Foundation Huacaya Alpacas

This young male is an up and comer in the Rare Gem breeding program. We purchased his dam from the Alpaca Palace auction in Pennsylvania in 2019 when Cras-Z was "cooking in the oven". When born, Cras-Z had the bundles of curls and the "look" we get excited about. He has grown into a handsome body double of his daddy, Sunset Hills Zagato. Zagato was the 2019 Futurity Herdsire of the Year (dark) and has a proven track record of throwing the coloration of the dam while stamping the offspring with his superior fleece qualities. Cras-Z’s is a compact male with an advanced architecture fleece... brightly bundled and uniform with a high-amplitude crimp structure. Cras-Z's 2022 fleece was submitted to the Fall PNAA Innovative Fleece Assessment / Show. He placed 2nd out of 9 in a very competitive Grade 1, Medium Fawn category. Report is included under pictures... of special note, "Uniformity" across blanket = 15 out of 15! This uniformity extends out into Cras-Z's extremities. One of our favorite traits of Cras-Z is that he has an extremely clean apron and lower carriage and no halo. Cras-z has been color genotyped and is an ee a2a3 which is a genotype with dilute as well as two black alleles. This genotype carries a lot of variety in what it can produce. We are happy to discuss your goals and whether Cras-Z can stamp your female with his elite-fleece while producing the color you desire.

Rare Gem Camouflage has grown into exactly the kind of male we hoped for when he was born: a striking Harlequin Appaloosa with strong fleece credentials, tremendous presence, and an increasingly exciting production record. Camouflage is the son of Vintage Cashmere U-Taupe-ia and Running Late’s Peaches and Cream, a female selected for her outstanding fleece traits, phenotype, pedigree, and expressed pattern. Peaches had already demonstrated her ability to produce Appaloosa pattern when bred to Apache Gentleman, producing Rare Gem Night Owl, a classic Appaloosa female later exported to Switzerland. When Peaches was paired with Harlequin Appaloosa Taupie, the result was Camouflage. Born November 15, 2021, Camouflage made an impression from the beginning with his eye-catching pattern, substantial fleece, and strong presence. As he has matured, he has become an easy and enthusiastic breeding male — and, more importantly, his offspring are now showing us what he can contribute. His first crias began arriving in late 2024, and we have been extremely pleased with the results. Camouflage is producing attractive, well-built offspring with exciting color and pattern expression. Among them is Rare Gem hAppy Down Under, his 2026 daughter out of proven leopard-producing female FDA Warrior’s Georgia, hAppy appeared relatively conservative at first glance, but cria shearing revealed Appaloosa spotting hidden across her belly — another fascinating example of how pattern can express itself in the next generation. For breeders working toward Appaloosa and Harlequin expression without sacrificing fleece quality or overall phenotype, Camouflage offers a compelling combination of pattern, pedigree, fleece, and now proven production. We are very excited to see what comes next from this special male. 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

Mirakel is now a proven herdsire, and his first four crias have exceeded every expectation. All are expressed Appaloosa—two Reverse Appaloosas, one Leopard Appaloosa, and one white with pale spotting—each displaying strong frames, typey head styles, straight legs, and exceptional newborn fleece. His debut results firmly place him as a highly promising male in our rare-color and Appaloosa breeding program. Mirakel carries elite fleece qualities, correct structure, balance, and a pleasing head style. His show career includes multiple top placements, highlighted by his outstanding win as: 2023 PNAA “Most Uniform in Grade – Grade 0” An impressive achievement for an Appaloosa competing against solid-colored animals at the finest grade level. We have followed MIrakel's dam for years as she is the closest appaloosa descendant to LF Del a Burl, the handsome appaloosa male that was exported to Germany. With his departure, these genetics were limited to just two females in the United States-- one of which is MaRs Dixie-- MIrakel's dam. Dixie is the only appaloosa descendant of daughter from LF del A Burl. In Germany, Burl went on to produce 50+ cria, the majority of which are appaloosa and/or patterned. Mirakel's grand-dam, Sugar Shoo, was a full Peruvian and a granddaughter of Auzengate, a Peruvian male, noted for throwing appaloosa cria. Mirakel's maternal side carries the Victor line and is stacked with champions, including Eastwind's Snowstorm. What He Is Producing ** Mirakel’s first four crias include: Rare Gem Dappled Daphne – Reverse Appaloosa (Dam: H2R Myrtle) Warm fawn base with soft white spotting, feminine presence, and a correct frame. **Rare Gem Mirakel’s Halo – Leopard Appaloosa (Dam: Raya Sunshine) Bright, expressive color, beautifully organized fleece, and crisp dark spotting. **Rare Gem Enchanted Manly Man – Reverse Appaloosa (Dam: Girly Girl) Sharply defined white spotting on a medium/light brown base, excellent density, and confident, balanced style. Consistency & Strengths ** Rare Gem Morning Bloom - White with pale spotting throughout blanket (Dam: Iris) Exceptional brightness, soft nearly-pink spotting, and beautifully organized fleece. Across all three crias, Mirakel is stamping: • typey heads and short muzzles • straight legs and balanced proportions • bright, well-bundled fleece • confidence and sweet temperament • expressive color—even from non-Appaloosa dams Program Contribution Mirakel is proving to be a sire who adds style, presence, quality, and rare color. With four outstanding patterned crias from four different females, he is off to a powerful start. We look forward to continuing his role in advancing our Appaloosa and rare-color breeding program.

Meet the newest addition to our herdsire row-- MapleView's Winchester. Winchester is a very robust, Leopard Appaloosa. He has excellent crimp and fineness, a long staple AND excellent ancestry. There is no guessing about his boy, he is a stand-out amongst current breeding appaloosa herdsires. Winchester has settled his first females and will be attending his first show in October 2024. Watch for updates on this up and comer!!

UPDATE: It is with a heavy heart that I share that Sriracha has left us way too soon. In December 2023, he passed due to a 360 degree colon torsion. Sriracha's sweet personality was always a highlight of my day on the farm. Here at Rare Gem Alpacas, harlequin appaloosa, Tic Tac, is due to have his 2024 offspring. While he cannot be replaced, we look forward to this cria to help fill the void that is felt in Sriracha's absence. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Sriracha is the son of Springtoo Skyfall, 2X Judges's Choice winner, 5X banner winner and recipient of numerous prestiges awards including two Spirit of the Industry awards, Best Brightness, Best Crimp and Best Hand awards! And the apple didn't fall far from the tree... Sriracha has an amazingly bright fleece, density, uniformity, fineness and crimp galore! Add a beautiful phenotype, gorgeous head and a perfect bite. What more could you ask for? He is as sweet as can be and he gives kisses! Sriracha settled his first girl in March 2020. We leased his daddy in the past and were so very pleased with the outcome-- he throws color and even appaloosa when bred to it! Sriracha has some big alpaca feet to fill.... he will be bred across all colors and patterns... sure to produce something out of the ordinary! Sriracha is co-owned with Diamond Valley Alpacas.

Handsome harlequin male. Big-boned, dense bundled fleece from day 1. Dam is AOV Accoyo Eros daughter with Jericho/Jeremiah/Mr. President on her maternal side. She was purchased at the Amber Autumn auction and has been a great producer for us. Her first offspring took Reserve Light Color Championship at her first show— 2022 Alpacapalooza. Spirit’s sire is the highly expressive harlequin appaloosa herdsire Apache Gentleman. Apache has a pedigree packed with outstanding appaloosas and harlequins stemming back to gene carriers— Black Epic and My Peruvian Zephyrus. We are very excited to see what is already appearing to be a highly evolved harlequin fleece. 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