Lost Creek Troubadour
ILR # 274896
male b. 12-7-2007
JD’s Cappuccino x Ramblin’ Rosie
click on the photo to see more pictures of Troubadour on flickr®
Troubadour is proving to be his parents’ son — inquisitive, mellow, very much a “people person,” and definitively classic. Jim originally planned to work with him, but Gwen is Troubadour’s preference and so that’s the way it is going to be.
We are seeing in Troubadour everything it takes to be an outstanding show llama in both halter and performance classes, and also a real joy as a companion. He did not inherit his father’s excellent gaits, however (it’s a complex genetic trait, and his dam is as opposite of “ideal” as it gets). We were originally going to geld him outright on that basis, but our ongoing search for breeding stock has made us appreciate that Troubadour is better in almost every other critical way than what we’re able to find “out there”, and he’s also potentially a better match for some of our females (who do have top-notch gaits) than any other options available to us at this time.
Although our experience is that Troubadour’s gaits will tend to make him either a slower walker (possibly even painfully slow uphill) or in need of more conditioning than is ideal, he certainly will be capable of at least medium-duty packing. Because he is otherwise so excellent, we’ll delay final decision to castrate Troubadour after he gets ample opportunity to definitively prove (or disprove) himself on the trail. We can always do it later … but it can’t be un-done.
A troubadour was a medieval entertainer, talented in music, poetry, and often other arts. Some of the troubadours traveled continuously, but generally each was employed by a particular court. Our Troubadour is certainly talented and suited for interaction and the entertainment facet of the llama world.