow (white) is the same theme (I would still probably call him HotShot because he's such a precocious little man!) However, Jim doesn't think Ashes in the Snow sounds like a name for a male so he suggested Fire Breaker - kind of the same theme only we're taking the last part of Mom's name and the last part of Dad's name. Any comments, suggestions, etc.?! We don't have to decide for another 10 months, unless we decide to show him next spring, in which case I'll have to get his ILR paperwork filed before the show and then I MUST have a final name for him.

Update on September Cria

Here are some current photos of the cria born in September. He has a name now, too. He is Split Rock Wildfire's Hotshot. This little guy is incredible - he has correct conformation, beautiful strong level topline and such style and presence! His entire demeanor just screams "Look at me!" We plan to add him to our showstring in 2009 after he is weaned. These photos were taken today. Hotshot has quite a bit of dust and hay on him because I woke him up from a nap in the hay to take his picture. But he's still a gorgeous boy and I just had to share the new pics!

It's a Boy!

Born this morning around 11 AM (I missed the birth as I was spinning a batch of cashmere and only saw him because I went to the kitchen sink to wash my hands after oiling my spinning wheel.) Weighed 25 pounds and was up and running around the pasture when I went out at 11:30 AM. He is jet black and white with dead straight legs and a beautiful topline. Momma is Winona Wildfire and Poppa is Ice Breaker so we're trying to think of a hot/cold name like Fire & Ice except that name is already taken so we have to think of something else similar. Any suggestions are welcome! These photos were taken within an hour of birth.

Suri Cria Named - Shimmering Sands

We decided on a name for our beautiful little suri cria. He is Split Rock Shimmering Sands - we call him Shimmer. And he is a pistol. He has an amazing energy to him that we find mesmerizing. I uploaded a few more pics - almost newborn - less than 24 hours old. I will try to get some new pics taken of him soon. His color is gorgeous and the luster of that suri fiber is stunning.