Showmanship is an important skill for any 4-Her. It requires skill, practice and patience in preparation for the big judging day at the county fair.

But what local 4-Hers trained for at the Mower County Fair was not something that had ever been done before: showing llamas. Not only that, they had to lead the large, hairy animals through an obstacle course.

The 4-Hers will tell you first-hand showing and caring for llamas has been an education.

“It was introduced to the Minnesota 4-H this year and my dad got us into it,” explained Marcus Mandt, 14, of Rose Creek. “I was originally against it until I found out they could pull carts.”

Mandt, along with the Hendrickson and Allen families of the Southside 4-H Club, took on the challenge of caring for the South American animals, not the typical livestock most farmers are used to raising.

Marcus and his brother, Chris, 12, got their two llamas — Charo, a female, and Sudden Impact, a male — in March from a farm in Wisconsin.

“Our job is to brush them and walk them,” Chris said.

He said they eat the same food as their goats: corn, oats and pellets.

Chris said you have to be careful when working with llamas; some of them will spit “when you do something they don’t like.”

Derek Hendrickson, 14, of Rose Creek and his brother, Adam, 16, also got two llamas recently at their farm.

Derek is very knowledgeable about the animals, explaining they have one of three kinds of coats: heavy, medium and light. His two llamas — Corbyn, a male, and Angel, a female — have medium coats. His brother may even make a bed out of llama fiber.

He explained that llamas originated in South America, where they are sometimes used as pack animals. They are camelids, members of the family camelidae, which includes alpacas, guanacos and vicuñas.

“They can be sort of a challenge if you don’t know how to take care of them,” Derek said. “They get scared if they don’t know someone.”

On Friday, the small group of 4-Hers drew a crowd curious about the judging for the unusual animals.

The 4-Hers competed in both the showmanship and obstacle course categories. During the showmanship portion, 4-Hers walked the animals around slowly in a circle as the two judges examined them. Then came the obstacle course, a simple arrangement of very low hurdles, bars and water the handlers must maneuver the llamas through.

Some of the animals were quite stubborn as the 4-Hers struggled to tug them along.

“We might be able to show them at the state fair,” Derek said, explaining that members who receive a champion or reserve award or sign up for the state fair may be eligible.