# Cart Training



## PACE (Oct 8, 2007)

I've been working on training Melino, my 6 month old Alpine wether to pull a cart. I havn't been doing it much... maybe once or twice a week I'll work with him for a little while. I think he is doing pretty well, considering how little I work with him on it. He can be a bit stubborn while walking on leash, but all in all behaves well and is starting to understand commands. I have a few questions, though.

1) He walks pretty slowly while in front of me, and sometimes just stops and doesn't want to go anymore... then he'll start up, but go slowly again. He's still a little unsure about what I want, but should he get faster? For those of you with cart goats, can you get them to go at a good paced trot for a few minutes at a time? Or do they just walk? I'm sure it would be so much fun to go for leisurely drives, but I think it would be better if we could have some spurts of going faster. Not running or anything, just a nice crisp trot. 

I'm pretty sure he'd be able to. I take the goats on runs around the yard and they can go go go. While I'm huffing and puffing and gasping away after a little while they are still going pell mell... they remind me of horses galloping lol. I guess a better question is would he, not could he... Could I train him to keep going where I wanted to go while pulling a cart at a trot. Like I said, right now he just meanders around slowly and seems to resent that I'm telling him where to go rather than letting him graze lol

2) Melino weighs 50/60 pounds now. When should he be able to pull a cart so that we can begin adding weight slowly? Should he be a certain weight or a certain age? Wehn will he be able to pull a person (around 100 pounds... no heavier)

3) Any reccomendations about which cart to buy? I'm torn between the Country Squire cart or the wagon, both from Hoegger's. I'm going to do more training to be sure he'll make a good cart goat and to be sure I really like it before I buy anything, but it never hurts to start planning a little ahead...

Thankis for any advice


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## goathappy (Oct 5, 2007)

I can give you advice on the cart. I don't have a cart yet but those from hoeggers are very expensive. I have the website somewhere of the company that makes those carts, I'll have to find it.
One of the easiest things you can do is get a garden cart, they cost around $100 and buy the shafts for making it for the goat to pull. They say that with carts, 4 wheels has the best balance for the goat.


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## Nupine (Nov 13, 2007)

I use the country squire cart from hoeggers. It was like $500 but worth it. It is very nice and attractive. I am currently training a 5/8 boer, 1/4 saanen, 1/8 lamancha alpine, 10 month old, unattractive doe. What a great choice! She is really good though. She weighs about 80 pounds. She is already pulling the cart. I have a tendency to rush things, so I did very minimal training. But luckily she is basically training herself. She doesn't mind the road, the cart, the cars, the harness, the hills, nothing. She is quite motivated. I have a question too. She may be bred and due in late march. When do I have to stop work before and after she kids? I weigh about 115 and the cart is about 40 pounds maybe, when can she pull me and the cart? I can't help much because I am new to this too.


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## sparks879 (Oct 17, 2007)

I would keep doing light work right up until she kids. Don't make it long periods and don't make it hard, just some ground driving with a few commands such as halt dn go left and right. the excercise is good for her and the unborn kids. We ride our mares up until the day they foal, they just get a short walk around the arena, and we ride bareback as we normally can;t get a girth around them. but its good for them to keep in good shape.
AS for the carts I don't like most of the ones they have in the catalogs, they are too hard on the goats back. A four wheeled cart is best, while a conditioned goat is strong when they are pulling a two wheeled cart they not only have to pull the cart and the human but they have to hld the cart up. My dad built me a four wheeled cart out of a plywood box and added a seat and put four bycicle wheels on it. My goats liked this soooo much better then the two wheeled carts. and it cost so much less. We had cushions made for the seat and i painted it black with a glossy finish. It looked really nice. 
beth


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