Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Celia Hale
Hi to all you goat cart owners, anyone with any interesting stories about cart goats please post a photo and some information about the photograph like when it was taken where it was taken and who in is in the photo, thanks for all your information.
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There are goat Harnesses available at this site at a cost of $12.50 extra for postage
http://www.workinggoats.com/?action=Store&catid=27
Hi all,
For an excellent site that has heaps of information and practical help and training tips for you goats in carts go to http://www.workinggoats.com/ they also have for sale harnesses.
Cheers Celia
Hi Celia, just a quick note to say good idea for a website! Cant wait to hear from harness goat owners around the country.
I'm near Albury-Wodonga on the NSW-Vic border and I breed all types of goats, angora, boer and dairy as well as traditional first cross sheep, and damara sheep. And cattle.
My passion for working goats began with two bottle fed buck kids who were the last kids born out of my first ever doe; she died from kidding complications and I raised these boys from day one. Quite a bit of sentiment wrapped up in them, so I decided to keep them, and put them to work instead of in the freezer.
They are trained to pull and drive singly, and next I will be training them to drive as a pair (once I find a suitable vehicle). They are also trained to pack. Since training these boys, I have become somewhat of a specialist in working goats, and I train and sell quite a few of my own bred goats, as well as training goats for other people. Also, I work with a mobile farm and we do goat rides as part of our show.
I currently have my two original boys, Charlie and Chaplin, in work. They are 75% boer 25% dairy. I also have a black rangeland boy called Midnight, a Nubian called Binx and a Boer cross called Checkers. Binx and Checkers are for sale.
Photos of Charlie and Chaplin can be seen on my website; the Red Boer also on the website is a bloke I just sold recently.
http://pacqio.weebly.com/harness-goats.html
If you have a keen eye you will notice a couple of problems with the turnout in these pics which I have since rectified - they are out of date photos - I need to update the website when I get a few spare days!!
I use custom made harnesses, vehicles and pack saddles and I can supply these to anyone who is interested.
Looking forward to chatting to everyone.
Cheers, Keren.
Thanks for your information Keren it is very interesting.
Hi fello Goatherders , Im out in the scrub near Nanango and I've got a herd of seven that I keep for milk and cheese , I've just finished restoring a cart and posted a wanted add on Farmstock for a harness but havent found one yet so I'm still on the lookout if anyone has one they want to sell . I emailed workinggoats and they only accept paypal , which I don't want , I can pay by cash , money-order ,postal cheque , if anyone else out their wants my business or money :-) .....
I was born on a Trotting horse stud in the lockyervalley at Prenzlau ,and We had trotters (obviously)
I have harnessed up more horses than the average person , and used to love fastworking the horses for the oldman .When my oldman passed away I inherited all the harness and could probably make a harness but don't want to wreck it as I may want it one day .
We nearly always had a milking goat from when I was born and I will always Have goats . I built my first goat cart when I was thirteen and made my own harness , she was only small and she was a purebred angora , but she wasn't real strong so I mainly led her around in the gig . I have Really Quiet Buck at the moment he is a polled saanen he is Big and Strong . and I reckon with a bit of persuasion he'll go well . Oh yeh ...his names 'Stinky'
Anyway thats my story ... I normally have more billys born than does so I reckon if I can break them to harness , I'll be offering them a better life than the freezer and have a bit of fun doing it .
If anyone can help me with a harness I will be forever grateful .......
Bunyanuternie .
Great to hear from you Ian, I am in the throws of trying to make a harness. I have felted the chest pad and the back pad. Yesterday I found a harness maker at Gowrie Junction who has a old book with patterns I am going to contact him and see if he is able to make a harnesses for goats. Also I have purchased one from America and if that does not work out I will contact you.
Cheers Celia
Hi Ian,
Do you have a photo of the cart that you have restored? if so please post a photo so we can all see thanks Celia
I don't have any photos of it but I will get onto it , It is made of steel and ply . It was my dads he got it made for mini ponys . and it was sitting down the paddock at one of his freinds going rusty ,so he made me go and get it , I'm glad I did ,Its the perfect size for a goat ,it looks great now that it's all done up . I may have some photo's of it from the day I picked it up ???? It's been a gig big make over ... anyway I'll get the camera and try to upload some .
How to Harness Your Goat
An article from a Harness Goat Society journal.
Page 1
Page 2 is added by me.
This is an interesting article from the British Harness Goat Society
Parts of the Harness
Bridle, Breast Collar,Traces,Saddle, Full Breeching or False Breeching. A goat's bridle does not need a throat latch or a browband. If the goat has horns the head piece can go between the horns and the ears, but i prefer to put it below the ears, like you would a horse. This item of harness can be put on first if required. I do this so I can control the goat, while getting him to stand while being harnessed.
