Halter Training

There has been a lot of halter training going on.  Pierre and Farquhar were on a refresher course, as Victor Hugo and Yves are at present.  And there is on going training for our young llamas, Ody and Mehitabel.  Mehitabel was very nervous about the whole thing until I started walking her with Ody, who is supremely quiet and confident.  Mehitabel is much happier to walk now, even on her own :)

Lead and Halter Training, Kiki in the Orchard and the garden

Every morning we have a little lead and halter training sesh for the 'babies'.  Pleased to say that some are making good progress :)  We are using halters designed by Lavender Park's Ruth King and they are brilliant, the snap to close fittings make it much easier to fit  and not pull their hair and they come in a range of fab colours, though I must admit to liking purple and red best - nothing new there!!

Bracken is improving slowly - looks dashing in purple :)

Eddy with Maggie Mae, she is a real star, but all credit for her training must go to Ruth, we are just adding new skills like different handlers and new situations and surfaces.

Phoebe is a blue black and looks dazzling in her red halter.

Tarquinn has a buckle up halter and he is not fond of having it fitted as it is almost impossible not to get his long coat tangled  in the buckle.  He seems to have realised that there is such a thing as too close to the camera - at last!!  LOL!!

The orchard is looking fab at present, the trees are all in flower, these are apple and pear trees.

Kiki in full flight through the orchard.  She is sporting her new choke chain instead of a collar and its hoped that this will be less wear and tear on her neck!

The garden is also full of flowers, a stunning lilac tree.

Dutch irises in the side garden.

The front garden has just popped with some very pale/white bearded iris :)

The new blacks and halter training

I havent yet skited about the new black alpacas at Mt Tanga. One of them is Cushla, who is a real sweetie, and another is Black Pearl who is a 'slip of a thing' being one of those mothers who puts everything into raising her cria and consequently looks a bit thin come weaning time.

Cushla:

Black Pearl, cant wait for her to have a boy so I can call him Jack Sparrow!!  LOL!!

The wind was quite strong this morning, and Azzura looks a bit wind swept.  She's been getting quite a bit of exercise lately but you'd hardly guess it from her waist line.. shhhhh...

Trinket, this morning, also in windswept mode.  She is not as happy with the smaller herd size in the road paddock, she's a girl who loves a crowd.

Fresian and Black Narcissus are also in this group - mostly relinquishing mothers and pregnant females not due until April or so next year.  Both are doing well :)

After breakfast in the yards the girls head back out into the road paddock :)

 Freddie has the most amazing eyelashes and in this pic the most ill-fitting halter - fixed immediately after this shot.  He and the other weanlings have started halter training.  Freddie is starring!  Not fussed or bothered about the halter and enjoying cuddle time - hope he does as well when we add the lead rope.

His fleece is lovely, soft and very crimpy with good density - used my chart this morning to identify him as a dark fawn.