Charlie Horse's 2018 Picture Thread

[Nanno]

Just had a chance to watch. Very cool! Looks like a great place to hike with goats. We'll have to come visit you sometime.

As for Bacchus, does he throw a fit any other time you handle him or is it just the saddle? If it's just when you saddle then I suspect the saddle is not comfortable. It's worth looking into the fit. If you're not sure how to fit a saddle, try using a different saddle for several weeks and see if his behavior improves. Make sure it's not too far forward on his shoulders.

I tend to think you're going to have more-than-average problems with those aluminum saddles because the panels are not contoured or beveled and the front edges are square instead of rounded. Not many goats are shaped to be comfortable with that design. I believe Clay Zimmerman said he had a lot of saddle sores, achy backs, and sour attitudes in his string when he used that style of saddle. No amount of padding can make up for poor saddle design. If your goat already has a bad attitude about saddles to begin with, an uncomfortable one is only going to reinforce his avoidance issues and make him fight harder every time you saddle him.

[Charlie Horse]

Nah its not the saddle. He is just too royal to be subjected to the trappings of the commoners. He's the kind of goat you need to smack down once in a while because he occasionally gets uppity. As for the aluminum saddles, all you have to do is take a cut-off wheel and its suddenly got no corners anymore. And they do have the good pads from NWPG. Bacchus doesn't usually have to carry much weight anyhow. He's just a stinker.

[Dave-Trinity-Farms]

I really like that muncher! Beautiful goat. Solid.

[Nanno]

I like him too. He's turned out really nice, and if Charlie Horse ever decides to part with him I have friends who would give him the perfect home.

[Nanno]

Nah its not the saddle.  He is just too royal to be subjected to the trappings of the commoners.  He's the kind of goat you need to smack down once in a while because he occasionally gets uppity.  As for the aluminum saddles, all you have to do is take a cut-off wheel and its suddenly got no corners anymore.  And they do have the good pads from NWPG.  Bacchus doesn't usually have to carry much weight anyhow.  He's just a stinker.

I would still experiment with a different saddle. The right-angled edges  aren't the only reason the aluminum saddles can cause problems, and a poorly-fitting saddle can cause discomfort even if it's not loaded. If it were purely a training problem you should have seen some improvement by now. Sputnik was also quite averse to being saddled when he started out and I had to tie him very short to get near him with one, but since it was comfortable he got over it after a few sessions. 

I once switched to a different saddle which I thought fit ok, but about 3 hours into our hike with only a 20 lb. load, I had to adjust something on the saddle and Sputnik wouldn't let me touch it. He shot into the air and about knocked my teeth out with the crossbuck. Phil could barely hold him while I adjusted the thing. He wouldn't let me get into the panniers later on either.  It was like he had reverted to his original impossible-to-saddle self. The saddle must have been pinching somehow because when I switched him back to his old saddle for the next hike he was leery at first but then never gave me another problem. I've never used the "wrong" saddle again and he hasn't complained again either. I never did figure out exactly where it was hurting because there were no hot spots or rubs, but clearly something wasn't right. We use that same wooden saddle all the time on Finn with no trouble. Saddles are a lot like shoes. Some goats are pickier about the fit than others just like some people can wear any old pair of shoes and other people (like my dear husband) practically have to have something custom made. It never hurts to just try something different for a few weeks and see if he improves. It might even be something as simple as he doesn't like the material the rigging is made of. 

[Charlie Horse]

   
Shelby GT

Great hike last week.  I was fossil hunting and found some amazing stuff.  I'll save that for a future post.  For now I'm just posting a few goat pics.

   
Barry Goatalo is growing up to be a fantastic goat.  The right personality, the right build, and great looks.  His hair is fabulous just like his namesake, the great crooner.

   

   
Shelby and Woodstock

You'll notice everyone's mouth is open a bit.  Its due to the fact it was 60 degrees and the sun came out.  We about melted.

[Nanno]

Can't wait to see the fossil photos! So does Barry Goatalow still "sing" a lot?

[Charlie Horse]

I haven't posted pics from the last few weeks, but I have been hiking.  Its dry here.  We have had an inch and a half of snow as the only precipitation since October.  Every storm vaporizes north and south or splits to go around us.  They drained the reservoir last year to work on the dam, so there's no water.  My cattle-farming hay guy cut me off a couple weeks ago and I still havent found any hay.  Looks like I'll have to drive 100 miles to get some.  

   
Some cliffs made of mudstone from the Manco Shale formation.  This was once a muddy sea bed, but is now at 6,000 feet.


   
Last week it was pretty hot-- A blistering 70 degrees and the goats still have most of their undercoat.  Luna sought shade where possible.


   
Berry Goatalo snacking on juniper bark as an excuse to get some shade.


   
Luna hides out in an obviously very ancient Freemont Indian cliff dwelling.... That or some kids made an overhang into a fortress.


   
Today was overcast with a cool breeze.  No panting this trip.


   
We found a new area today.  Lots of decomposing sandstone boulders.


   
The magestic Packus Capricornicus Familiarus.

[Nanno]

I love your photos! They make me want to get back to Utah again sometime! The stone fort is awesome. What a great place for kids to play! And I really like the pinnacle in the background of your last photo. It looks like a sentinel keeping watch.

[DownUnder Gal]

Lovely pics - Barry Goatalo has grown a lot!