Sky Rocket, PLTA MPL
ILR # 103925
male b. 6-26-1992 d. 5-14-2010
Feni Gold Nugget x Baby
click on the photo to see more pictures of Sky Rocket on flickr®
Sky Rocket stood 45.5" at the withers and weighed around 325 lbs. when in condition; he was more often hovering around 350 lbs. Others previously measured him as being between 46.5" and 47" ... no wonder tall llamas get all the press ... "the press" makes them tall in the first place!
Rocky had already been used quite a bit for breeding in the Montana area with 32 cria born as of his arrival at Lost Creek Llamas in 2001 (only 17 offspring had been registered when we bought him). All cria have been healthy and entirely genetically sound to our knowledge. Rocky has sired two pair of twins from the same female (not ours, thankfully!), but that was not his doing — twinning is entirely dependent on the female.
We’d greatly admired Sky Rocket for some time and planned to breed select Ranger Dusty daughters to him after they’d matured. When news reached us that a divorce meant that Rocky HAD to be sold, we were so concerned that we might lose access to his stud services that we purchased him immediately. We did take on more than we bargained for: As part of a commercial pack string, Rocky knew certain trails and their obstacles. Only those trails. Not, for instance, our wide bridge to drive across our creek. Hmpf.
Independent of his previous “job,” Rocky was also permitted to lead humans around, demanding food or sex whenever the notion took him, and initially we frequently found our arms being yanked HARD whenever Rocky spotted something he wanted. It’s a strong testament to Rocky's otherwise sensible disposition that he never hurt anyone. However, that also meant we really had our work cut out for us when we realized we needed to be the “bad cops” and require that Rocky learn and always practice safe and responsible behavior. Rocky was VERY strong, and convincing him that someone else makes the rules when he’s on halter and lead was no simple matter.
As a stud, Rocky had superior genes; as an individual, he was arrogant beyond belief, and proved to be the biggest management problem ever to reside on our farm.
We had to board Rocky elsewhere for the first two years we owned him (he thought Dusty should die, and started on this “project” by snapping off several completely sound, brand-new peeler core fenceposts at the base).
In August 2004, shortly after we brought him home to his newly-built super-strong-six-foot-fence-with-railroad-tie-posts pasture, Rocky was standing on his hind legs, screaming indignantly and spitting at some juveniles — only juveniles!!! — in the next pasture and managed to break his right foreleg in one of the super-strong gates. About a year and over $5000 later, he was back in his pasture (with the offending gate hazard and all others like it corrected) and somewhat humbled.
But only somewhat. For the next five years, we had to alternately stall and shuffle an assortment of male and gelded llamas between pastures as Rocky continued to attack all other males and geldings through whatever barrier was present, at great cost to many doors, gates, fences, and our wallet (as if the vet bills weren't enough of an insult).
Rocky's attitude finally caught up with him in May 2010. We had turned him out to graze without his halter, as we had done countless times before, in what we still consider our safest, strongest pen, specifically designed and manufactured to prevent animals from being able to get a leg between the panels ... and in his quest to threaten and maybe kill some males and geldings in a distant pasture, Rocky managed to force apart two pinned panels, wedge an upper leg between them, and then kill himself in his ensuing panic.
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None of Sky Rocket's offspring have any semblance of his arrogance. As a stud, Sky Rocket's genetic contribution improved on every female in more ways and more consistently than any other stud we've known to date, let alone used. The loss to the gene pool is huge.
Despite his previously broken leg, Sky Rocket was named Grand Champion Classic Male in the FIRST EVER Classic Llama halter division (held at Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival), September 2008. “Rocky” was 16 years old at the time and defeated both a multiple grand-champion winning ALSA halter champion and his own son, Lost Creek Credo (who has since been awarded numerous Grand Champions at halter).
Sky Rocket had some previous PLTA trial completions (two advanced, two master level), but wasn’t able to earn certification before we bought him because he hated picking up his feet — and totally refused to allow his back legs to be touched, let alone permit rear “foot inspections” as is required for PLTA MPL certification. And then, of course, came the boarding years followed by the fractured leg and the long period physical rehabilitation (during much of which, picking up any foot other than the fractured one without the support of a chute and belly strap to lean on was physically asking too much). Although prior to the fracture Rocky was packing with as much weight, double the miles per day, and often double the maximum elevation gain that master level certification requires, the aftereffects of his healed fracture made extended or steep downhill stretches uncomfortable, and so we relegated him to what we consider “moderate” packing. To put that classification in perspective, those restrictions did NOT preclude pack trials at the master’s level. He finally agreed to pick up all of his feet for both of us, and in September 2009, he became the oldest llama to earn PLTA Master Pack Llama certification at age 17 years … and the only llama to do so after fracturing his leg.
Sky Rocket was named and nicknamed (“Rocky”) by his previous owner.
Rocky's show record
Meet some of Sky Rocket’s offspring:
- 2005 female — Friday Creek Farm Chanterelle [available late summer 2011; a right-of-refusal is currently in place]
- 2005 male — Lost Creek Credo
- 2006 female — Lost Creek Saucony
- 2007 female — Lost Creek Kahlotus [available as a nonbreeder]
- 2009 female — Lost Creek Teewinot
- 2009 female — Lost Creek Klahowya [multiple right-of-refusals in place]
Several females are due to Sky Rocket through late April 2011 at Lost Creek Llamas, JNK Llamas, and Sunora Llamas. At this time, none of these offspring is expected to be available regardless of sex, although Sunora Llamas' space and breeding goals dictate that most of their babies must be sold; Sunora does currently have a 2008 female and a 2009 female from Sky Rocket listed for sale.