Marty McGee Bennett
08-07-2005, 06:03 PM
This is an email I got a while ago from members Wanda and Rick Crook I thought it would be of interest especially since it is fire season..
Hi Marty: Just thought you might be interested in our little eye-opener; and may want to share this with others: San Diego just went through it's worst fire storm in recorded history; and we were in the middle of it. While we were extremely fortunate to NOT have to evacuate, with fire all around us, we began packing at 4 am with all intentions to jam all 9 llamas into our small trailer and leave for god-knows-where.
We like to be prepared, so we have numerous halters of various types: Mallon halters, lots of fixed nose halters that "came with the llamas," several adjustable nose halters, and only 2 Zepher halters (aka "My Training Halters"). With growing babies and yearlings - it is hard to always have a halter sized and ready to fit. But, we were sure we had halters to fit everyone, there should never be a problem . . . right???
Wrong. As we rushed to pack all our stuff, gather up all the non-llama critters, and back the truck and trailer into the llama fields - ready to load - we also had to gather, pen, and halter all the llamas. Wouldn't you know - with only 9 llamas and over 20 halters - we didn't have halters enough to properly fit all the llamas without changing halters from one llama to the next until everyone looked halfway decent! And at a time like this, rapid and proper halter fit is even more critical than when leisurely preparing for a casual walk around the property!!
While our story may initially look like a great marketing tool, to us, it is a lifesaving tool. We have just ordered more Zepher Halters so that we will NEVER be in a situation like this again. It is more than a "training halter." The ease and adjustability (especially the headpiece) of this halter is exactly what we need in an emergency - to assure good fit for both a panic'd exit and during temporary housing at another ranch or facility.
Thank you to both you and Perry for designing these halters.
Rick & Wanda Crook
Hi Marty: Just thought you might be interested in our little eye-opener; and may want to share this with others: San Diego just went through it's worst fire storm in recorded history; and we were in the middle of it. While we were extremely fortunate to NOT have to evacuate, with fire all around us, we began packing at 4 am with all intentions to jam all 9 llamas into our small trailer and leave for god-knows-where.
We like to be prepared, so we have numerous halters of various types: Mallon halters, lots of fixed nose halters that "came with the llamas," several adjustable nose halters, and only 2 Zepher halters (aka "My Training Halters"). With growing babies and yearlings - it is hard to always have a halter sized and ready to fit. But, we were sure we had halters to fit everyone, there should never be a problem . . . right???
Wrong. As we rushed to pack all our stuff, gather up all the non-llama critters, and back the truck and trailer into the llama fields - ready to load - we also had to gather, pen, and halter all the llamas. Wouldn't you know - with only 9 llamas and over 20 halters - we didn't have halters enough to properly fit all the llamas without changing halters from one llama to the next until everyone looked halfway decent! And at a time like this, rapid and proper halter fit is even more critical than when leisurely preparing for a casual walk around the property!!
While our story may initially look like a great marketing tool, to us, it is a lifesaving tool. We have just ordered more Zepher Halters so that we will NEVER be in a situation like this again. It is more than a "training halter." The ease and adjustability (especially the headpiece) of this halter is exactly what we need in an emergency - to assure good fit for both a panic'd exit and during temporary housing at another ranch or facility.
Thank you to both you and Perry for designing these halters.
Rick & Wanda Crook