Buyer's guide for performance llamas

Developed by Gwen Ingram

No one, not even an expert, can pick out the perfect llama every time. However, some basic information and careful examination can greatly increase anyone's odds of acquiring a suitable llama.

This sheet has been formulated to assist prospective buyers make their own evaluations and decisions, and is provided courtesy of The Backcountry Llama Newsletter

For any llama:

For pet and companion llamas:

After general health, personality is of foremost importance. Not everyone enjoys the same personality types, however. Llamas may be shy, bold, comical, or reserved. Get acquainted with a number of llamas and find which personality you respond to best. Pets and companions should be well-mannered. Llamas with behavior problems (abused, pushy or aggressive) and breeding stock are not advised.

For wool llamas:

Wool llamas should have fiber that is fine, soft, and dense. Little or no guard hair is preferred. Woolly llamas have the highest quantity of usable fiber, and also have woolly necks, heads, and legs. Shearing is best to harvest the fleece from woolly llamas, so you'll want to be sure that the llama tolerates touching and handling wherever he or she will be shorn.

If you need a classic-type llama for packing or performance, but also want to collect and use the wool, be sure that the llama's wool combs out easily and that combing yields fine fibers. Be aware that the presence of guard hair on the classic-type llama means that you generally should not shear the llama, and that you will have less wool fiber and some unwanted stiff guard hairs in your combed fiber.

For any performance llama

Performance llamas go places and do things--they should load into vehicles and trailers willingly and easily. Whether you are looking for a show, pack, or driving llama, it is always best to try the llama out within his or her intended discipline--on an obstacle course, trail, or road. Trying out the llama's performance over an obstacle course will give you an idea of the llama's willingness, calmness, attention, training level, and trainability regardless of the intended use.

For driving llamas

Driving prospects should meet the same criteria as pack prospects, but must also be calm, compliant, and very willing to walk, jog, and run when asked. A slow or balky llama, or one that is easily startled or distracted, is not an enjoyable nor safe choice for driving. A driving llama should also have the strength, endurance, and appropriate conformation to maintain a singlefoot (the middle gait) without slipping into another gait. This will alter, with experience, to a true trot in the trained driving llama. An untrained llama that trots naturally may do so because of hind leg weaknesses and may not prove to be adequate for extensive driving.

If the llama is already trained to drive, it should move forward freely, stretch out the neck in a natural position to maintain light but firm rein contact, stop or stand willingly, maneuver through simple obstacles, back up, and generally enjoy its task. Beware of llamas who have learned to drive with their heads and necks pulled back. They will require knowledgeable retraining to avoid eventual self-damage and injury.

Additional steps for evaluating pack prospects

Gwen Ingram and her husband, Jim Krowka, own Lost Creek Llamas. Their farm is near Dexter, OR, east of Eugene. She is a frequent writer for The Backcountry Llama newsletter. She is the writer and publisher of Evaluating a Llama Pack for Comfort and Function.