For horses and such what type of rope do you use and why.

Spot

Hemp. Once it gest it's intial stretch out,it's done,.Synthetic ( nylon and the like) keeps on stretching.Particularly bad when you lash a pack down and have to stop in a mile to retighten it
If it breaks, hemp can be spliced and you can put a nice crown knot ot back splice a loop into an end. Nylon, all you can do is burn and melt the ends.
Hemp is easier to untie as the nylon will stretch and get so tight a knot is impossible to undo.

True, if it's braided.

Twisted and double braid can be spliced.

I use nylon because that's what is available.

7/16 x 12' double braid boat line makes a nice training lead.

I've been buying static line that the mountain climbers use. No stretch. I found some the local sherrifs dept trains with and they only use it a few times. Great for lead ropes and lash ropes on packsaddles. Manila is good rope but hard on your hands.
Fred

+1

Static line is gold!

I do use a non man rated line that is about indentical to static line for lead ropes and such. Also use it as a high line, but I have to use a small com-a-long at one end of the hgh lineto keep it taut. I still prefer the hemp for lash ropes and tent guy ropes

With one mule,I need to use chain when I am out hunting.She chews lead ropes like they are candy. More than once I have come back and found her grazing around the other mules, with a foot of lead rope attached.

I have tried the no chew stuff, chili powder and tabasco on them with out much luck. She doesn't mind them. Me, I foregt it is on the lead rope and handle it when it's wet. Then I go to take a whiz with that stuff on my hands and end up junmping around like turpentined cat from that stuff getting trasnferred on to my ******. YEEEEEEOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!

I don't like syn. ropes because they tend to slip, at least older ones.

Hemp's getting tough to find.

Spot

Thats a good one saddlesore. I'm a died in the wool chili eater and i've had a few issues myself. Rubbing your eye or picking your nose can be painful. I ground up some chiltipins between my thumb and forefinger to put on my menudo and when i went to pee it lit me up so bad i thought i might need medical attention. Washing just makes it worse.

Fred

Our party has pretty well gone synthetic, mostly with line that can be braided or spliced. A lot of slippage issues can be solved by using knots appropriate to ones material. If one can get past the classic 7 or 8 BoyScout knots and into an advanced knot tying book, he can yank rigs out of the mud and still untie his lines with ease. There are some mighty fine knots out there that have only been around for 6 or 8 years. Many are specific to ones material.

As to tight highlines if one has strecthy material, one can thoroughly wet his lines and easily end up with bowstring tight rigging as it dries.

1minute.You can't get that bow line tight with 6 mules pulling in 6 directions at once. BTDT

I use syn hemp rope . it is slick when first used then breaks in and looks like hemp without the stickers. No stretch and you can splice it and braide it like hemp. Last longer too.

A very good place to order rope and rope splicing material from is WesSpur.com . If you keep an eye on their "Clearance Rope" section you can get short pieces for a lot of savings over the normal price.

The stickers in hemp rope can be take care of by passing overrit witha propane torch.

Not too many llama people here, but for the record...
I don't need a tight highline. I use a line lying on the ground and it doesn't need to be very tight because llamas won't fight it. I put some o-rings in it for lead ties. If the llamas get tangled, they'll just stand still and get themselves untangled. I need rope that's very visible so I don't trip over it. Plus, it needs to be very water resistant since it lies on the ground.

You can spend $10 for those fancy tie rings that can be put anywhere in a line, but a 3" o-ring costs under $1 and works just as well. Welding a big nail or steel rod across it helps keep it in place a little better but it's not necessary.

What do you use then?

Yellow polypro?

A local store carries some kind of braided rope in multi colors. It's not labeled as to content but it has plenty of strength for my needs. 3/8" is about $15/100' and 1/2" is about $18. I have a couple 100' lengths that I can use for many different things. It also holds knots very well and proper knots can be easily untied.

I also use it to catch the buggers. I have a small catch pen to run them into, but they don't herd. They scatter. So, I tie one end of a 100' rope on a gatepost of the pen and string it out to the middle of the pasture. I work them between the rope and the fence, then pull it tight so it's about 4' off the ground. Then I walk to the fence and start reeling it in as I push them into the corral. If they try to duck under the rope, I just give it a flip and they back off. Works like a charm.

Rock Chuck. If they are so hard to coral at home how are they once you get on the trail?. Cheers NC

Some people with experienced animals can bell 1 llama let them run, but I can't. Imprinted llamas can be caught in the open, but not mine. I'm new at this and haven't raised any from scratch yet to get them imprinted (2 in the oven right now, though). I've bought all I have right now and only 1 will let me get real close. Typically they'll let you get up to a couple feet away and they take off.

If you want a challenge, try roping one. Those long necks and small heads appear to be a good target for a loop, but DANG they can move them fast. The head will be down to knee high long before the loop gets there. I guess that's why the South American gauchos invented the bola.

Rock Chuck Thanks for the come back. I have a million ?'s on llamas. 4 example how much can a
large average llama carry comfortably for several days. How about
food for them along the trail. If you wish we can take this private by responding by pm, your call. I have alway been fascinated by them as pack animals. Are lions a bigger problem
with llamas than horses or mules also maybe wolves? Thanks for your time. Cheers NC

Packing hitches stay put a lot better with hemp/manila rope.

Top-loads and mantied packs just seem to 'stay' better with the extra grip.

Lead rope (5/8th nylon or poly, quality rope) should be tied hard and fast into rope halters if you don't know everything about the stock, Lead ropes should be at least 11' long, and there are only a few knots that are truly quick releasing, here is one.



And chain the rest of the free end, and tuck the pig-tail (some Houdinis will test everything) .

Link: Link:

A big male in good condition can carry 80 to 100 lb. Day after day traveling, it should be kept down a little. We just got back from a short trip. I had 60 lb on a smallish 3 yo gelding and he handled it just fine. They need to be 4 before you put on a full load. Be sure to include the saddle weight and balance the load. I carry a small hanging scale to even out the pannier weights.

They eat about anything, including sagebrush and pine needles. In the summer, you don't need to pack any feed. Just let them graze. They'll constantly be nipping off grass and brush as you go. One experienced packer told me that during elk season when there's snow, he carries a 50/50 mix of grain and hay pellets. He gives them about a quart a day, using a frisbee for a feed bowl. This supplements what they can scrounge. We have a lot of larkspur here. I don't know if it will hurt a llama, but it'll kill cattle and sheep. I watch for it and make sure I don't tether them near it. Their eating habits sure make it simple where weed-free hay is required.

They'll kill a coyote and I've been told that bears won't mess with them (but I have no 1st hand knowledge about that). They're no match for wolves, though. I haven't heard what a lion will do with one. He'll win easily if he attacks, but I don't know if he would mess with one. If one's around, you'll likely hear some hellacious sounds from the llamas. They have a whole vocabulary of warning sounds. They have one that's a cross between a horse whinny and a hyena. The first time I heard it (a neighbors dog was near my pasture fence), I had to go investigate to see what that noise was. I couldn't believe it was coming from a llama.