Cart Driving With Llamas by Greg Hall Do•It•Yourself Restraining Chute Plans

Cart Driving With Llamas

by Greg Hall

Simplicity Llama Farm • Dobson NC

Llamas are cool! You can take them on hikes, they are easy to work with, and everyone likes to pet them. But what else? Sure, you can take them to birthday parties, and a parade is always fun, but there is another way!

Llama Cart driving. Yes, there are lots of things to do with a llama, but let me give you a few reasons why you want to have a cart llama.

1-I’m Lazy! Hey, walking on a trail is hard work. (It’s up hill both ways, right?) Why not use a llama to take you on trips? You can hook up your cart, and then go down to the local store, get some bread and come back. (You’ll want to get items that are not refrigerated, since it usually will take you twice as long to get back, since folks always want to stop and talk with you)

Llamas are able to pull quite a lot of weight. The secret is that the weight is carried over the wheels. Think about it. Very few of us can lift up a car, but most of us can PUSH a car. So, on a typical 2 wheel cart, you can easily take 2 adults and a child on a walk. Which is a lot of fun!

Good Old Smiley, my cart llama, has been pulling a cart since he was about 2 years old. Over the years, we’ve walked over a hundred miles, in parades, along busy highways, around fairgrounds, and in many show rings. And he’s taken hundreds of kids and adults for ‘very memorable rides’.

2-Kids love a cart llama. Do you like to talk? Well, if you get a cart llama, you’ll get lots of practice! Besides asking for your llama’s name, and asking if they can have a ride, you will get the most important one, ‘Do they spit’? Now, all llama owners have been spit at, but usually because they are between the ‘Mama Llama’ and another one, where she is showing dominance. But the kids don’t know the ‘why’, just see the videos on YouTube. So what do I say? Of course, I usually note the color of their shirt and say ‘Llamas only spit at {Blue} {Green} {Stripes} and then watch them look down at their shirt and jump back. It’s priceless!

Giving rides are simple. If there are only 1 or 2, invite them up on your cart. If you have more kids, (and your llama is past the ‘I’m a crazy llama that requires adult supervision at all times’ stage) you can have the kids ‘drive’ your llama for a bit. Smiley is very good at following me, and letting the kids take turns holding the reins and saying ‘Gee’ (right turn) and ‘Haw’ (left turn) makes them feel that they are in charge.

3-You’ll love teaching your llama new tricks. Smiley has shown me that llamas are REALLY smart. It takes some time to train a llama to pull a cart, but by now, you’ll have a llama that knows that YOU have TREATS! What are some of the tricks? Well, Smiley (and many of his friends) have learned to Kush (lay down), to take off a baseball hat off your head, to stand on a bucket, and (unfortunately) they have also figured out how to take the lid off their treats.

Here’s something that’s fun and easy for you to do. Dress your llama up in a costume! It’s easy to train your llama to wear a blanket on their back, it’s the simplest thing for them to wear, just add a cinch around the waist to keep it on in the wind. Next on the list is a hat, (all you need to do is cut holes for the ears and add a string to keep it attached. They ‘like’ to shake their heads) With a hat and a blanket, they can be a pirate, a cowboy, a princess, or a colorful clown. Keep going, and you can add socks, pants, and even a costume that covers their entire body! They are amazing!

I guess I’m proud of all the shows that Smiley has been in, but I’m most proud of the few times that I’ve been able to show Smiley pulling a cart, going through an obstacle course blindfolded. Yes, using just the reins, with his eyes covered, Smiley can cross over a tarp, back up into a corner, weave around cones, and allow me to get off, and even change pace without seeing where he’s going. Can you do more? Of course you can! And it’s fun to see the success!

Llamas are a great way to have fun, to meet new people, to interact with lots of kids, and a great way to get around! Enjoy them!

Below are a few places, among others. http://lostcreekllamas.com/drivingharness.htm http://www.dawntoduskllamas.com/llama_harnesses.html http://www.llamahardware.com/driving-gear.html http://www.dawntoduskllamas.com/cartsforsale.html http://www.useful-items.com/product-p/040.htm http://www.jnkllamas.com/llama-driving--llama-carting-information. html

http://www.pearsonpond.com/LlamaDrivingReverse.html http://www.centraloregonllamas.org/driving.html http://britishllamasociety.org/Activities/Carting/Llama%20Carting.html http://workingllamas.com/?id=93 http://www.theindependent.com/news/local/learning-to-drive-no-probllama/article_e3ee762e-4e99-11e5-9c4d-8793154496ee.html

About the author: Greg Hall has been cart driving since 1994. He and his family have had llamas since 1991 and currently have eighteen llamas, five of which were rescues. At it’s peak their herd population was thirty-four. They have moved around the country with their llamas from Seattle WA to Rochester NY to Mt Airy NC. Greg’s wife Maylene started the first 4H club with llamas in Rochester NY. They are very active in the show circuit and have shown in nineteen different states. Greg is well known for the lead ropes he makes and donates to first and second class winners in youth performance classes. He also serves on the SSLA Board of Directors.

T-Post Caps

T-Posts are handy when putting up fencing, temporary or otherwise, but not very safe. You can purchase caps through some fencing manufacturers or you can make your own with a 3 1/2 inch long piece of PVC pipe (the width is determined by the size of the T-Post) and a PVC cap glued to the top. You don’t have to keep them white either. In fact, you might find it easier to find the closest faucet, gate or whatever by color coordinating them to the spot.