Floyd Zopfi and his Amazing Records

Our first world record was with 52 llamas, this was 150 feet long from the driver.  That was in 1990, and got into the Guinness Book of Records in 1994. This unit had 4 llamas abreast hooked together with poles, eveners and neck yokes, each set of poles weighing 100 pound with a ring and candy cane that held it all together. I had 5 lines in each hand. Then in 1995 a guy from Navan, Canada came along with 50 horses and made a new record of 168 feet from the driver seat.

Next in 1994 -1995 we were working with a team of ponies and llamas, 2 abreast - 54 animals 230 feet from the driver seat. It took about 20 people to set the hitch together and we first drove it in a field at Medford by the Amish harness maker Urias Schrock's place. From there we took the team to fair of St Louis, largest 4th of July parade in the Midwest, drove it 5 ½ miles, had to take 13 corners.  We travelled by semi trailer hauling the llamas. Another trailer hauled ponies (2 at that time), all the harness and the big hitch wagon. Finally two maxi vans to haul people. We set up in Busch Stadium parking lot - we took the whole thing up. Had a great time, although it was very nerve racking with all the people.

I could write for days about all the memories of the good and bad things that happened, but then in 1997 we decided to do it one last time as having over 80 driving males and geldings was lots of work on the farm, keeping everyone fed and taken care of. We went out & bought another 25 llamas & started breaking new ones to try the world record again, but had since changed over from poles, eveners & neck yokes to military chains as combination drivers do in other countries. So we started driving 18 sets of 2 abreast 150 feet long. We hooked up 36, took them down the road a mile & made the turn in a neighbours yard about a city block long and came home. We unharnessed them, harnessed the next 36 & took them down the mile and back and then we were done for the day. We had between 6 and 10 people helping to hook the teams up - more stories and memories but we got it done. Next we started looking for a parade to put this world record hitch in. We finally found the Janesville Parades, the biggest parade for Labor Day in the Midwest. So on Sept. 1, 1997 we left for Janesville & put them at the fairgrounds overnight. We reloaded them up, all 70 llamas, 8 ponies and 20 people. We got there, set them up on 2 city blocks – yes, we brushed all them llamas, had 8 people harness with 8 holders to help with harnessing. 5 people decorated the wagon with the seat 10 feet off the ground. I had 3 sets of lines - 110 feet long, 120 feet long, 125 feet long to make 355 feet of lines to drive this team. So this is the record set in 1997 - 64 llamas, 8 ponies, 300 feet from the driver seat using 355 feet of lines. We drove 2 ½ miles, made 2 corners, one square and one hairpin corner like a u shape. It took 2 city blocks to get over to make the corner. It went good – my wife couldn't believe it, we had 9 people in the wagon, 1000 pounds of concrete to help hold back the teams so brakes would hold. The pictures were taken on top of a 4 story building looking down.

So we hold the world record as of today. So we have had 4 abreast, 2 abreast and yes, now we are thinking single file!

I want to thank all the great help we had because without them it just can't happen, most people who came didn't want to be paid, they just enjoyed the llama fun and memories. So when we went on the parade route we asked that they all came along and when the picture was taken they could at least say they were part of the world record team.

Also, I can't forget my best supporter and wife Pat Zopfi - without her this dream would not have happened, as her determination and help got the job done.   My motto to the world - Work hard and keep trying and all your dreams will come true.

Ramblings of a Llama Virgin

I still sometimes stand in wonder at the paddock fence and wonder how on earth we ended up with llamas in there. But then it comes to me that when you marry a man born in Argentina who feels that big skies, mountains and strange animals are part of his psyche that there was probably little chance of anything else. Yet there I stand and muse at the person I was pre New Zealand, working in a smart law firm as a family mediator, having to deal with people problems rather than animal oddities.  

Jim and I immigrated to New Zealand from UK nearly 3 years ago to seek more adventure in our middle years. Within 3 weeks of our arrival we had found, bought and moved into a half finished log house on 6 acres of land. Finishing the house was the easy part, but the file marked ‘What to do with 6 acres’ only seemed to grow bigger as ideas came and went. Half the land is beautiful park like land that we wanted to maintain, it was the bit at the front that caused the conundrum. Eventually we fenced it and put in 2 orphan lambs, Harry and Hermione (yes we love Harry Potter). Part of our dilemma was that as a vegetarian I could not live with raising animals to be killed for food, we knew our lambs would live a full and happy life with no threat of a dinner plate at the end of it. However, 2 lambs could not eat the grass and after grazing a variety of sheep, cows and a horse for neighbours the idea came to put llamas in there. We talked to a friend who has alpacas and she suggested llamas would suit us better as she considered them friendlier, before we knew it we were popping down the road to meet some llamas who needed a new home, and that was that, a done deal as they say. Jim whipped up a shelter for them and within days we had 2 female llamas, their 2 cria and 2 buns in the oven. I am constantly teased that they would probably be very tasty; we veggies take a lot of flack!

