# angora goat



## Shelly Borg (Nov 2, 2009)

Has any one packed with or know of a angora pack goat? My 9 year old little girl want to try to train hers.


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## Rex (Nov 30, 2008)

I spent quite a bit of time building a custom saddle for a person trying to pack an angora on the Washington coast area. They are not built well for carrying gear because they are pear shaped. The wide belly pushes the saddle forward onto the front shoulder. Add that to the smaller stature and heavy coat of an angora you don't have a very favorable goat for packing. 

Having said that, I think they can still be packed lightly for fun. A custom saddle is expensive and not worth the return, in my opinion. I recommend buying a cheap pair of cordura or canvas saddle bags made for a horse. Sew on a simple girth and rump strap, overlap the material between the bags and sew it to make the bags sit higher up on the goat and go have fun. You are not going to carry any heavy loads with this set up but the Angora isn't built to do that very well anyway.


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## Shelly Borg (Nov 2, 2009)

Thank you. 
I had not thought about making packs out of saddle bags. 
Shelly


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## tgallaty (Dec 11, 2008)

The mention of Angora goats reminded me of a photo in a book titled The Miners. It is a Time-Life book in The Old West series. Anyway, there is a photo of 5 Angora goats hitched up to a sled, sled dog style. The caption reads, "A team of Angora goats is pressed into service hauling supplies to the Klondike. So desperate was the demand for sled teams and pack animals that virtually anything with four legs might find itself on the trail: sheep, burros, dehorned reindeer, and mongrel dogs of every size and description."
I think it is a wonderful idea for your daughter to train her Angora to pack.

Tim


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## Shelly Borg (Nov 2, 2009)

Old pictures like that is one of the resons for her getting a angora. We keeped finding them when serching for cart goats. She fell in love with all the shots of the goat fully harnessed with a child next to them or in the wagon.


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## sanhestar (Dec 10, 2008)

pulling is a different work from carrying.

A pear shaped rump doesn't hinder when pulling but a sliding saddle because of this rump shape ist. I have one wether that is pear shaped. I stopped using him for packing years ago because he would get saddle sores even without any load.

And not to forget that in old time people will have used whatever was available, sometimes without regard for the well-being of the animal.


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## Shelly Borg (Nov 2, 2009)

What about a pack like Hoegger Goat Supply carries. I am looking at the "soft sided pygmy goat pack" The price is right and if he can carry her stuffed animals and pillow we would be happy.


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