We had fun at the State Fair today. The cart class did not go as well as I hoped for several reasons, but mostly because the State Fair venue and atmosphere are not really conducive to instructive clinics. Most people were there to be entertained, not to get actual instruction on how to harness, hitch, and train a goat to pull a cart. The boys were definitely not in the spirit of things. They were not disobedient, but they were very distracted and a little unnerved by the unfamiliar situation. They also have never had to work so hard to pull and they were a bit discouraged by it. The arena was covered with deep wood shavings so there was a lot of resistance on our wheels--especially on the wagon. The carts weren't too bad because their wheels are much larger and narrower, but they were still more difficult than usual, especially when turning. The acoustics in that building are dismal, so I don't think the boys could understand our voice commands very well. We had to yell before they could hear us, and of course yelling makes them think they're doing something wrong, so they tended to clam up and default to "whoa". But we took it easy on them and one of us stayed by their heads and helped guide them around the ring while the other drove. It wasn't a spectacular show of expertly trained goats trotting happily around the ring doing figure-eights, but we got the job done.
Sputnik took second place in the obstacle class. I think he could easily have gotten first, but he balked at walking through the paddle pool. I just need to practice it at home. After the class I took him back in the ring and worked with him on it and had him walking through in five minutes. He'll get it next time! Finn stalled out at the alfalfa crossing. We had to walk the goats between two bales of fresh, green alfalfa without stopping. Finn is a piggy and didn't want to leave the buffet, and he kept straining toward the smorgasbord for the rest of the class.
But as usual, the highlight of the day was the costume class! This year, since we had the boys and their carts with us, we decided to do the chariot race from Ben-Hur. It's hard to get good photos in that barn, but we did take a few. We also got a short video which I might be able to do something with next week. Unfortunately, the woman taking the video was standing at a pretty bad angle for seeing the action. Phil was Ben-Hur and I was Messala. It was a hoot! Sputnik went off beautifully at the start, but as we rounded the corner at the far end of the ring it all fell apart. He turned and came face-to-face with a large crowd rearing above his head in the bleachers placed right at ringside. I had no whip to cue his hip to move over (didn't match the costume), so when I pulled the rein, Sputnik, forgetting his driving lessons in a moment of distraction and slight panic, reverted to the greenie move of turning his head while his body kept on in a straight line. He ran into the corner and was then unable to turn at all, so I had to get out and help him. Finn made the turn alright, but he stalled out when he saw Sputnik stop. So Phil and I both had to lead our goats past the laughing crowds. One of our friends in the audience said the looks on our goats' faces was priceless as they turned the corner and saw all those people staring them in the face. Their heads went up and their eyes bulged right out of their sockets.
But even though the boys spent a good deal of the day feeling nervous (too nervous to even take cookies!), I don't think it was traumatic for them. Nothing hurt them or frightened them into a panic. I'm confident they'll be a lot more relaxed the next time we take them to a show setting.
Here are some shots from the costume class:
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