Conference noted::equitation

    
    Hi Linda,
    
    There is a goat at the barn our TB is boarded at....most of the
    horses LOVE the little guy! He is small, a Pygmy goat, and very
    friendly...adorable, actually! He is full of energy, loves ot
    play with people and horses alike, and has the run of the place
    being shut in the indoor at night. He is often seen ducking under
    stall doors to visit a horse, and I can't think of any of the 
    horses that don't like him.....
    
    There is also one at a house close to my own, I ride my mare
    by there frequently, and she loves that goat! Tries to pull
    into the yard to look for it if it is not out front. It, too,
    is very friendly and my mare drops her head down and just
    follows him/her around until I make her go one...she seems
    fascinated with it! If the breed is any indication, I would
    say your filly should love one...I'd like to get one myself
    but hubby has put his foot down on the number of pets around
    the place....:-)....Good luck!
    
    Linda
    

    
    
    My neighbor had a horse and pony, they sold the horse and the pony
    was heartbroken, crying all night long.  They brought home a goat,
    they really never had a problem because they turned them out together
    (but that leaves a goat to alot of tricks... like escaping).  My
    only concerns would be horns (theirs did have them, everything was
    ok but they often played... the goat jumping up on the pony... butting
    him some times.  They ended up tying the goat because the fence
    wasn't made to hold this lil critter, caution I would be afraid
    your baby could tangle.
    
    I can't say they had any bad experiences, but this was a pony not
    a baby.
    
    Good luck!  
    
    Nancy

    If you decide not to go with the goat, I have an older mare who would
    make an excellent companion.  She has always been used to wean the
    babies with.  She tolerates no nonsense but does it in a very nice way.
    
    Food for thought if you need another solution.
    
    P.S.  This would be a free lease...just maintainence.
    
    

    
    EQUUS had a picture series about a year ago of a horse and "his" 
    goat. They both lived in the same pasture together, and the series
    showed the horse lying down, the goat climbing up onto his back,
    and then the goat lying down up top. It was one of those smaller
    black and gray shaggy goats. Anyhow, apparently this is how they
    slept each night.
    
    -j
    

    
    One of the farms I worked at when I was younger had a very 
    high strung/nervous TB that would lose weight almost overnight.
    No matter what they did, they couldn't settle this horse, finally
    someone came in with a big old goat named Alex. This horse took
    one look at Alex and fell in love. They shared a stall together 
    from then on after. The horse became one of the quietest animals
    in the barn, no problems riding the horse or taking him to the 
    shows either... I wonder what the bond is?
    
    Marianne
    

    Its funny too because I remember hearing an old wives tale that
    a pregnant mare will never lose a foal during or after delivery
    if a goat is kept with her.  That came from an old farmer!!

    As long as you can keep the goat confined, go for it.
    They make good horse companions.
    But, they also like to wander, so make sure you can
    keep it from disappearing.
    A stable were I boarded last year had two, and someone was always
    bringing them home from an "outing"!
    
    Lynne

    When I was a teenager I had  4 goats and one horse, it worked just
    fine. Only my mother didn't like my goats eating the roses, lilacs,
    and the garden. I found that the only way to keep the goats in, other
    than a chain and collar, was electric fence. I had a hot wire at 1 ft.
    to keep the "kids" in, and 3 ft to keep the horse in.
    Sandy
    

    The stable where my husband takes lessons used to have two goats who just
    wandered around the whole farm--eating the horses' hay, the lawn, the
    gardens...  One day the owners left their backdoor ajar. The goats,
    inquisitive creatures that they are, went inside. Because goats love to
    climb, the stairs were too tempting to resist. By the time they were
    discovered, they were in one of the bedrooms jumping up and down on the
    beds.

    I brought the goat home to my place this weekend and I think the filly
    thought she was some type of evil creature.  She started chasing the 
    poor goat, the goat fell and the filly came right aboard her.  It
    didn't hurt the goat, sometimes I think this one is made of rubber,
    she's been stepped on more times.  The filly got a little better after
    about 1/2 hour, which was all I let them be together then the goat went
    into her own stall, which she can jump out of if the top door isn't
    closed.  When I go over there to feed or whatever the filly is standing
    right outside the goats stall, so maybe it will just take some time for 
    them to get used to each other.  Thanks for all you advice and I'll
    keep you updated on the progress
    

    How about an update on how your filly is doing with the goat. I
    have a friend who has a mare and just recently added a goat to her
    band of pets. Now the mare refuses to go ANYWHERE without the goat!!
    (My friend is a new horse owner and just learning to ride, so I
    think that's part of the problem.) Anyway, I was just curious as
    to what the outcome was of your goat experiment.
    
    Thanks.                                     
    
    kathy

    I haven't been putting them out together because the horse really
    doesn't like the goat and I don't want either getting hurt.  When 
    I take the goat outside the filly's paddock and tie her in the yard
    to eat grass, the filly goes crazy!  I think deep down she really likes
    the goat but prefers it to stay in its own stall!!