Ringsbury and the Golden Valley Llama herd are sheared
Every two years our people arrange for our hairdresser to visit.
Why are we sheared? If it’s hot our coats could make us too hot; our female person likes to use our coats to makes cushions and rugs; it reveals possible medical problems hidden by our deep coats.
Here we all are, having had a visit from Colin the Cropper, and I must say he did a bang up job. Now I have been here before and been sheared many times, but some of my young ‘uns have never been sheared, others have forgotten what’s involved, and poor Tintagel had problems recognising all the others once they were sheared. Last to stand for shearing were good ol’ Stenness and me, and Tintagel kept hanging around us as we waited. We were the only two llamas she could recognise. She didn’t believe all the sheared llamas were from her herd and wondered where they had gone. Once we were all sheared she had to make do and re-introduce herself to all the others. Daft thing.
I won’t say I enjoy being sheared, and as a precaution the Two Legs hold our ears in such a way that we stand calmly (except Stanton Drew who squealed like an oinker). Soon our coats are removed with the buzzing shears moving along our coats quite rapidly. Our ears are held and we stand as the coat peels off.
Last trims are undertaken on neck and then the finished item is allowed to stand before trotting off to re-join the gang.
Our people gather our coats and put the fleeces aside. They dry them in the sun. It had been raining earlier in the day, but our coats had dried quite well by the time we were sheared. That is, except for Rollright, who had a pee whilst he was with the barber. I ask you! All over his lovely coat.
No more shearing for a couple of years and we are pretty happy with that.
More news from Golden Valley Llamas soon