Animal lovers enjoy a Sunday morning Pilates class - with alpacas

Published: 01:22, 25 May 2026 | Updated: 01:22, 25 May 2026 A Dorset pilates class was joined by a herd of alpacas on Sunday. The fluffy camelids roamed among the 12 participants at Hope Farm in Corfe Mullen, near Wimborne, as they performed exercises outdoors over the bank holiday weekend. One alpaca even tried to clamber on to an exercise mat to join in with the 40-minute session, run by Jessica Hole, 28, who started the classes last year. Originally from North Wales, the instructor said: 'The sessions were inspired by my love of animals and pilates. 'Pilates is also heavily inspired by animals and the way they move (we have exercises such as cat, swan, elephant in the repertoire) so taking our class outside in the fresh air amongst our fluffy friends really adds something special to the experience.' She said she began the classes last summer and plans to run them again this year with her Hot Pink Pilates business.  Jessica added: 'Like humans, alpacas have different personalities. 'Some of them are cheeky characters and like to get involved, roll on people's mats, plonk themselves amongst the action and sniff us as we practise. Alpacas roamed around the 12 participants at a pilates class in Dorset on Sunday The camelids were part of instructor Jessica Hole's alpaca pilates class on Hope Farm The alpacas watched on as participants hit their poses during the 40-minute class in the sunshine 'The alpacas that are more reserved like to watch from a distance but due to the size of the field they're able to roam around freely and happily.' In an advertisement for the class, which cost £22.50 a head, Jessica said alpacas were 'gentle creatures with a calming energy'.  She added: 'Alpacas are very gentle and sweet-natured - being around them is animal therapy at its finest!' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.