Limavady teen’s passion for alpacas leads to championship debut

Limavady teenager Hayden Geraghty has turned his enthusiasm for alpaca handling into an impressive milestone, competing in the Young Handlers Competition at the Northern Ireland Alpaca Halter Championships on March 8.

The 16 year-old is a pupil of Rossmar School and has been diagnosed with Autism and ADHD, the symptoms of which were significantly alleviated when he was first introduced to alpacas as a therapeutic experience which quickly developed into a deep love for the animals.

Through diligence, devotion and a strong commitment to caring for his own herd, Hayden went on to achieve his dream of competing at the Northern Ireland Alpaca Halter Championships.

Inspired by the positive impact alpacas have had on Hayden’s wellbeing, the Geraghty family have since begun welcoming a small number of families to visit and interact with their alpacas for therapy.

Hayden’s mother, Caroline Geraghty, explained how his unusual hobby began and the remarkable benefits it has brought to his life:

“We got into alpacas about five years ago, it was during the lockdown period, which had quite a big impact upon Hayden’s mental health, with his Autism and ADHD, and he regressed so much.

“When things started to open up, we were recommended to go to an alpaca farm in Donegal and when we went for a visit, one alpaca stepped forward in front of Hayden and the instant connection was just magical.

“We saw straight away how he was around the animals and went to the farm two to four times a week for about four years.

“The farm then offered Hayden a sponsorship of a couple of alpacas, to give him the care and responsibility of owning alpacas.

“We did this for about a year, then we began to think about getting our own alpacas and then with the help of the agricultural community around Carrowclare, we were offered land to rent to keep them on.

“It started in January 2025 when we bought three boys and brought them back to Limavady, where Hayden enjoyed being with them and looking after them, caring for them and gave it his all.

“Hayden was then asked to exhibit the animals at Limavady Agricultural Show, which we did in July of last year, and they were so impressed that Hayden has been asked to return next year again.

“Hayden sold wee alpaca gifts like keyrings and bracelets and the money that he raised from that he donated that to Rossmar school.

“The donation went to the Nurture classroom for anything that they wanted to buy.

“Hayden turned 16 on 1st of December and the fourth alpaca came about, so now we have the youngest one named Bohemian Rapsody, Boho for short!”

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After attending the Northern Ireland Alpaca Championships last year, Hayden was inspired to take part in the Young Handlers Competition and spent the following months working towards achieving that goal.

”Hayden challenged himself to take on this nine-month alpaca and he worked and trained, halter trained him, got him walking, did all the work himself, then took him into that show and got a brilliant result.

“Everyone who stepped into that ring are all champions!”

Hayden’s family are deeply committed to supporting his school, Rossmar School in Limavady, and have even involved their alpacas in school events as Caroline described:

“At Christmas time, they had a Santa’s grotto and the reindeers got sacked, and the Alpacas got the job!

“It was just magical to see the response of the children of all ages, some of whom are non-verbal.

“Alpacas are very gentle with children and adults with any neurological conditions, they are very sensitive around that.”

Caroline also explained that their alpaca farm, Binevenagh Alpacas, is available to a small number of families seeking therapy opportunities for neurodiverse children.

One or two families each week are welcome to visit privately by prior arrangement, with a donation often given to help with the care of the alpacas.

However, she stressed that the family is not operating the farm as a business and their capacity for welcoming families is limited to preserve the welfare of the animals:

“The motto of Binevenagh Alpacas is Therapy, Connection and Community Spirit, if we can help one other family to benefit in the way that these animals have helped Hayden, our aims will be met.

“We decided after seeing how it was benefitting Hayden’s life and had been approached by other families with children similar to Hayden to allow them to meet the alpacas.

“We are part of the Northern Ireland Alpaca Group, and we get together and share information on alpaca care and the most important thing about the alpacas is their welfare.

“The story we want to share is the ever-growing story of the alpaca industry, whether that it is for showing or breeding, for the textile industry or the hospitality industry for trekking.

“There are lots of children who are neurodiverse, with autism or ADHD, and we thought we have the animals here, if we can be of help to others, that’s what we are all about.

“For Hayden, his Autism and ADHD conditions means his brain is going a thousand miles an hour all the time, previously he had meltdowns and life was so difficult.

“When we are down around those animals, he is just calm, the shoulders drop and everything slows down.

“The benefits that he has seen from this, money cannot buy!”

“The only way I can describe it is magical, it was the path that we fell into that we were meant to.

“From that day we were introduced to the alpacas at the farm in Donegal, I think it was fate, everything fell into place and it was meant to be!”