Taking the kids with us for a walk for the first time!

Frollicking Kid defends her fortress!

Seat covers: an inexpensive saddle blanket

While the wood, straps, nuts, and bolts that go into making the pack saddle are relatively inexpensive, a commercial felt saddle blanket can cost upwards of thirty dollars for the smallest sizes. Since goat packing is supposed to be more economical than mule/pony packing, than there ought to be an economical solution to this problem. The answer: bucket seat covers! Seat covers are cheap, lightweight, and depending on which one you buy, can fit snugly under a goat pack saddle. A trip to Pep Boys can get you a couple of inexpensive yet durable bucket seat covers without breaking the bank. We have opted for this route with two of our pack saddles since they didn't come with a saddle blanket when we got/made them.

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If anyone wishes to go this same route, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, the seat cover cannot have any springs inside it, as these can chafe. Second, the seat cover should be lightweight, ideally weighing less than a pound or so, though it shouldn't be so flimsy that the goat can't even wear the pack. Third, the seat cover has to be the right width and length so that it can be folded underneath the saddle and still fit snugly over the goats back. Finally, the seat cover should be made so that at least a little air can flow through it, which will help to keep the goat from sweating and getting overheated.

Hilarious video of us trying to teach the goats to cross a bridge

Those goats must have smelt a troll under that bridge....

A picture of one of our destinations this summer

This is a picture of swede lake, a lake that is part of the Dinkey Lakes wilderness. It's my favorite of all of the dinkey lakes, being surrounded by scenic cliffs, atop which is island lake, also a favorite. 

Aha! Evidence of our escapades at last!

I found this photo on Guarantee Real Estate's blog and decided top put it on this blog since it's a picture of OUR pack goats, after all. This was taken on the San Joaquin River Gorge trail, north of Millerton Lake about a year ago.    

Weight Training (Continued)

Here we see one of our little training walks in progress. Believe me, they were not this well-behaved-looking when we first started. Since there are usually only two of us on these outings, we separate into two groups: a human in front, with a trained goat following, and a semi or untrained goat being led by the first.

Weight Training

We use 1 gallon jugs weighing 7 1/2 pounds each, and so thirty pounds per goat. We simply hang them from the crossbucks on the pack. We used to put the bottles in gorcery bags. but the bags would often break. 

The kids are growing!

The Pack Saddle

A popular question asked about our herd is how the goats are able to carry our supplies. The answer: a pack saddle! The goat pack saddle has been used in Europe for centuries, often in the Swiss alps for carrying anything from blankets to produce for goatherds. We have two or three aluminum pack saddles, which are the more expensive kind and can cost more than a shiny penny. The easier to make and more economical pack saddle is made of wood, preferably oak. We have made several wooden pack saddles and they work just as well as the aluminum ones, although they won't last as long.