# New to packing



## Spring Creek Boers (Dec 26, 2018)

Ok so I just want to get info on pack goats.

I have boer goats and they are big girls could I use them?

What are the best methods of training pack goats?

What kind of panniers are the best?

Ive been wanting to do this since we live to go hiking and be out in the mountains and goats would just make it all the better. So I want to be better educated before I dive into anything.


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## elvis&oliver (Jun 28, 2018)

@Damfino can give you some great advice on what you're looking for maybe this will bump you up


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## Spring Creek Boers (Dec 26, 2018)

Ok thanks


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## Damfino (Dec 29, 2013)

Hey there, fellow Coloradan! If your girls are strong and fit I don't see any reason why they can't pack some things for you. One word of caution with Boers is that their backs are very wide and have a dip in them so you want to avoid wooden saddles until such time as saddle makers start designing wider, curvier saddles for meat goats. So far all the wooden saddles are still designed for the narrow, straight-backed Swiss breeds. I have a wide, dip-backed Nubian cross that wears a Sopris saddle. Unfortunately it is one of the more expensive pack systems out there, but it's good and the saddle design fits any type of back as long as the goat is large enough. I think Boer does should be long enough for that saddle. 

As far as training packgoats, there's not much too it. As long as your goats are friendly and well bonded to you then they should accept saddles without a fuss and follow right along on the trail. Goats rarely need to be desensitized to saddles like horses or llamas. 

Have fun!


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## Spring Creek Boers (Dec 26, 2018)

Thank you so much i really appreciate the tips.


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## elvis&oliver (Jun 28, 2018)

Keep us updated on how it goes and we love to see pics too. Good luck!


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## Lisa Storksen (May 29, 2019)

I have to *new* boys that were told would work great as pack goats. They are Toggenburg/Oberhasli cross. Was not sure what else to do with them. They are just a week old.


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