Chat
10-13-2014, 05:05 PM
Good questions! First off, there's not much reason to get your goats used to empty packs. Goats don't need to be desensitized to gear the way horses do. They may dance around and stare at their sides the first time you cinch them up, but they're highly unlikely to spook and bolt like horses (and the danger factor of a goat spooking is nil compared to a horse). But it can still be fun to put a soft tree dog pack on a young goat and let him carry your sandwich on the trail. Hard packs made for full-sized goats should never be used on youngsters even unloaded as the rigid tree will rub and bang their withers and hip bones as they walk.
As for mileage, that depends on the goat. I tend to think a young healthy goat should be able to handle as much or more hiking than you, and probably over more difficult terrain as long as he hasn't been allowed to get fat in the barnyard. My goat Cuzco used to follow me over hill and dale when I rode horseback ever since he was a youngster. The horses never outpaced him, even on all-day excursions on rugged mountain trails. He even kept up with us at a trot and canter at high altitude. I can't say he wasn't tired at the end of the day, but it never hurt him and he absolutely LOVED going out with us. Just keep an eye on your goats--they'll tell you if they're getting tired. If they're panting hard, give them a break in the shade. If they start lagging far behind and not trotting to catch up when you round a corner then they've reached their limit.
Have fun!
As for mileage, that depends on the goat. I tend to think a young healthy goat should be able to handle as much or more hiking than you, and probably over more difficult terrain as long as he hasn't been allowed to get fat in the barnyard. My goat Cuzco used to follow me over hill and dale when I rode horseback ever since he was a youngster. The horses never outpaced him, even on all-day excursions on rugged mountain trails. He even kept up with us at a trot and canter at high altitude. I can't say he wasn't tired at the end of the day, but it never hurt him and he absolutely LOVED going out with us. Just keep an eye on your goats--they'll tell you if they're getting tired. If they're panting hard, give them a break in the shade. If they start lagging far behind and not trotting to catch up when you round a corner then they've reached their limit.
Have fun!