Keeping llamas clean is hardest part of showing
Madilynn MacDonald, 9, a member of Kamelid Kushers 4-H Club, stands with her llama, Perfect Storm, at the Coshocton County Fair. Jen Jones | Beacon
COSHOCTON – Annie Ward and Madilynn MacDonald, both members of Kamelid Kushers 4-H Club, agree that keeping their llamas clean before their show is the hardest part of the competition.
Ward, 11, showed her llama, Rocco, for the third time this year. “The hardest part is cleaning him. I wash him all week then on show day I tie him up, wash and brush him. And I don’t put him back in his pen until after the show.”
On show day, Ward said she does get nervous and sometimes frustrated with Rocco, but she never lets him know it because he can sense it. On show day, the llamas have to be clean and brushed and she always puts fly spray on him. She also tries to keep calm so he doesn’t get antsy during the show.
“We have to walk in circles and always keep our eyes on the judge. When we stop, Rocco has to be squared up. If he moves, I turn him around and we square up again.” Ward won two fifth place and a sixth place ribbons during her shows. Ward said she enjoys showing Rocco because “I feel better about myself when I’m showing him.”
This is MacDonald’s first year of showing her llama, Perfect Storm. “I wanted something big and this gets me out of the house. He’s so cute and cuddly and so much fun to work with.”
“I got a bad stomach ache before the show because I was nervous, but once it started, I felt better,” said 9-year-old MacDonald. She earned a first, two seconds and a fourth during her shows.
When asked what the toughest part of showing Perfect Storm was, she said, “Definitely grooming! He tends to kick a lot and once he almost kicked me in the face. I learned to stay away from his back legs!” She washed and brushed him to get ready for their show and practices with him often.
Category: People & Places
