Out & About Spring 2018

W e are all familiar with dog walkers, and horses on the road or bridleway are to be expected, but how many people have seen alpacas being taken for a walk? On a lead? If you live near Ashampstead, this is a regular occurrence. Wyld Court Alpacas makes it possible for anyone to go alpaca trekking through open fields and woodland. Wyld Court Alpaca trekking is the brainchild of Sharon Matthews, who owns 12 Huacaya alpacas. Her five males are regularly taken on treks with the public. “Males are better for walking because females are generally too hormonal,” says Sharon. “But we still need to ensure the males are suitable with the right temperament. They have to be happy being touched and handled, but we had one who found life a bit too stressful, he really didn’t enjoy it, so we decided to rehome him. “They all start off a bit jumpy, but after a couple of goes they relax into it. Alpacas have no natural defence, so their instinct is to run off if they get nervous and they are quite strong.” We met Sharon and her assistant Debbie Carter at the Casey Fields Farm Shop, off Dog Lane, along with two little bundles of fluff - Excaliber

for a walk there can be as many as 25 people on a trek. When asked who generally books these walks, Sharon says: “It’s mostly adults actually, or adults dragging their kids along. “One dad came with his kids and was more enthusiastic than his children. He refused to give up Enzo, as he felt he had bonded with the little fella.” Sharon hasn’t been in the alpaca business for long; “Only about a year,” she explains. “I swapped a vintage Vespa for five females, like you do. Haven’t we all done it? “I got those last January and two of those were pregnant, so then we had seven. We had been reading about these alpaca walking experiences around the country, so we got some boys. “These are pets who wouldn’t have any other use – they are not breeding quality. “Once we decided to do the walks, we bought five males.” In addition to the walks, Enzo and Scally visit care homes where they are used as a form of therapy. Their gentle nature makes them ideal and their fluffiness simply adds to their appeal. Debbie recalls: “One elderly lady at one of the care homes reached out to touch the side of the alpaca and was surprised that her hand kept going.

(Scally) and Daf - our alpaca companions for the next 90 minutes. Sharon told us that there should have been three, but the third, Enzo, refused to let himself be caught today, so she let him have his way and he stayed at home. She said: “They are quite stubborn. If they don’t want to do something they lie down – an action that is known as cushing. “Enzo wasn’t having any of it this morning. He would not let himself be caught.” However, in general the alpacas enjoy the adventure of being outside in new environments, meeting new people, eating new and exciting things and posing for photographs. Before starting, I was given the option of leading an alpaca and I jumped at the chance and took Scally’s lead. I was told he liked to walk behind Daf and that they didn’t like to be far apart from each other. I introduced myself to him and he seemed totally at home with the fuss. Just 18 months old, Scally is the younger and smaller of the two alpacas. Daf is two and a half years and they are half-brothers, with the same father. On any given trek experience there are a maximum of five people per alpaca, so if all the alpacas are in the mood

24