| What Does it Take to Win in the Show Ring? By Donley Gardner Diamond Oaks Llamas, Dangerfield, TX Reprinted from L.A.M.A.S. News, May 2003 (previously in Llamas of Minnesota, October 2002) Wining in the show ring is what most of us who show strive for. What does it take to win? The most obvious answer is having good llamas. By good, I mean conformationally correct. That is only the start, however, because other people also have good llamas, and, therefore, you need an edge. Winning is a result of a combination of things. Besides a conformationally correct llama, the presentation is equally important.If you remember that there is no perfect llama, then you have to learn to show each llama so as to minimize its faults and accentuate its positive attributes. Your presentation to the judge is all-important and can make the difference in winning a blue ribbon or no ribbon at all. Unfortunately, it is not always the best llama that wins; rather, it may be the llama that was best shown.The best combination, having good llamas and showing them correctly, should be the goal of any breeder who uses the show ring to market their breeding program. Whether you enter the ring with a llama you have bought from another breeder or one that you have bred yourself is immaterial because either one represents your breeding program. I will say, however, that there are few thrills greater than getting that first blue ribbon with a llama that you have bred.Getting to that blue ribbon starts with planning. Decide what direction you want for your llama program and set goals in writing. Once you have your goals, develop a plan as to how to achieve them. I am a strong believer in developing a mentor relationship—it is what we did, and we feel it kept us from making a lot of expensive mistakes. The llama world is full of knowledgeable people who are eager to share their experience and knowledge. Take advantage of these folks’ willingness to share, and you can avoid a bit of costly errors.Selecting a mentor is relatively simple. Find someone who has achieved what you want to achieve and ask them for help. Then spend time with them at their farm observing what they do and how and why they do it. We were fortunate to have had one of the leading llama breeders in the country take us under his wing. It did not matter that we had to drive 1600 miles to spend time with him. We did it every year because we had our eye set on the prize and were willing to do whatever it took to get it. I would caution you that when selecting a mentor, look closely at their record. After all, if you want to learn to fly, you would get someone who just landed a plane safely, not someone who just crashed one, to teach you.Once you have your breeding program going in the right direction and you have the good llamas to take to the show ring, then you need to polish your skills in showing them. Developing skills comes with experience and direction. Personal training from experienced handlers is excellent. There is value in attending an ALSA Show Clinic. Read the ALSA Handbook and learn the rules. Going into the show ring relaxed and prepared to have fun is also important. All of these steps are part of the preparation for having a winning program.It is also important to remember that winning is not going to happen overnight—it takes time. Some of the success we are achieving is a result of planning that took place five years ago. The important thing is that we had a plan, we stuck to it (although we adapted as situations changed), and we did not allow setbacks to discourage us.Finally, we enjoy our llamas and cannot really imagine our life without them. We have never regretted our decision to do it right. Once you realize that you can have flashy, pretty llamas that are also correct conformationally, you will be on the right path for the winning formula. ? |