conditioning llamas and handlers
Conditioning handlers is pretty obvious a need.
We are well aware that we need to get into condition before we go out into our chosen wilderness. We are well aware that the winter and, for some of us, the softness of our life-style has left us unprepared for the more rigorous life on the trail. A few of us keep in great condition all winter. A few of us. Some of us have a half-hearted workout schedule. Fortuantely for me and my wife, we have had a timber lot behind our house that we purchased a couple of years ago. It was never thinned by the previous owner (a timber company!). Now we "work out" every chance we get as we thin out the trees, cut them up and haul them to our property for sale as firewood. As we get older (some of us are much older), we are more aware that we MUST get or keep in physical condition so we can both hike and enjoy it more.
Just as we will enjoy a trip better when we are better prepared and condtioned, so it is with our packing companions.
Our llamas also benefit some from our timber lot. We have now trained 6 of them to help. Georgia has made three carriers that we can add to our packsaddles and slip in chunks of wood that are in areas that cannot be reached by my quad and trailer. In the process the llamas get handled a lot, they get saddled regularly, they feel the wood being loaded, hear strange sounds, and carry moderate weight. A day of that really helps them. However, that is not all they need.
Besides being handled, saddled, and getting some weight training, they need to toughen their legs and feet. Now that summer is here we periodically load them with two plastic buckets loaded with about 25-30 pounds of sand in each and take them on longer 2-3 mile hikes and up steeper hills. We have also sheared four of them or combed two of them so they are better prepared for the summer heat.
This is our conditioning schedule. What do some of you do for your llamas?
We are well aware that we need to get into condition before we go out into our chosen wilderness. We are well aware that the winter and, for some of us, the softness of our life-style has left us unprepared for the more rigorous life on the trail. A few of us keep in great condition all winter. A few of us. Some of us have a half-hearted workout schedule. Fortuantely for me and my wife, we have had a timber lot behind our house that we purchased a couple of years ago. It was never thinned by the previous owner (a timber company!). Now we "work out" every chance we get as we thin out the trees, cut them up and haul them to our property for sale as firewood. As we get older (some of us are much older), we are more aware that we MUST get or keep in physical condition so we can both hike and enjoy it more.
Just as we will enjoy a trip better when we are better prepared and condtioned, so it is with our packing companions.
Our llamas also benefit some from our timber lot. We have now trained 6 of them to help. Georgia has made three carriers that we can add to our packsaddles and slip in chunks of wood that are in areas that cannot be reached by my quad and trailer. In the process the llamas get handled a lot, they get saddled regularly, they feel the wood being loaded, hear strange sounds, and carry moderate weight. A day of that really helps them. However, that is not all they need.
Besides being handled, saddled, and getting some weight training, they need to toughen their legs and feet. Now that summer is here we periodically load them with two plastic buckets loaded with about 25-30 pounds of sand in each and take them on longer 2-3 mile hikes and up steeper hills. We have also sheared four of them or combed two of them so they are better prepared for the summer heat.
This is our conditioning schedule. What do some of you do for your llamas?
posted by BCL at 6:49 AM
1 Comments:
We are relatively new to llama packing, and your blog is giving us a lot of food for thought. So far, we are just weekend warriors, but we plan to go out for several days next year. (When you pack all that stuff, you might as well stay for a while!) As far as conditioning, our three llamas are intact males ages 3 to 8, and they seem to keep in shape by chasing each other around. Things don't get out of hand (no one's ever been hurt), and they get plenty of exercise. We took some steep trails at high altitude this summmer, and they never got winded. (I did; the rest of my family is in great shape.) We plan to keep going this winter by walking, and taking lots of hikes on whatever trails are open in the foothills and down on the plains. Good incentive to keep in shape is thinking of the wonderful secluded places we can go next summer, and wanting to be able to get there without supplementary oxygen. :)
Mary in Colorado
Post a Comment
<< Home