Vincentia High’s alpaca show team recently returned home from the Royal Canberra Show after winning the schools’ event for the fourth time in the row.

The students love showing their beloved alpacas and they always do well at various shows.

New team members Bethany and Olivia did a fantastic job and contributed to the school’s success at their first show.

Seasoned competitors BJ, Georgina, Chloe and Bianca all played crucial roles in the school’s success.

The students also recorded some individual achievements.

BJ came first in the junior judging alpaca section, while Chloe was third and Georgina was fourth.

Thanks go to Gary, Glad and Marion Worthy for their support and continued dedication to the school's show team.

The students also competed at the Goulburn Show and more ribbons came their way.

There were over 25 competitors at the Goulburn Show and the Vincentia students competed in a sportsmanlike manner and had fun competing against other students.

In the junior judging section, at Goulburn, Georgina Jones was first and Eden Roszkiewicz was third in this competitive field.

There were 12 competitors in the junior judging competition.

The team will now compete at the Camden and  Sydney Royal Easter shows.

In the paraders’ events, the students from each school are asked to show their skills and knowledge of alpacas in stockmanship and showmanship.

However, what does stockmanship and showmanship, when it comes to alpacas, mean?

Stockmanship

Stockmanship is when the alpaca handler shows his/her control over an alpaca as they go through a course set up by the convenor of each show. The course has many obstacles the alpaca would encounter on the farm. The students are awarded points for each obstacle and whoever gains the highest score wins. Each course is different at each show.

Showmanship

Showmanship is when the alpaca handler shows the judge his/her knowledge of alpacas, and alpaca showing.

The handler shows how to halter and un-halter the alpaca, checking their body score checking their eyes, ears for infection, checking their tails for kinks which are a disqualification trait and showing how to open the animal's fleece and describe fleece traits.

All of this knowledge is scored and the student with the highest score wins.