SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
Goats, alpacas and llamas, oh my. This weekend at the Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool Festival in the Hudson Valley of New York, those animals will face off in Leaping Llamas, an event to see which can clear the highest jump. Andrea Parent-Tibbetts is the owner of Clover Brooke Farm, an organizer of the event. Her animals compete each year. Andrea and her daughter, Kathryn (ph) Tibbetts join us now. Thanks so much for being with us.
ANDREA PARENT-TIBBETTS: My pleasure. Thank you for having us.
SIMON: How does Leaping Llamas work?
PARENT-TIBBETTS: Oh, it is a multidecade competition. It has always been Leaping Llama. The reality is it's really, as you introduced, llamas, alpacas, goats and, more importantly, people, because you have to be able to jump over the bar.
SIMON: Oh, it wasn't clear to me. You mean the human beings have to get over the bar, too?
PARENT-TIBBETTS: Yep. That's actually the most challenging part. It starts off, the bar, at 6 inches, and then it jumps. And by the time that it's kind of reduced down to the few remaining species, the bar could be at 5 feet, which is impossible for us humans to jump. So we often try to kind of sneak around the stanchion trying to convince the animal that they need to jump, but that doesn't always work.
SIMON: You're delightful, but can we talk to your daughter, Kathryn?
PARENT-TIBBETTS: Yes, of course. Here she is.
KATHRYN TIBBETTS: Hi there.
SIMON: Hi there, Kathryn. How do you get a goat, alpaca or a llama over the bar?
TIBBETTS: I guess it depends on who you're walking. I know the people who jump the goats over the pole. They have been working with them all year round. It's something called clicker training, and they know to jump over it. While for llamas, like my llama, who is a bit more reluctant and isn't as good at listening, I'll have to just basically pull on the lead, and usually they're pretty good at knowing, OK, well, I guess I'll have to jump over this to get over to you.
SIMON: Llamas aren't good at listening. That's a revelation to me.
TIBBETTS: Depends on the llama, I guess.
SIMON: Could you hand your mother back to us?
PARENT-TIBBETTS: Hi, Scott.
SIMON: Andrea, you know, sports betting has grown. If you were going to place a bet...
PARENT-TIBBETTS: (Laughter).
SIMON: ...Who would it be on this year?
PARENT-TIBBETTS: All right. It will be on this young lady whose name is Ella (ph). She has an amazing cashmere goat - beautiful fiber, flowing fiber. And she can stand at the bar, and this goat will literally jump up and jump down for her. She has a really cool, great connection with her goat, and that's what we love to see.
SIMON: The fibrous goat - what's their name?
PARENT-TIBBETTS: I don't remember the name of the goat.
SIMON: I have a name to suggest - BJ Leiderman, who writes our theme music.
PARENT-TIBBETTS: BJ Leiderman. I will let her know 'cause I know they're also NPR followers, so they will be thrilled to hear that.
SIMON: All right. OK. The least we can do is plant that. What does Leaping Llamas mean to the broader Sheep and Wool Festival? I can't believe I asked that question, but go ahead.
PARENT-TIBBETTS: (Laughter) Well, the Sheep and Wool Festival itself, it is all things fiber, and it's meant to be a fun, outdoor fall festival. We try to find things that keeps every type of person coming to the festival. Maybe there's some that really just aren't into the fiber part. Maybe they're - just really want to, you know, learn some interesting factoids about llamas and alpacas and cashmere goats and be entertained.
SIMON: Andrea Parent-Tibbetts and her daughter Kathryn Tibbetts from Clover Brooke Farm. Thanks so much. Have a great fibrous festival.
PARENT-TIBBETTS: Thank you very much. Take care.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "WALK THE LLAMA LLAMA")
RASCAL FLATTS: (Singing) Walk the llama llama. Walk the llama llama. Walk the llama llama. Walk the uh-ha. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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