CONGRATULATIONS to Lindsey Betz and the Betz Family Farm on the purchase of Vintage Cashmere's U-Taupe-ia. Taupie will be greatly missed at Rare Gem Alpacas but he leaves behind a number of lovely offspring to grace our herd for years to come! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Taupie is a striking appaloosa harlequin male that is on a roll for throwing spotted and harlequin offspring. He has sired 53 offspring and 74 percent are either appaloosa or harlequin! While dam selection has a significant influence on such outcomes, it should be noted that the majority of the dams Taupie has been bred to have no genetic influence on this outcome. So for those that don't have existing foundation girls with appy / harlequin lineage-- Taupie has proven to be capable of passing along his appy genetics and produce desired results. So how does this happen? Only part of that story is known, but what we DO know is that certain lines of known appy gene carriers are much more "expressive" than others. Taupie just happens to be one of those. His heritage boasts appaloosa genetics on both sides of his lineage with Aussie Rockford out of Hannahruh on his sire's side and Chiquita Import on his dam's side. In April 2016, Taupie's progeny debuted in the show ring taking a blue in walking fleece and the blue in halter at the California Classic. This first boy was then followed by another appaloosa female and then another appy male-- both very similar to the first. The fourth cria, however, is something extra special! This little girl has expressed every color on the chart, not one pattern-- just speckles and spots from nose to toes-- Rare Gem U-Taupe-ia's Appletini! The unique coloring of this cria looks as though the color from Taupie's Grand Dam, Chiquita Import, is coming through and producing the rarest of rare gems-- her beautiful color seems to morph before your eyes! As much fun as it is to talk about Taupie's progeny... more about him! Taupie has a spotted face, spotted belly, spotted legs, and a beautiful solid platinum-taupe blanket. His top line is a nice medium silver grey, then blending into light silver grey down the sides. UPDATE: 2/2019 Leoopard appaloosa offspring, Sleepy Acres App-solutely Adorable "Dorie", takes Reserve Color Champion at Txolan! Congratulations!!

WOW… just WOW! We were over the moon when given the opportunity to add this handsomely spotted harlequin boy, Howling Hill’s Conspicuous, aka Spike, to our herd sire line up. No doubt, Spike is striking in color, but take a look at his fleece traits and genetic potential for reproducing, because truly, that is what a breeding pairing is all about! Spike’s Harlequin Appaloosa gene can be traced back to Legend Maker and Black Epic, two of the most prolific Harlequin Appaloosa producers in the US. His sire is none other than Red Granite’s Man of Mystery (formerly known as Pinktus), who now resides at Willow Wind Alpaca Farm in Westcliffe, CO. Man of Mystery is a beautiful representation of a harlequin, and at 127.2 follicles/ square mm in density, he is the densest alpaca biopsied by Ian Watt in the US…and to quote Ian Watt, “Overall, this is the best alpaca I have tested in the US.” To add more to the table, Spike’s dam, ELK Matrix Haley is a Snowmass Matrix daughter, adding more powerhouse genetics and uniformity. Here’s what the judges have had to say about Spike: - Very strong and well balanced - Impressive from his head style throughout his body balance - Incredible amount of fiber across his frame - Fleece opens up cleanly - Good solidity in his fleece - Striking color - Maintaining good softness throughout - Spectacular coloring - I actually heard myself say WOW when the alpaca came in Spike truly has ALL you are looking for in a harlequin appaloosa program- Color and conformation without sacrificing fleece traits!