Packing with llamas

[Blueticker1]

Who makes the best pack saddle for llamas, until I can get horses and mules again llamas make for sense so I'm going to try 1 or 2

 

[Blueticker1]

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I have a few Sopris saddles and a few Flaming Star saddles. I'm not crazy about either. I think they all have way too many straps and buckles. Some people make their own and that will be a venture of mine one of these days. If you mean 1 or 2 llamas then make sure you get 2, they are a herd animal and don't do well solo. Besides that, you really need two llamas just to get a quartered Mule Deer out in one trip.

Was thinking 2 I am looking into the wilderness ridge saddles, I do not think I'd like to venture into making any as of now. Thank you for the information I have packed horses and mules and have made saddles for them, I guess I was looking for a decker style saddle for a llama where most of them seem to be saw bucks. Sopris are expensive since this is new naturally I'd like to get into it for as cheap as I can with quality gear and llamas like everything else the better they are the more you pay. I didn't even know there were different breeds of them until I started doing research. I honestly have never handled them but since I've worked with animals all my life I'm not intimidated by it either

 

[squirrel]

The "best" saddles are any saddle that is free, kinda like the best boat is any boat someone else will let you use...

But each has strengths and weaknesses I prefer simplicity and strength being in the rental market as I have found that renters can break an anvil.

If not in the business I would think it would be simply which is most comfortable for my animals. If they could talk I'm thinking Sopris would rank high, but in my line they rank well down the list being quite a bit weaker than an anvil.

There is a lot to be said for simplicity as well as extra straps get tangled, lost etc. Front and rear breeching is great on the trail but hell at the trail head and worse when it is white and below zero. And teaching new guys to snap those 36 extra buckles to the correct spot??? yeah right! Generally looks like a plate of spaghetti upon return.

Simple strong cheap words to live by

 

[Blueticker1]

Well free is probably out of the question since I do not know of anyone personally that has ever packed with a llama or where to begin. So like all things in my life its something I dont know anything about so I'll jump in feet first and get it figured out. I might buy 1 saddle and then copy or tweak another saddle, I wouldn't know anywhere to start on a llama saddle but I have built deckers and saw bucks for mules and horses.

 

[squirrel]

There ya go I bought my first two, built the next 32, not hard just have to locate all the correct components. Good deals abound if you are patient, much better to have poor tack on good llamas than vis versa, that is for sure. Panniers take all the abuse, saddles are good for many llamas life spans if well built.

 

[Explorer]

Check out Rocky Mountain Llamas http://www.rockymtllamas.com/index.html
I have a set of their panniers and some of their other equipment. They are pretty good quality and reasonably priced.
I made saddles similar to their design last year and they worked well and held up well. I used them about twice a week last summer for short 3 mile hikes and for one 10 day hunting trip in the fall. I think they will last very well for personal use.

 

[Blueticker1]

There ya go I bought my first two, built the next 32, not hard just have to locate all the correct components. Good deals abound if you are patient, much better to have poor tack on good llamas than vis versa, that is for sure. Panniers take all the abuse, saddles are good for many llamas life spans if well built.

View attachment 143028

Man they sure do look simple enough, I may just build a couple, if you dont mind me asking what are the length of the tree bars?

 

[Blueticker1]

Check out Rocky Mountain Llamas http://www.rockymtllamas.com/index.html
I have a set of their panniers and some of their other equipment. They are pretty good quality and reasonably priced.
I made saddles similar to their design last year and they worked well and held up well. I used them about twice a week last summer for short 3 mile hikes and for one 10 day hunting trip in the fall. I think they will last very well for personal use.

Thank you, I have looked at them and that's probably who I'll buy my panniers from. I wont be going super long distances but I have a 2 year old that I have to take with me whenever I go last year it was kind of a cluster to pack him and all my gear plus his stuff so I'm just trying to make it easier in myself.

 

[squirrel]

Man they sure do look simple enough, I may just build a couple, if you dont mind me asking what are the length of the tree bars?

You mean the flat stock running parallel to the ground?

