credo photo

Lost Creek Credo, MPL

 

ILR #266909

gelding  b. 11-18-2005 . . . d. 02.01.2024

Sky Rocket x Ramblin’ Rosie

 

 

 

Credo waas 45.5" at the withers (FYI — most people were sure he was 47"+), and was one very solid, strong dude. Although he 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.

Credo’s excellent coat, strong and flawless conformation, and unflappable disposition are all recognized attributes in working pack llamas. Credo really shone with a savvy handler and he liked all kinds of adventures away from the farm — people-watching at shows, hanging out in camp, listening to music ... it was 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 also with ideal harness gaits and much better self-control around females and potential rivals! It was a no-brainer to keep Koa as a replacement for his sire and to geld Credo, who then spent his prime years on the trail as a happier, busier gelding who was 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, and so he returned to us in February 2021.

Credo helped us train some youngsters until he developed asthma which was aggrevated by two summers of extreme wildfire smoke. His condition finally degenerated into chronic emphysema. He stubbornly hung on, and was humanely euthanized when he finally admitted his time was up.

“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 lived the rich and fulfilled life that he enjoyed.

Credo earned his PLTA Master Pack Llama certification in May 2013

Meet Credo's offspring: