Chat
05-01-2018, 06:02 AM
I live in the desert and here's my take: There is no ultimate truth and that each goat is unique in regards to overheating.
I totally agree that mountain sheep and mountain goats living next to each other tends to make me think horns matter less than people think.
Body shape may have something to do with it. I have a cardboard-cut-out Alpine and a Lamancha with that beer-belly conformation-- Both are black and hornless. The thicker goat tends to overheat first on the trail. Is it a big deal? Not in my experience. They both keep up, but it is something I've noticed. On the other hand, I have another Alpine who has a thicker body and horns, and he seems to function about as well as the skinny one.
I have a half Alpine - half Saanan doe goat that has brown fur. She does tend to reliably overheat slightly sooner than the pure Alpines but you cant blame white fur for that.
Saanans *may* overheat sooner, but otherwise I don't see a reliable pattern.
Just when you think you've figured it out, an individual goat breaks the pattern you think you see. That being the case, I no longer worry much about color, horns, breed, or body style and just concentrate on personality, which is the all-important aspect of a pack goat to me.
I totally agree that mountain sheep and mountain goats living next to each other tends to make me think horns matter less than people think.
Body shape may have something to do with it. I have a cardboard-cut-out Alpine and a Lamancha with that beer-belly conformation-- Both are black and hornless. The thicker goat tends to overheat first on the trail. Is it a big deal? Not in my experience. They both keep up, but it is something I've noticed. On the other hand, I have another Alpine who has a thicker body and horns, and he seems to function about as well as the skinny one.
I have a half Alpine - half Saanan doe goat that has brown fur. She does tend to reliably overheat slightly sooner than the pure Alpines but you cant blame white fur for that.
Saanans *may* overheat sooner, but otherwise I don't see a reliable pattern.
Just when you think you've figured it out, an individual goat breaks the pattern you think you see. That being the case, I no longer worry much about color, horns, breed, or body style and just concentrate on personality, which is the all-important aspect of a pack goat to me.
I don't drink beer, but if I did, I'd prefer Dos Equis. Stay thirsty my friends!