TEA AT TAIWIND
Alpaca editor Liz Mason meets Lynn Pepper at Taiwind Alpacas, to ‘chat about alpacas’ in this first farm visit since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
L
ynn Pepper breeds black alpacas on her four acre smallholding near Frome in Somerset. For a small breeder with limited land she has achieved notable success in the showring, including several black champions at the BAS National Show. Lynn loves her alpacas and this is evident straightaway. After meeting the females, including several that have been at Taiwind from the start, we look at the stud males. The two youngest share the same paddock and the pair have been inseparable since weaning. Apart from the odd boisterous play fight, “boys will be boys”, Lynn says, they are naturally calm like the rest of the herd. “It’s all to do with the way you handle them. Their natural temperament does of course come into it and that’s down to their breeding,” Lynn says. Her top stud male, Warlock of EP Cambridge is in a separate paddock. He kept his head down grazing as his field companion Charlie, the only white alpaca in the herd, met us at the paddock fence hoping for a carrot. Charlie, who is a castrated male, has a home for life at Taiwind. Lynn did sell him once, but brought him straight back after discovering there were no field shelters or a hay store in his new home. “The conditions were just not right for him,” she says. Charlie is now content as a field companion to Warlock who was bred by Matt and Cathy Lloyd in Australia. “Warlock is the animal that has given me my status as a breeder,” Lynn says. “He hasn’t been put over a huge number of females so his breeding is still sought after with most of his stock going abroad.” After meeting the boys we have tea and Lynn explains how she started with alpacas. “I first went to see some alpacas on a farm in 2003 and after lots of reading, and taking in as much information on welfare and caring for alpacas as I could - several years later I bought my core herd of black females. “There were hardly any black herds in the UK at that time and certainly not many for sale. With only four acres of land I had to buy the best I could afford and I have always focussed on quality over quantity.” Before owning alpacas Lynn bred Appaloosa horses – Taiwind was the name of her first horse. In Chinese Tai means beautiful and Lynn aims to breed top quality black alpacas with beautiful heads. “You don’t want to be looking at an ugly alpaca in your field,” she adds. Lynn’s sense of humour, together with her back catalogue of alpaca knowledge
going back to the days when the BAS National was “held in a field or some other unwelcoming building”, meant it was easy to chat for several hours. Like other breeders Lynn has missed catching up with other owners at shows and adding to her collection of alpaca writing pens. “I am missing the shows especially as my supply of pens has dried up!”
Amazing friends
For Lynn one of the biggest benefits of alpaca ownership is “meeting like-minded people who love animals”. The other is “having a good rapport and friendly banter with your shearer!” Alpaca shearer Colin Ottery is Lynn’s shearer who is also known for his sense of humour. “I have met some amazing people, including some at the other end of the country, who I’m always pleased to see and otherwise wouldn’t have met,” Lynn says. “Some provide you with writing pens that last throughout the year but Colin Ottery your pens don’t last five minutes! “I’m also lucky to have some pretty amazing friends including Chris and Steve Powell, from Ashwood Alpacas. I am pretty sure that secretly they want to breed black alpacas as Chris is always taking my best animals into the ring!” Making lasting friendships and enjoying the camaraderie among breeders at shows is hugely rewarding but breeding is also a business and needs to earn an income. However, Lynn always makes sure her alpacas are sold to good homes. “I have always kept in touch with new owners and I always make sure that they go to good homes that have field shelters, a good supply of fresh water and good fencing. “When you’re selling your alpacas you also need to have a feel for the new owners. You need to ask yourself are the alpacas right for them? Do they look kind and caring? Are they asking the right questions about buying and keeping these loveable creatures.” Apart from loving her alpacas Lynn has an enormous sense of pride in her herd. This comes not only from winning in the showring but also from knowing that fibre from the Taiwind herd is made into high quality alpaca garments sold on London’s Bond Street. As a breeder who has shown for many years winning is still “an amazing moment”, she says. “It’s not about me. It’s about the pride I have in that particular alpaca – it is overwhelming. I’m just so proud that my alpaca has done well.”
To arrange a visit from the editor or ‘a chat about alpacas’ contact: alpaca.ed@kelsey.co.uk
Alpaca #87
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