Going head to head with a Horned goat pic added 5/9

[Bock_Bock]

im glad some people are on my side, thats all this is is harmless fun, i never seen how it could be any harm

 

[Opa]

I'd be willing to bet that the goat had as much fun as you. Don't worry about the negative comments. As long as you knew you weren't hurting the goat everything is cool.

 

[Bock_Bock]

thanks again for the reassurance

 

[username taken]

Quote:
The reason it can cause harm, and trust me it can cause LOTS of harm, is that you are encouraging the goat to play with humans in the same way he plays with other goats, and that is dangerous. Have you ever seen two goats headbutting each other? Do you have any idea how hard they can hit? Even just in play? My 4 yr old boer buck got a fractured skull by playing with his 2 yr old buddy just like that. Imagine the force required to fracture the skull of a mature goat. Now imagine that force applied to a young child. And imagine the damage that could be done.

The more you encourage him to play with humans like this, the more often he will do it. He will view it as acceptable behaviour. And he will get more and more bold. He may not actually hit you with his head now, but TRUST ME he will get to that stage - bluffing you will not be fun enough for him, he will get all worked up, excited, and then get carried away. And he will hit you, hard. And the more you encourage him, the more he will do it. Pretty soon he will think all humans will play with him like that. He will not differentiate between you and other humans. Now, there will come a day when a young child goes into his pen, or an elderly person, or someone who is sick or frail. The goat will think excellent, someone has come to play with me, YAY! And he will run over, and jump up on his hind legs, and come down and hit that person. And a small child or frail elderly person WILL NOT come out of that as well as you do. THEY CAN BE SERIOUSLY HURT.

And what becomes of the goat now? He has hurt grandma, grandpa or the grandkids, so the family decides to get rid of him. Given that he is viewed as an 'it' there will be no mercy given on the goat's behalf. They send him to be slaughtered. Or, they lock him up in a small pen far away from the house where he receives no interaction with people or other goats, because he is 'dangerous'. Or worse, they put him on a tether so that he cant get to anyone. Which ever way it ends up, the goats life is basically over, through no fault of his own. He doesnt know what he did is wrong. What he did is perfectly normal for him BECAUSE YOU TAUGHT HIM THAT PLAY FIGHTING WITH HUMANS IS ACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOUR.

Thats why this is not harmless fun, plenty of harm can come from it. I really hope you read this and take it to heart, maybe if you have young cousins or family friends or older people in your life you might understand the risks and the danger you are creating. But then again, I know what 21 year old boys are like and chances are you wont even give a second thought to what I've said.

 

[Goat_Walker]

We used to play with our pygmies like that
Not the riding part, but the head butting. She used to think I was her climbing post, so I would roll over and she would be on her back legs ready to play.
I miss my goats

My friend has goats as big as yours though, cross bred, but still fun to play with.

And as for those of you who say " Thats cruel" , Watch goats play and wrestle with other goats, then watch a human get down and do the same thing.
Goats have hard heads, so who do you think is the one most likely to get hurt? My cousin wouldnt play with up unless he was wearing his football padding

 

[dkluzier]

OK, I am 47 years old and I play with one of my momma goats like this. I run and jump on the platform, she runs and jumps on another then we jump off and play "chicken". It is goat nature, goat play and they enjoy it.

I also will bypass her on purpose and wrap my arms around her belly in a bear hug or pat her on the hind end. I can assure you that she loves it. We have our quiet moments too where she comes up to me and rubs her horns against my leg and I get out the brush and take care of her.

Nothing wrong with being a goat yourself at times.

 

[SheriM]

I have a herd of about 50 Boer goats and the animals I intend to keep or sell as breeding stock are taught from day one not to butt, bite or jump on people. HOWEVER, those goats have plenty of goat friends to play with and express their "goatdom". This little fellow is with horses, who certainly can't play with him in a way he can appreciate. He probably had twice as much fun as the young men playing with him. I would certainly bear in mind that he is a playful goat and you may have to watch when a young or older person is in the pen with him, but the enrichment he receives from being able to play like a goat once in a while seems worth it to me.

 

[agnes_day]

those pictures are hilarious!
i like to play "tag" with mine. what really amazed me was how huge they seem compared to the ones i have. those are some happy looking goats, thats for sure!

 

[dave_Cash69]

all in good fun i think

 

[Wilson]

Goat like that killed an old man and badly injured his wife who tryed to save him, China Grove NC.