Shear madness! Alpacas sport bizarre new look for the summer...and now they're real studs!

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A herd of Cotswold alpacas have been given bizarre new haircuts for summer, including one styled to look like a poodle and another like a dinosaur.

Helen Kendall Smith, 53, cut the coats of ten of her 30-strong flock to celebrate a decade of breeding the animals in Cirencester, Gloucestershire.

The alpacas are sheared annually to stop their fleeces getting too long and causing them distress, but this year Ms Smith decided to give her flock more unusual styles than they were used to.

A herd of Cotswold alpacas were given a bizarre new look for summer when their owner decided to try out a selection of different hairstyles  

Helen Kendall Smith (pictured) cut ten of her 30-strong flock's locks to celebrate her tenth year of breeding the animals in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

The Alpacas are sheared annually to stop their fleeces getting too long and causing them distress. But this year three of the alpacas were given lion-style manes 

The mother-of-three, sketched out her designs before professional shearers turned her ideas into reality, fashioning one alpaca to look like a poodle. She gave others a mohawk, while one was given a stripey coat.

Another alpaca was even styled to look like a dinosaur and three were given fluffy, lion-style manes.

Ms Smith said: 'We decided to give them funky haircuts I designed in order to celebrate our tenth year of breeding alpaca, which we are very excited about.

'I designed the styles based on the type of fleece the alpaca males had and their individual personalities and colours. I did some drawings but what was important is the alpaca enjoyed the experience.

'The "blanket" is the best part of the fleece on the alpaca so shearing in such a funky manner meant we lost a little of the best parts of the fleece this year but it is worth it.

'I wanted to show people a more humorous side to alpaca in times when farming seems really low.

'I have only done this with alpaca I know really well who were happy to have it done and who relish the attention they are getting.' 

Mother-of-three Ms Smith, sketched out her designs before getting out the clippers and fashioning one alpaca like a poodle (left)

She gave others a mohawk, while one was given a stripey coat. Only the males were sheared because female alpacas spend 11-and-a-half months of the year pregnant and must be sheared as quickly as possible

Ms Smith worked in sales until 2008, when she turned her hand to breeding alpacas. To celebrate ten years of breeding the animals she gave them a selection of funky hairstyles 

Only the males were sheared because female alpacas spend 11-and-a-half months of the year pregnant and must be sheared as quickly as possible. All the animals will have their fleeces fully sheared in mid-may.

Ms Smith, who lives with husband, managing consultant Geoff, 56, said: 'We did all of our boys. The mohican style needed a very very dense fleece in order for it to stand up.

'My alpaca males do not mind being sheared. It is not something I would try with my females.'

Allpacas are native to South America and are closely related to the llama. Ms Smith said her male alpacas do not mind being sheared and 'love the attention'

Ms Smith runs the Kensmyth Alpaca Stud, breeding alpacas which can sell for tens of thousands of pounds each

She added: 'They love the attention they are getting as the weather changed immediately after they were sheared so they have loved being in at night and extra feeding.

'Alpaca need to be sheared every year without fail but you are reliant on shearers dates and the weather sometimes lets you down.'

Ms Smith worked in sales until 2008, when she turned her hand to breeding alpacas - which are native to South America and are closely related to the llama.

The former livestock farmer now runs Kensmyth Alpaca Stud, breeding alpaca which can sell for tens-of-thousands of pounds each. 

The "blanket" is the best part of the fleece on the animal so shearing in funky patterns meant Ms Smith lost a little of the best parts of the fleece but she said it was 'worth it'

Alpaca need to be sheared every year without fail but farmers are reliant on shearers dates and the weather 

Ms Smith said only sheared the alpaca she knew well and who were happy to have it done because they 'relish the attention they are getting'