credo photo

Lost Creek Credo, MPL

 

ILR #266909

gelding  b. 11-18-2005

Sky Rocket x Ramblin’ Rosie

 

click on the photo to see more pictures of Credo on ipernity

 

Credo is 45.5" at the withers (FYI — most people are sure he's 47"+), and he's one very solid, strong dude. Although he has inherited his dam’s tendency to put on extra fat for a rainy day, for reasons that escape us, castration has helped rather than hurt Credo's weight control — before being sold, he was averaging 365 pounds, which we feel is appropriate for him. The upside to Credo's thrifty metabolism is that he'll almost certainly continue to maintain a healthy weight well into in old age (22+). He will have to be kept on very sparse forage or a dry lot for his prime years, however.

Credo’s excellent coat, strong and flawless conformation, and unflappable disposition are all recognized attributes in working pack llamas. Credo really shines with a savvy handler (like many llamas, he will take advantage of inattentive or timid humans, although he is much less motivated to do so now that he's been gelded), and he likes all kinds of adventures away from the farm — people-watching at shows, hanging out in camp, listening to music ... it's all great.

We bred Credo to several of our females to evaluate his potential as a stud and produced three strong, remarkably athletic pack prospects — the last of which was a substantially upgrade son, Koa, who has everything we have always liked about Credo, but ideal harness gaits, much better self-control around females and potential rivals ... and a special bond with Gwen, too! It was a no-brainer to keep Koa as a replacement for his sire and to geld Credo, who is now spending his prime years on the trail as a happier, busier gelding. Indeed, after castration Credo became much more relaxed and vastly more interested in being a partner.

We sold Credo when he was nine years old to a fellow who was planning a transition from goat packing to llama packing, but after the 2017 packing season, he wanted to sell Credo back to us, 70 lbs overweight and nearly three years older, for the same price he'd paid originally — as if any business can afford to rent llamas for nothing at all. The fellow then sold Credo to another party without our knowledge or consent, but fortunately we managed to contact Credo's new owner when she posted in a Facebook group. The second owner trimmed Credo's down and enjoyed him immensely; it was a great outcome for Credo. But when she had to move, Credo needed a place to stay — so Credo will return here in February 2021.

Credo is nowhere near ready for retirement, so he will step into the void left by Highlight and help us train our youngsters as well as serving as one of our personal pack llamas.

“Credo” (for the latin-challenged, that’s pronounced “CRAY-doe”) is Latin for "creed" and means a statement of belief.

Credo is a living statement of our strong beliefs in llama rescue (mother Rosie was rescued); highest quality medical care (he was conceived after father Sky Rocket shattered his leg and was being nursed back to soundness at extreme expense); practical knowledge (not fad-based or showring-driven) of working llama conformation and biomechanics; Classic llama breed recognition and preservation; sensitive, individualized natural training philosophies; and castration as a tool to improve both the gene pool and individual llamas' happiness. A fitting name for a llama who, without our adherence to these tenets, would not even have existed, let alone thrive as he does now!

Credo earned his PLTA Master Pack Llama certification in May 2013

Meet Credo's offspring: