# New buck FINALLY home! 1st Reg. Buck. Evaluate PLZ? Cow-hock



## firelight27 (Apr 25, 2009)

Please bear with this long post...I am too wordy...

I am both excited and disappointed with my new boy. I purchased him through an online auction. I saw many photos of him. I even saw one of him from the rear where he was standing just as if he was being shown, as a young kid (maybe a week old.) He looked great in the photos, from all angles. I picked him up at my first show this weekend. He still looks great everywhere...except his back legs. And that worries me.

His hocks turn in a good deal when he is standing naturally in the field. If you get him set up with his legs spread properly, it seems slight, but is still noticeable. It also seems, to me, like his rear pasterns are pretty weak. They want to buckle forward rather than be straight. I showed him in three rings, and he took two fourths and a second. Now, there were only 4 bucklings in his class...so he took two lasts and one second. I was under the assumption he would be both clipped and worked with before I got him. It was a drag, scream, and leap festival. And he was super furry. In the class that he got a second in, he had finally decided to calm down and cooperate, and both walked and set up nicely and STOOD STILL. All his competitors were much better behaved overall though.

In the other two classes he wanted to hunch up in a ball and refused to stand correctly. I wonder if that is the difference in placings...and if I work with him allot and get him cooperating and posing correctly...if that rear leg set isn't as huge of a deal? Of course, I want to have a high quality breeding program and worry about breeding those legs into my goats...but the rest of him is wonderful. I'm very conflicted...and supposedly he has great udder/milking genetics. His full brother from the same birthing was there, showing against me. He took last in the class I took second in, and took 2nd in the other classes. He has great, straight legs. His sire was also there, showing, and he had great legs. From photos of mom, she has great legs as well. Maybe his crooked legs were a throw back to grandparents. Maybe its something in the way he developed, because I swear his legs were nice and straight as a younger kid.

Do they sometimes get stronger in the leg structure as they grow...or weaker? He is a little over 3 months. Are there any tips/tricks I can use when trimming his feet to promote a more proper stance?

What do you think of him, overall, from these photos? I do think he'll place consistently better clipped though (as I have obviously done recently), as the furryness on the inside of his legs made him look like he had poor width, which he doesn't. That and the hairy ridge over his topline/rump didn't help. Kinda irritates me that I paid for those classes and had to show an unclipped/untrained kid. Lol









(He still has green tattoo ink, pretty much all over his face...although its much lighter after a clip job.)










I am already in love with his personality. Too bad he'll be a stinky horn-dog before too long...probably sticky with pee too. No more cuddling for him at that point. Well, maybe after a nice bath. I guess I'll work with him, getting him walking/posing really good, and take him to a couple more shows this summer and let that decide for me whether I'll keep him or not. That and some test breedings.


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## MiGoat (Apr 21, 2010)

*Re: New buck FINALLY home! 1st Reg. Buck. Evaluate PLZ? Cow-*

I can't help you with the conformation stuff. All I can say is he is a handsome guy.
Now about his legs. His Dad, brother, Mom all have really nice legs. He had nice legs. I'm going to throw out the possibility that maybe something happened to him in his development that will not have any effect on his breeding (in other words the legs aren't genetic but accident)?


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## mrs. lam (Apr 20, 2010)

*Re: New buck FINALLY home! 1st Reg. Buck. Evaluate PLZ? Cow-*

LOL! Stinky horn-dog! I'm right there with you. Downwind of course. :laugh: BTW, he's very cute. Congrats.

Gina


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## capriola-nd (Jul 6, 2008)

*Re: New buck FINALLY home! 1st Reg. Buck. Evaluate PLZ? Cow-*

Could you take some photos of him standing on solid ground (like gravel or concrete?) It's hard to tell on his legs standing on hills/grass. It looks like he toes out in front as as well and could use straighter legs. Rump is a little steep but I like the length of it. Topline is slightly roached but that could just be the pic. He is pretty cute though. Who are his parents?

As to the naughtiness in the show ring, I wouldn't expect the best of behavior at that age. Although it would be nice if he were slightly trained. I worry about taking my brats in the show ring!


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## jdgray716 (Aug 8, 2008)

*Re: New buck FINALLY home! 1st Reg. Buck. Evaluate PLZ? Cow-*

Agreed. A front and rear pic would be good too. All angles are best


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## MiGoat (Apr 21, 2010)

*Re: New buck FINALLY home! 1st Reg. Buck. Evaluate PLZ? Cow-*



capriola-nd said:


> Could you take some photos of him standing on solid ground (like gravel or concrete?) It's hard to tell on his legs standing on hills/grass. It looks like he toes out in front as as well and could use straighter legs. Rump is a little steep but I like the length of it. Topline is slightly roached but that could just be the pic. He is pretty cute though. Who are his parents?
> 
> As to the naughtiness in the show ring, I wouldn't expect the best of behavior at that age. Although it would be nice if he were slightly trained. I worry about taking my brats in the show ring!


 What does roached mean? And rump is steep ..is that where it begins to slope down to tail?


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## firelight27 (Apr 25, 2009)

*Re: New buck FINALLY home! 1st Reg. Buck. Evaluate PLZ? Cow-*

I'll take some more photos when I have time. Mother's Day week...florist...Lol. Next week will be less busy.


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## speeddemon (Apr 28, 2010)

*Re: New buck FINALLY home! 1st Reg. Buck. Evaluate PLZ? Cow-*

I am new to goats, but have had horses all my life and show halter and I know with some young horses, they often are severely cowhocked as yearlings and sit that year out and then come back as two and three year olds looking just awesome.

Goats may be the same way. I wouldn't be too disappointed in him yet. Pictures of him from the back would help.


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## pelicanacresMN (Dec 29, 2009)

*Re: New buck FINALLY home! 1st Reg. Buck. Evaluate PLZ? Cow-*

He sure has some nice length to his body  he's not terrible by any means. Breed him for a season & see how the kids turn out especially if he has good udder genetics.


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## firelight27 (Apr 25, 2009)

*Re: New buck FINALLY home! 1st Reg. Buck. Evaluate PLZ? Cow-*

La, I still haven't gotten photos from the back. I keep rotating him from his pen to the full field since I only have a couple of unbred girls I need to worry about him being with. I honestly think I have noticed a big difference in his hocks just in the few weeks he has been with me and has been able to exercise and roam a huge area. Maybe he was confined his whole life up to this point, and his back legs were just weak....Thanks for the compliments Karen. I really love the little guy, so we'll see how his first babies come out...eventually. Lol.

Speedemon - I was thinking the same thing. I've also been into horses forever and noticed that with young ones. In fact, I have a pair of two year olds I have had since weanlings, and they went through some funky stages with their legs. I just kept up with their hooves and provided them plenty of turn out and their legs are gorgeous now. They even wanted to be a little club footed, something I think their dad gave them (siblings), but its amazing what hoof care and turnout can fix. The filly is still a little cow-hocked, but nothing like she was as a youngster.


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