A Lamentation For An Old Friend: Snowmass Matrix Majesty, 2007-2021.

We are gutted to announce the passing of Snowmass Matrix Majesty, just shy of his 14th birthday. I’ve quite honestly been trying to write his obituary for almost 2 weeks now and it is the sort of thing that hangs over one’s head. As a livestock farm with over 250 animals, we constantly witness the cycle of life and its many variants. One consequence is that one develops a bit of emotional skin, so as not to be overcome during the many tough moments that are simply the natural consequence of the life we have chosen. For better or for worse, with that armor in place, tears are very rarely shed. Copious tears were shed after the loss of this guy, though.

No matter what people say, animals like Majy do not grow on vines: in our 24+ years of breeding alpacas, he holds a guaranteed spot on our all-timers list, something which would unquestionably have still been true, even if he had lived another 6+ years into his 20s. And though this can wait for another time after the initial wave of sadness has passed in these parts, there is, in fact, a statistical argument to be made that over the past decade, Majesty was simply one of the most impactful alpaca Herdsires on the entire North American continent.

In the many generations of alpacas that were either born on this farm or that we have brought in from the outside to join the foundation herd since our inception in 1997, there are perhaps only 5 or 6 of them (male or female) that can rightfully claim to have made as seismic an impact on our breeding program as Majesty did. While we mourn the loss and gentle presence of this legitimate legend, above all, we are filled with gratitude for the way he impacted our breeding program, our business, and by extension – our family. So much of the success our farm has experienced over the past eight years, in particular, has been the direct result of Matrix Majesty and Elixir and their respective offspring and descendants playing off of each other. That is a responsibility that will now fall most directly onto the steady shoulders of CCNF Moonraker (CCNF Moonlight x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) and his paternal brother, CCNF Nighthawk (TGF Morning Dove x Snowmass Matrix Majesty), from their family’s side of the aisle. Though we miss Majesty every day since he left us, we are so grateful for the many sons, daughters, grandsons, and granddaughters that will remain his true and lasting legacy for years and generations to come. Rest easy, my friend.

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