The Rodeo Part 2

Today marked the first day of lead training for the Rocaro cria, after having the month of January lesson free.

It was a warm day, the kind where you don't have to bundle up or wear gloves. It's icy outside so the first session is in the barn. Normally there are two people working on lead training so the whole group can go together at first...safety in numbers from an alpaca point of view.

This is not the case today as I am here alone. I managed to get halters on and everyone tied without trouble. Then the fun begins.

It made sense to take two cria along with Andele for the first lesson because Andele, age 2, is already lead trained and the non-trained alpacas should follow along. Step one is get the girls out of the barn so I don't have a repeat of The Rodeo. Accomplished.

I then get Andele in hand along with two others and head for the door. Andele follows well, however the other two are having nothing to do with this. A little alpaca is surprisingly strong when leaning backwards with front feet splayed and determined not to move. Hmm, I have no one to get behind and give them a shove. Somehow I manage to keep the leads in front of Andele and reach behind the stubborn ones and provide some incentive. We make a tour around the barn and back home. The first lesson is always short.

Away we go with group two, Andele in the lead. Same situation however this time in my wisdom I wrap the excess leads around my hand. Or so I thought...really they were around my fingers. Fingers are not meant to bend in that direction! Thankfully nothing is broken.

Along with the commotion of trying to get the second group moving, the dogs caught a glimpse of Tab the barn cat prowling the barn near the gate, right under the dog's nose. Of course this is too much for a dog to ignore and the barking and leaping on the gate commences. Naturally the gate flings open, the cat disappears and the dogs bound through and towards the cria who have just stepped past the door.

Panicked cria; once again this is not how fingers bend. There is nowhere handy to tie the alpacas while I get rid of the dogs & shut the gate. Arrgh!

Eventually everyone had their lesson, and I can't wait to do it all again tomorrow.