All seemed well and good but one little hiccup is that Jim works offshore in the oil industry , this year all his work has been in Malaysia, so it was a big realization after taking him to the airport for the first of several long trips this year that there was little old me and the llamas. Before Jim left we had Paula’s teeth trimmed off, feet trimmed and all injections that were due. We had also made our pretend llama head to practise putting on halters, so much easier on that one than the real thing.

I had to find ways to cope with our new family members and just carry on my usual unconventional methods of doing things. Within days when having a coo at Tiara and looking her in the eye telling her she was lovely she responded with an air spit, I felt that to be my moment of initiation into their world. So how to get them into mine, well Tiara had a moment of great sulking when they changed from one end of the field to the other, I decided that I would sing to them and send her Reiki healing, within moments she was eating out of my hand and I still sing to them if they are in anyway distressed.  I can safely assure you that that this crooner is no Hailey Westenra, but it works none the less.

However, singing was not the answer when I needed to get the registration photos. Four sides of each llama with no other llama in the photo, I only hope that the photos with bits cut off are acceptable. My four girls were not turned on by the camera and all wanted to know what it was, milling around, humming and checking it out, funny how Jim is always away when things need doing.

For most of the winter the sheep lived in the same field while a second paddock was built and there was enough grass. They all lived in harmony, even at feed time with 2 greedy sheep who also loved the nuts. They all accepted Hermione’s lambs, Ginny and Percy and it seemed they all looked out for each other.

My final initiation took place this week with the birth of Laxmi. I had worked out a due date and then decided I was too early after looking at the chart in the latest llama newsletter. I was keeping a good eye but imagine my surprise on getting home from a day out, sipping a glass of water looking out of the window and spotting an extra body looking very at home next to her mother.   I rushed off for the camera, scales and the lad next door who was cutting the grass. Of course there was no chance to catching her and my instincts were to let them be, with minimal distress. We managed to establish she was a girl and I did get a photo to send to Jim. I phoned my alpaca friend as the proud grand mother and after many congratulations she asked the dreaded question about the afterbirth, had I collected it and buried it….. well um no!! I locked up the dogs, if Mabel had helped she would have thought all her Christmases had come at once, I dug my hole as deep as my spade would go and off I went armed with my bag lined bucket and spade. Thank goodness I was wearing my gardening gloves, most appropriately called surgeons gloves as there was no way it was going in the bucket via the spade. It is now all buried and waiting for a plant to go on top. I now have one more cria to arrive in January and it is looking like Jim will also miss that one, so I am planning the next planting and have my gloves and bucket at the ready.

Laxmi is beautiful, she is named for the Goddess of Abundance, the llamas have brought us abundance in many areas of our lives and it seemed right to give this new babe a name to honour all they have given us. As for this llama virgin, well I am still learning and have to gain heaps more confidence with them, but they amuse me by their moods and habits, each one has its own personality, the young with the adolescent sulks when told off, the bossy alpha female, the friendliest one who runs over to greet me and have her neck scratched and now seeing the care of the babe. Her sister Belinda looks out for her and makes me think daily of a recent photo of our grand daughter Kirra aged 21 months proudly clutching her new born sister Isla, only hours old.  Jim will be home for a good long stretch in the New Year and we will learn to do more and so get even more enjoyment from our llama family.

Post Script:  Tiara was a very clever llama and waited until Jim was home to give birth. I had one day when I thought she was about to pop as she seemed very uncomfortable, left me wondering if llamas have Braxton-Hicks contractions just like humans. We witnessed the birth; Jim was a regular David Attenborough lying in the field filming the birth, with the other llamas checking him out from time to time. We were amazed at how the other animals stayed close and seemed to be talking to the baby as she hung in an undignified manner from her mother. After a good half hour Jim gave a gentle pull to ease her mostly out and let Tiara finish what she had started. The first thing the baby did was have a good roll, we filmed her until she was able to stand after much faltering and tipping over. All the llamas hovered around, while her mother was the most uninterested one and wanted to eat, which I guess is the human equivalent of a cup of tea. We dug the hole for the afterbirth and had a camellia at the ready, imagine my surprise when this placenta was far smaller than my lone gathered one, and Jim with his large hands was just about able to scoop it in one into a plastic bag.

The new cria is named Shanti, which is the Sanskrit word for peace. She still has floppy ears and is a lovely mottled grey brown colour. For the moment she completes our little herd and already has her place secured as the spoilt youngest member with indulgent sister, aunt and cousins to look after her.