Rayelle’s story
My story into the wonderful world of alpacas begins in 2017 when, after months of research, field and shelter preparation and a husbandry course, our small herd of 2 pregnant females, one with cria at foot arrived at our farm. It was an exciting and wonderful day. That was in August 2017.
The excitement of that day was extinguished just a few weeks later with a cancer diagnose for my husband and within weeks, his death. Through the dark years to follow, my alpacas were a lifeline, a comfort and source of my own wellbeing. The challenges of looking after them on my own were offset but by the joy of their presence and the incredible support of my alpaca mentors and a beautiful circle of friends. As life slowly settled down and started to make sense again, I continued to slowly grow my herd, hanging onto the original plan to develop a small, quality herd of animals.
Now, over 7 years later, the dream has burst into a new, exciting and dynamic reality with Elliot joining my life, embracing all things Alpaca and becoming a vital partner in our business. With our recent marriage; we are thrilled at the opportunity to build our new dream together.
Today we have just over 20 alpacas, plus our amazing dog Pickle and focus our efforts on offering a range of well being and educational workshops, 1:1 wellbeing opportunities, our public events and meet and greet sessions.
We also offer a handful of animals for sale annually and focus our breeding plan on animals with good quality genetics, fleece qualities and temperament. Our animals are bred with the bloodlines of show champions producing high quality genetics with loads of potential.
Oh, and one more thing, we CARE about temperament; a lot. If you are interested in animals for trekking or engaging with the public, temperament IS important although often overlooked by the official show mentality and criteria. Our focus is on the wellbeing of our animals and developing opportunities for these gentle, timid but inquisitive creatures to assist in the wellbeing of others. I know how powerful that can be.
We have a particular interest in supporting people whose needs are special and are delighted to be working with our local primary school to explore the best approaches for support.
So, if you want to know more, would like to book an event or experience or are interested in purchasing animals please be in touch. We would welcome your visit (by appointment only) or a chat by phone or video call.
Just beware, once you enter the wonderful world of alpacas …..you just never know where it may lead.
Owned by: Rayelle & Elliot Borthwick