I bought a llama from a large herd.....and when I got her she had a brand new barrel shearing job with a brand new 8 inch scab along her spine where the skin had been sheared off. Needless to say...she was not happy with anything she interpreted as a means to control her....a halter. I imagine she had only been handled when something had to be done to her....catch her, restrain her, halter her, chute her, and then shear, shots, and nails. So now she is mine! When I try to get a halter on her she jerks her head away or sticks her nose in the air away from me. I have a catch rope high up on her neck and tried and tried. I keep hearing "if it isn't working stop doing it" so I did. I can pick up her feet, work with her tail, scratch her back...but can't get the halter on her. This is what I have done.....I let her eat around her halter in a feed bowl and she is fine with that. Open the nose band all the way and try to get it on and she is NOT fine with that. Use the catch rope and make the improvised halter as described in the book and she is not fine with that. She is pregnant and I really want her cria so I don't like to upset the darling. On the other hand if anything goes wrong with her pregnancy and I need to handle precious I want things a little easier on her and me. This is what I am doing now......I have a large quilting hoop that I have started putting over her head. My idea is to gradually size down and viola I will trick her into never realizing that I have sized down to a HALTER! I have only gotten the hoop over her head and not gone smaller BUT she did OK with the hoop.. Any help? Or has anyone else worked out this problem with another llama? I'd like to see that there is hope. Thanks, Laura Harrawood Missouri
