Lost Creek Ranger Taos
ILR # 245245
gelding b. 12-13-2002 . . . d. 06.13.2020
Ranger Dusty x Snake River Molly
Taos was 42.75” at the withers and tended to run around 280 pounds when his pasture was restricted adequately.
Taos did not quite come up to “stud quality” in classic-breed-specific coat traits — his coat, although it shed to a degree, was on the borderline between classic and k'ara (ccara). He also had a strong personality, which can be especially difficult to deal with in a stud llama — not to mention that precious few people have the savvy and patience to interact successfully with such a disposition, thus severely limiting humane homes for any similar offspring … and thus it was an easy decision for Taos to become a gelding.
Taos was “spoken for” several times, but everybody failed to follow through. We figure the universe did this to keep him here for some reason even though we weren't smart enough to figure that out on our own. Years later, Taos served as a "mentor gelding" — teaching the juvenile males "the ropes" and keeping them from getting swelled heads.
Taos passed away unexpectedly two days after a vet visit to address sudden onset of dental discomfort. The exam did not uncover enough to explain Taos's recent changes in behavior, and our best guess is that the minor tooth problem was a red herring — Taos's recent decrease in appetite was probably an ongoing liver issue, and the sedatives then led to a fatal hepatic insult.
“Taos” means “place where the red willows grow” in the Tewa language. Taos was red, of course; his maternal grandmother was Snake River Willow. We knew immediately that — like willow —Taos was very strong, and we hoped he would also develop the flexibiliy of a willow. In the end, Taos did improve in that respect, but we were the ones who increased our flexibility the most.