Meet the newest addition to the Rare Gem herd-- Snowmass Sizlin Legacy XX! This boy is an exciting find out of the Snowmass herd. While Snowmass did not breed appaloosas, they kept detailed breeding program notes which included specific lines that threw spots and the frequency of those spotted results. Sizlin descends from an import within the Snowmass herd that threw the highest number of spotted offspring-- to a rate of 6.5X that of the others in their herd. Do we have a new gene carrier to add to the list of the appaloosa breeders?!?! Time will tell. Sizlin will be thoroughly "tested" and bred across the full range of colors of non-appaloosa carriers. In addition to having a beautiful phenotype, Sizlin has a buttery handle that opens up to well-defined spots of white, fawn, dark brown... and even grey! His fleece is extremely fine, dense and uniform. His first shearing at <10 months old yielded 8 lbs. of fleece! Needless to say, we are so blessed that Lynn Edens of Little Creek Farm has agreed to share this amazing young male. Sizlin's show debut was October 20-21, 2021 at the double show NEAOBA Alpaca Fall Spectacular and Empire Alpaca Extravaganza in Syracuse, New York. He color checked and was confirmed by the ring judges as "definitely" appaloosa. Both judges had very positive comments as to his fiber quality, eye-catching conformation and calm, pleasant demeanor. After New York, Sizlin was shown across the United States in a variety of shows. He has performed well including taking 3 Reserve Color Championship banners! Sizlin started his breeding career in the Summer of 2022 and he is a natural. He is being bred to a cross-section of females to determine what he will throw across colors. He has been color genotyped by Neogen / Canada and is a EeAA. Sizlin's first offspring was born June 2023 and is white out of a white dam-- gorgeous fleece and phenotype. January 2025 two more Sizlin cria have arrived-- both showing advanced fleece structure from the get-go. Sizlin's on Fya is a lovely appaloosa female and Haute-n-Knotty is a smoky light brown out of brown. More information can be found on both below. If you are interested in breeding for rare fleece colors, you can also read our recent article in The American Alpaca Journal: Breeding for Rare Fleece Colors by Clicking Here Snowmass Sizlin Legacy XX is co-owned by Little Creek Farm, Diamond Valley Alpacas and Rare Gem Alpacas.

Olivia is the stunning result of crossing harlequin male-- Vintage Cashmere U-Taupe-ia with Buck Brook Morning Glory. She is the complete package-- fiber, phenotype, genetics and disposition. And she is a nose kisser! :-) Her sire, "Taupie" is a prepotent homozygous harlequin stud that has over 50 offspring on the ground. Over 70 percent are either appaloosa or harlequin grey. He has champion offspring as well as champion grand-offspring. Olivia was paired with another prepotent homozygous harlequin stud for her maiden breeding-- Apache Gentleman. Apache has over 30 registered offspring of which the majority are either appaloosa or harlequin. Apache's offspring have been rockin' the multi-show ring. He has a number of champion offspring including 3X champion Apache Gentlemen's Alchesay. Apache also has two Get of Sire awards with his appy and harlequin offspring -- a 1st place and 2nd place. (Photos included to the right). 2022 Update: On the morning of August 11, 2022, I awoke to a handsome harlequin appaloosa male cria. He was up, dry and nursing. This was Olivia's first birth. … and she did a stellar job. She is very maternal and has tons of milk. Be Brave, Olivia's 2022 offspring, is a healthy, spunky youngster. His fleece has been bundles of crimpy curls from day 1. It is very likely that this young man is homozygous for the appaloosa-harlequin allele. His pedigree carries appaloosa and harlequin genetics… galore!! New Year's Day 2024 Update: Olivia has thrown a female appaloosa this time. This little one arrived 339 days gestation... on New Year's Day! The offspring is sired by Snowmass Sizlin Legacy XX and we are pleased to say, the cria has beautiful fleece from day one. Olivia is proving to be a very valuable asset to our foundation herd.