Wes has been training and packing with llamas for 15 years. These tips are helpful reminders for working with your pack llama to ensure a pleasant and safe trip for both you and your llamas.

• When saddling a young llama, move with him if he moves. Don't start a pushing match with him. If you move with him like you're dancing and don't make an issue out of it, he'll get over it in time. Llamas love to play and fight by pushing. If you push on him, he interprets it as a challenging gesture and the llama will push back.
• The ideal load for a llama is compact. The cargo extends a couple inches above the back and two thirds of the way down the rib. The bottom of the loads will be tilted out away from the legs, not hanging loose and swinging into the llama's forelegs. If you have bulky loads you need to reduce the weight per llama.
• The saddle should not ride on the shoulders of the llama. The shoulder blades are continually moving and need clearance to function properly. If the saddle is up too far it is especially uncomfortable for the llama, when going down hill and he will begin to stop often to rest his shoulders.
• The rear cinch of the llama's saddle should come under just behind the rib cage to keep the saddle from going forward. In extremely steep country a britching or crupper is also helpful. Cruppers should be made from soft natural materials that will breathe and absorb moisture.
• If you struggle with a llama to accomplish something, you are only teaching him he can avoid it. If you are not successful with a method leave it quickly before the llama figures out what you are trying to do and come back with a better plan. Don't take anything the llama does personal. He is not trying to make your life miserable. He just doesn't know what to do, so he tries to protect himself.
• By using a foot restraint strap you can accomplish shearing and giving shots as well or easier than using a chute. Tie your llama to the post of a solid fence or the side of a barn. Make a big loop down over the rump and let it slide down the leg. Pull it tight when it gets below the scent gland on the rear leg. Tie the rope down the fence and pull the llama along the fence with his outside leg only slightly held back. He may jump around and fight it at first but will soon learn there is no place to go and will stand. Llamas soon get used to this restraint and fight very little. I believe all packers should be trained to stand for it. The foot restraint can be used in the mountains to doctor a llama where there are no chutes or fences. It takes several hours training to desensitize a llama. I don't have time to do that with forty llamas to train to pack. With the proper restraints there is no need to desensitize them. It doesn't follow that because a llama is restrained he is scared. When restraining move slowly and be calm, like you would if you were restraining and calming a child for a shot. Don't work with llamas when you are angry. It's your attitude, not the restraint, that scares them.
• How much a llama can pack is relative to many things besides the llama's size. Some large llamas can't pack more than medium sized llamas. Beginners should start on the light side for successful trips. I recommend 70 to 80 pounds to renters, which is a good place to start. If you want to walk fast you should start with 50 or 60 pounds. The weight a llama can pack is relative to all these factors:

1. Temperature 2. Balance of loads 3. Saddle fit and positioning 4. Saddle padding 5. The llama's disposition, experience, mental fatigue 6. Bulk of loads 7. Load distribution 8. Elevation gain and loss in trail 9. Miles you want to cover per day 10. Llama conditioning

• Floppy loads require much more energy for the llama to carry. Loads should be tight and secure, so they don't flop around , or slide forward and backward as the llam goes up and down hill.
• Pacing llamas is the key to successful trips, especially with heavier loads. I try to stay around 90 steps per minute with a 45 second rest stop every 25 feet of gain in elevation (about 1 1/2 miles per hour with a fair amount of gain). If you are going on the level you can skip the short rest stops and pick up the pace slightly which might net you two miles per hour. The llama will still nee an occasional rest but these can be combined with lunch breaks and stops for sight seeing, bird watching, and wild flowers.
• Llamas need water daily when it is hot, but if it is rainy and cool they might go three days without drinking. They would rather drink out of a warm puddle than a cold running stream. Sometimes llamas will refuse water out of a cold stream but will drink out of a bucket if offered.

Read more of Wes' thoughts on training llamas to pack in his article for LlamaLink magazine entitled: "Llama Packing and Infatuation."

Have fun with your llama buddies and enjoy the back country!

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last updated 11/19/2001