The Steps of Goat Aggression

[Nanno]

Aw, thank you. I'm glad you like this forum. I think it's easy for horse people to get a little hoity-toity, but there's also an element of danger involved and I think some folks are nervous to tell people to go ahead and try things. Like you, I also expanded from riding my horses to also driving them. I had two horses and needed them to make some kind of income, so the only thing that came to mind was running a carriage business in my little town's historical district. I didn't have anyone to teach me how to drive, so I bought a book and taught myself. I bought used harnesses and a little used wagonette and started my horses pulling logs around the pasture. My mare, Easter, was 16 years old and dead broke. I'd raised her from birth and she would try anything for me so I felt confident that with her on my team I could do it. My other horse was Easter's not-quite-3-year-old colt, Jet. He was a wild child with way too much energy and wasn't even broke to ride when I started him pulling the carriage, but since he was hitched to Easter I felt he couldn't get too far out of line. It worked out and I ran that business for two years. I was lucky because there was no one around to tell me I couldn't. I'd have loved to have taken some driving lessons before I started, but that wasn't an option, so I relied on my trusty book, "A Teamster's View" by Steve Bowers. It's amazing what you can do if you set your mind to it.

I'm sure you'll do fine with your goats. They're different from dogs or horses, but in a good way once you understand them. I had a much easier time figuring out goat body language from all the years working with horses. It's taken my husband a lot longer to figure them out, but he's got a pretty good handle on it now. We're still working on his timing when he drives the goats, but he gets better all the time.