 

[Blueticker1]

You mean the flat stock running parallel to the ground?

Yes sir, the ones I have built for horses were 20" so I was thinking somewhere in the 14" mark for llamas perhaps

 

[squirrel]

Upper is 17.5 x 2.5 lower is 14.5x1.5

 

[Blueticker1]

Upper is 17.5 x 2.5 lower is 14.5x1.5

Thank you, looks like I'll just build a couple because I'll have some time. Apparently llamas are hard to come by

 

[squirrel]

No problem I sell them as a package also, but they are not hard to make if you are handy. I heard a rumor it is a bit of a sellers market right now for llamas, fortunately I got extras of those too.

 

[Blueticker1]

Well I guess now it begins

 

[Explorer]

Congratulations! Can you tell us a little more about them? How did you find them, male or female, do they have any training, and age?

 

[Blueticker1]

Congratulations! Can you tell us a little more about them? How did you find them, male or female, do they have any training, and age?

They're both female, 5 years old, they are broke to lead, shear, trim hooves. They have never packed the black one seems to need time to adjust to new owners she is a little stubborn. They both come to you when you call their names and they're easy to halter. I'm going to give the black one time to adjust to the new situation before I start making her lead and learn to pack, the brown one i will put a saddle on Wednesday, I have been petting them everyday and just letting them get used to me. I let the brown one sniff the saddle blanket and pack saddle Saturday and Sunday and rubbed it all over her back and legs so she doesn't spook and learns that it will not hurt her, basically I have never really dealt with a llama or trained one so I'm just starting them like I would a horse or mule using pressure cues.

 

[mt100gr.]

They're both female, 5 years old, they are broke to lead, shear, trim hooves. They have never packed the black one seems to need time to adjust to new owners she is a little stubborn. They both come to you when you call their names and they're easy to halter. I'm going to give the black one time to adjust to the new situation before I start making her lead and learn to pack, the brown one i will put a saddle on Wednesday, I have been petting them everyday and just letting them get used to me. I let the brown one sniff the saddle blanket and pack saddle Saturday and Sunday and rubbed it all over her back and legs so she doesn't spook and learns that it will not hurt her, basically I have never really dealt with a llama or trained one so I'm just starting them like I would a horse or mule using pressure cues.

Keep adding updates here as you go. I have 3 youngsters and a 3 year old gelding that will all be on that path.

They all lead. Hooves aren't fun yet but they'll do it. I've had the saddle on all but 1, the older gelding should be a pro....

Fun stuff.

 

[Blueticker1]

Keep adding updates here as you go. I have 3 youngsters and a 3 year old gelding that will all be on that path.

They all lead. Hooves aren't fun yet but they'll do it. I've had the saddle on all but 1, the older gelding should be a pro....

Fun stuff.

I think my black one just needs time and patience, I only got them last Friday so I'm not rushing anything. I never thought about posting updates but i sure will, maybe if there is enough of us with young llamas or just beginner llama people we could start a thread on how our training is going, and that way if we have any issues maybe someone else has had the same issue and found a solution to the problem.

 

[mt100gr.]

I think my black one just needs time and patience, I only got them last Friday so I'm not rushing anything. I never thought about posting updates but i sure will, maybe if there is enough of us with young llamas or just beginner llama people we could start a thread on how our training is going, and that way if we have any issues maybe someone else has had the same issue and found a solution to the problem.

That's a good idea. It's gonna be like reading a bloopers reel ....goofy, Dr Seuss-looking buggers are neat though. I just enjoy watching them do Llama stuff.

 

[Blueticker1]

That's a good idea. It's gonna be like reading a bloopers reel ....goofy, Dr Seuss-looking buggers are neat though. I just enjoy watching them do Llama stuff.

Yeah I am pretty sure there will be wrecks and rodeos, kind of odd coming from horses and mules to using llamas but it just makes sense for the areas that I hunt. I mostly hunt desert so the less water and feed are what appealed to me the most. That and my wife isn't intimidated by llamas like she is with the larger stuff.