(Cathi's note: Most goat bridles do not have bits, but have a sliding chinstrap, that works much like a hackamore on a horse. When it is adjusted properly, and the reins are pulled, it puts pressure on the goats nose, and causes them to turn thier head in the proper direction).
The breast collar can be put on next by either undoing the buckle on the neck strap and then fastening round its neck or it can slip straight over the goat's head. It really depends whether your goat has horns or not and whether it is a little head shy.
The breast collar is a very important piece of harness and must fit correctly for the goat to work happily and well. If it is too high then it will cut across the wind pipe and if it is too low the movement of the shoulder is impaired.
The traces connect the vehicle to the breast collar and provide pulling power. The traces go through the trace buckle. A loose knot can tie up the traces to keep them off the ground. The traces need not be disconnected from the breast collar, but can be left intact.
The saddle carries the tugs, through which the shafts are held. Place the saddle on the goat's back with the upper D toward the tail. The girth is now done up fairly tightly, so that the saddle can't slip round. Now do up the belly-band loosely, so that the shafts can go into the tugs. The breeching is to prevent the vehicle running into the goat when he stops or is going downhill (on some work harnesses there is no breeching, because the goat is only going forward).I learned this the hard way.(Cathi's note: In training Brownie to crowds(in a parade), he nearly jumped straight out of his harness when the band in front of us started playing. Now I have a harness with full breeching.He recovered within a few minutes, by the way...and did well for the rest of the night.) Full Breeching
The loin strap goes through the backstrap so it is lying just behind the point of hip. Adjust the loin strap so that it allows the breeching to hang level with the stifle joint.
False breeching
This breeching is ideal for the goats as they do not hill walk nor do they travel at speed. False breeching is a strap fitted on two D hooks on the exterior of the shafts slightly behind the goat. The strap must not touch the goat when it moves. However, it comes into play immediately when going down hill, or when the goat stops. The reins go from the rein rings on the bridle, under the neck strap, or through rings (if the strap has them) then through the rings on the saddle.(Cathi's note: I suppose this is to keep the goat from throwing its head, but I run mine straight from the bridle, through the D-rings on the saddle, and to the driver from there. I have had no problems).
Have a look at the Baa Brothers
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Cart_Wagon_Goats/attachments/folder/678871055/item/859685516/view
I am just starting to break my miniature buck into harness, I have started to drive him and he is going very well. His name is Digger and he is 6 months old. Photo is of Digger in his driving gear. I have made the harness myself out of old belts, as he is very small only 23" around the girth.
Cheers Celia
I had heard that harnessing goats was illegal in Australia - I must be wrong I guess. Can anyone enlighten me? It is lovely to find this blog as, judging by how hard our goats pull when we move them around, I always wanted to have a go at harnessing all that strength!!!!
Regards,
Anne
Hi Anne,
I have never heard of harnessing goats to be illegal, as they still have goat races in Australia, and the harnessing of goats is in our heritage, without the humble family goat many parts of Australia would have not been settled so early. As goats were used to cart water. It is only fair to ask a goat to pull one and half times its own weight. They are a very strong animal when in good condition and the wethers are stronger than the does.
cheers Celia
We have just finished the Toowoomba Show with Sparkles in Harness.
There was the John Williamson Muster each night of the show with record crowds attending on the Saturday night. All in all the crowd was estimated at 52,000.
Sparkles The Cart Goat, led the parade with John Williamson coming in behind in the Jondaryan Woolshed's Cobb and Co Coach.
Sparkles came in as a family unit with two children in the cart and the mother and two other children walking beside, we also had a little Border Collie dog as a mascot sitting on the cart.
Sparkles is back in the paddock after such a lot of performances and rehearsals he is very tired and has earned a good rest.
At the Toowoomba show I was ask to train two young wether for the Circus, I have started their training, and they are going very well. The routine is that we go for a walk for an hour in the morning at 6am, and then it is feed time. I give them a four break and then we start more training, I have taught them to sit, walk on their back legs, balance on their back legs and run and down a ramp and turn in circles on a pedestal. They are very easy to train and love to perform out doing one another all the time with their tricks and agility. I really enjoy training them and they will do anything for food, and treated with kindness they do really enjoy the work.
I had the opportunity to go and have a look at a lovely and very cute little goat cart this week, it was built and used in Toowoomba and was just devine.
Hi veryone,
We have just been out to the Jondaryan Woolshed for the Heavy Horse Expo, what a response to Sparkles in the cart. We were ask to do some talks in the ring on how to train and break in a goat. We have decided to train more goats and to build a new cart, possibly a tandem cart.
To day I purchased two new buck kids they are Anglo Nubians and they are 6 months old, so the first job will be to wether them and then start training them for a cart. I have called them Zhar and Ziggy. They are very colourful boys and look forward to working with them.
Cheers Celia
If anyone is looking for goat harness, please contact Rod Statham on 07-54676343.
Rod can make leather Harnesses, show halters, and bits for Goats in Harness or for show equipment.
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