Able Oaks Ranch is owned by Virginia Lyons, who offers excellent show and investment quality huacaya alpacas and miniature llamas. The ranch is in the beautiful Piney Woods region of East Texas near historic Rusk, conveniently located midway between Dallas, Houston, Austin and Shreveport.

Mission: The breeding program focuses on producing elite alpacas and mini-llamas of enduring quality that will provide new breeders with superior foundation stock and experienced breeders with the upgrade genetics necessary to take them to the next level in their breeding program. The central principle is to produce elite alpacas with correct physical structure and elite fleece of exceptional fineness. I also strive to provide outstanding customer service and personalized mentoring for new owners, so that new clients become long-time friends.

Alpaca Herdsires: My herdsires emphasize persistent fiber fineness and solid color. When you're ready to "breed-up" to obtain first-class genetics, you'll find award-winning herdsires in many colors from lines such as Hemingway, Dom Lucillio, Peruvian Royal Fawn, Peruvian Caligula, Peruvian Vengador, Peruvian Platinum, Lanark's Silver Charm, Patagonia's Danko, and Shere Khan. Some of my machos are the only representative of their genetic lines in the Southwest, so you can get something that few in this area have. Returning customers receive discounted stud fees.

Miniature Llamas: My miniature llamas all think they are ten feet tall, but are about 1/2 the size of a standard llama; and therefore much, easier to handle. They are exceptional guard animals, and their wonderful fiber is harvested for many textile applications. Best of all, they are "people friendly" with loads of personality. There only about 650 registered mini-llamas in the USA, but lots of demand for them.

News Flash: I now have the very rare appaloosa miniature llamas! They are quite stunning.

Free Alpaca Library: My free library of over 30 articles provides more detailed knowledge about the alpaca and llama business, ideas for setting up ranch facilities, nutrition, breeding, and much more.

Educational Events: If you are researching alpacas and mini-llamas, Able Oaks Ranch offers numerous educational events throughout the year. Monthly free Open Ranch Days are ideal if you are researching whether alpaca and llama ranching is for you. The "Get Started Ranching Alpacas" and "Fabulous Fiber" workshops are among the best in the country and provide in-depth information to get you started developing your own sucessful alpaca business.

Boarding Alpacas and Llamas: If you do not have acerage, Able Oaks Ranch provides boarding services for your livestock. The ranch is fortunte to be in a climate of abundant rainfall (most years), so there is plenty of green nutritious pasture. Eight separate paddocks enable herd rotation to new forage as older paddocks are grazed down. You can rely on appropriate nutritional supplements, access to superb vet care (if required), daily attention, and excellent communication on a regular basis about the status of your boarded animals.

This page was last updated February 12, 2009.