Chat
12-27-2015, 09:36 PM
The do-it-yourself packsaddle kits from Northwest (I assume that's where you saw it) are quite nice. I have one myself. As long as the goat is already tame and bonded with people, it really shouldn't need much training. A goat that trusts people needs almost no time to get used to carrying a pack, and if he's bonded to people he should follow you on the trail without being trained to do so. It's natural behavior for a goat to follow his herd leader (you).
One thing you don't want to do is buy someone else's problem. Not every goat is good at packing. Some simply refuse to follow you on the trail, or they lay down or take themselves home when they get tired. Other goats have rude bad habits like butting, blocking, jumping out of their pens, etc. Sometimes you can find a great deal on an excellent goat (I bought my awesome first packgoat for $25), but other times a cheap price tag is how someone unloads a problem.
One thing you don't want to do is buy someone else's problem. Not every goat is good at packing. Some simply refuse to follow you on the trail, or they lay down or take themselves home when they get tired. Other goats have rude bad habits like butting, blocking, jumping out of their pens, etc. Sometimes you can find a great deal on an excellent goat (I bought my awesome first packgoat for $25), but other times a cheap price tag is how someone unloads a problem.