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+--- Thread: Where to Start (/showthread.php?tid=2124)
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Where to Start - GoldenTreePackGoats - 04-23-2017
I've seen all the fun pictures of pulling and carting goats and have been thinking about trying it out for size. Especially with all the trails being inaccessible for months out of the year, I guess it would be nice to give them a job. At this point I'm not dedicated but am curious as to where do I start.
I've read all the thread's but if there were a top 5 things to learn/do what would they be in your opinion?
RE: Where to Start - Nanno - 04-23-2017
Do you subscribe to Goat Tracks magazine? I wrote an article about this exact subject in the winter 2016 issue. The fall 2016 issue had a technical article about how to hitch properly so your goat is happy and comfortable, but the winter issue was all about training a goat for single driving. There is a link to Goat Tracks magazine at the top of this website. If you contact Larry I'll bet he can get you those back issues. I encourage everyone to subscribe. It's a great magazine!
RE: Where to Start - GoldenTreePackGoats - 04-23-2017
Oh cool! I did subscribe more recently so I've only received the most recent magazine, I'll check into it and send an email.
RE: Where to Start - Nanno - 04-23-2017
Great! My training article is called "Baby, you can drive my goat!"
Halter breaking your goats is important. If you don't have halters for them yet, I encourage you to buy some. I like to start halter training by six months at latest. My favorite halters are made by Sopris Unlimited. Those are some of the only ones that have rings on either side of the noseband so you can eventually attach reins to them. They also tend to fit really well because of those extra rings.
RE: Where to Start - GoldenTreePackGoats - 04-23-2017
I sent an email so hopefully he'll get back to me. I've been making their halters out of paracord (rope/knot natural horsemanship style) as they grow, and using them to lead since they were 4 months, they don't fight it much except one goes exceptionally slower with a halter vs collar. They are 12 months old so I figured "groundwork" so to speak would only enhance their passion to work.
I just took a peek at the sopris halters, what size do your boys wear?
RE: Where to Start - Nanno - 04-24-2017
Rope halters are great for growing goats and you can keep using those as long as you're just leading. I don't recommend rope halters for driving because they don't fit snugly enough and the thin cord has too much "bite". You don't want to rub all the hair off your goats' faces or make them balky. You need to be able to maintain a little pressure on your reins without making your goat shy back from it. In fact, the one goat who is slower with a halter may actually be sensitive to the pressure of the thin cord on his face. Rope halters are designed to give a lot more control than the wider nylon or leather ones, and your one goat may be reacting to this.
My goats wear a size 3 Sopris halter until they're around 18 months old. Then they graduate to a size 4, and by the time they're three years old they're in a size 5. Some Alpines may never grow bigger than size 4. They tend to have narrow heads, whereas my Nubian crosses have shorter, thicker heads.
RE: Where to Start - GoldenTreePackGoats - 04-24-2017
I was curious, so I tried this crappy flat nylon halter I have and he does walk a little bit better. I guess I did my best with the rope halters by making the noseband nice and thick but he must be a sensitive sally and like the flat nylon better. I ordered a couple halters from sopris because I like how it appears the extra rings keep them laying flat on their face.
RE: Where to Start - GoldenTreePackGoats - 04-29-2017
Hey, so I've tried to email Larry twice and it has come back with an error that the receiving server is down. I don't know if you have a different way to contact him or not, but so far I have been unsuccessful at claiming a copy of the the previous articles.
RE: Where to Start - Nanno - 04-30-2017
I sent you a better email address for Larry.
RE: Where to Start - GoldenTreePackGoats - 05-01-2017
Ok, thank you!