Sky Rocket

ILR # 103925
male b. 6-26-92
Feni Gold Nugget x Baby

Sky Rocket stands 45.5" at the withers and weighs around 325 lbs. when in condition. (He was previously measured by others between 46.5" and 47" ... no wonder tall llamas get all the press ... the press makes them tall in the first place!) Jim does all of the work with Sky Rocket (anybody who attacked Dusty is no friend of Gwen's).

Rocky was a commercial packer formerly belonging to Tranquility Base Llamas; he was already 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. Rocky has sired two pair of twins from the same female (not ours, thankfully!), but that's 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 would lose access to his stud services that we purchased him immediately. We did take on more than we bargained for: As a commercial packer, Rocky knew certain trails and their obstacles. Only those trails. Independent of his previous "job," Rocky was also permitted to lead humans around, demanding food or sex whenever the notion took him. It's a strong testament to Rocky's innately 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 likes food in any form, doing interesting things, and wants to be the number one stud (which will never happen here) ... in fact, he resents Dusty's otherwise universally acknowledged position as top stud and senior pasture resident so much (despite Dusty's deliberate efforts to "lay low" and not provoke any trouble) that Rocky had to be boarded elsewhere for a year until he learned some "social skills" and llama manners.

Meet Rocky's offspring at Lost Creek Llamas:

2005 male -- Lost Creek Credo

2006 female -- Lost Creek Saucony

2007 female -- Lost Creek Kahlotus

Anyone who has met us will tell you we are incredibly picky about working llamas and especially breeding stock. Sky Rocket meets our demanding (some say maddening) criteria.

Rocky is a phenomenal physical specimen -- the ONLY llama of any sex or size we have EVER seen that is virtually the physical equivalent of Ranger Dusty, with:

• outstanding propulsive rear-end muscling that takes them and their packs up hills fast and without prior conditioning
• strong and biomechanically correct functional structure (the combination of which permits them to outpack 99% of all regularly-conditioned llamas ... straight from the pasture and without conditioning!),
• and a wonderful example of the now rare, fully-shedding, true classic coat that allows llama packers in any and all climates to have an all-weather, "wash-n-wear" pack llama.

Like Dusty, Rocky has a splendidly smooth and powerful four-beat walk -- a must for pack llamas who are expected to move easily and powerfully uphill. Rocky also has the most spectacular natural trot of any llama we have ever seen, bar none (yes, including Dusty) -- a highly sought-after trait whenever llamas are driven in harness in any real-world situation, including showing.

All that would be enough, but in addition, Sky Rocket originates in Canada and is a complete outcross to virtually all US llamas other than his own offspring (see his pedigree).

Anyone serious about breeding high-performing classic pack llamas OR driving llamas would be a fool to pass up this golden opportunity (notice that we didn't take any chances at losing access to this llama!!!). Even just one or two breedings to your very best females could result in cria that, when mature, will easily turn your breeding program around and put it on the fast track to producing the superior working llamas with the full-body easy-shedding classic coats that devoted classic afficianados know are so incredibly hard to find right now.

We've kept Sky Rocket's breeding fee and terms very reasonable to facilitate the preservation of the increasingly scarce classic breed and to help keep its gene pool diverse.

Meet more of our llama family

Return to Lost Creek Llamas home page