[AG-EQ] Work for a goat

[dogwood farm]

Tracy,

Yes, we have Coyote, unfortunately.  They have also been caught on a
game cam more than once hunting on this property.  Chaseing a rabit
and dragging a baby fawn.  Way too close for my comfort.

Susan

On 8/18/20, Tracy Carcione via AG-EQ <ag-eq at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Hi Susan.
> Do you have predators around big enough to eat a goat?  Coyote?  Just
> curious.
> Tracy
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: AG-EQ [mailto:ag-eq-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of dogwood farm via
> AG-EQ
> Sent: Tuesday, August 18, 2020 12:30 PM
> To: Agricultural and Equestrean Division List
> Cc: dogwood farm
> Subject: Re: [AG-EQ] Work for a goat
>
> Tracy,
>
> That was cute.  The three girls are still refusing to be shut in the
> barn at night.  Cloey had been our little escape artist until Matt
> actually saw her going back into their pasture.  Oh well, she had been
> busted and she has not ventured out on her own any more.
>
> Susan
>
> On 8/18/20, Tracy Carcione via AG-EQ <ag-eq at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> This is a little article about a stable goat at one of New York's racing
>> stables.
>>
>> He sure is a big goat.
>>
>> Tracy
>>
>>
>>
>> Gilbert the Goat: Atras Racing Stable's Multitasking Mascot
>>
>> THE LIFE
>>
>> August 17th, 2020 BY
>>
>> Annise Montplaisir
>>
>> Gilbert the Goat performs many tasks for Rob Atras' barn at Saratoga and
> is
>> a cherished member of the backstretch community. (Brittney Atras photo)
>>
>>
>>
>> Gilbert walks purposely down the shedrow, surveying a stranger
>> approaching
>> the barn where he resides in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. The brown and white
>> goat's
>>
>> leather collar has a name plate reading "Gilbert Atras," indicating his
>> association with trainer
>>
>> Rob Atras
>>
>> and his wife and assistant Brittney.
>>
>>
>>
>> "Gilbert is just.. Gilbert," said Brittney Atras, wracking her brain for
> an
>> appropriate comparison between their goat - who is the height of a Great
>> Dane
>>
>> and width of a large wheelbarrow - and a human character.
>>
>>
>>
>> 'Gilbert Atras' (Annise Montplaisir )
>>
>>
>>
>> "He's such a strange combination of things," she mused. "He goes from a
>> grumpy uncle, where you can see he's huffing around the barn because
>> something
>>
>> has peeved him off, to absolutely wanting to play and being like a pet
> dog.
>> But he's definitely not a goat."
>>
>>
>>
>> Most goats found in racing stables are companion animals, providing a
>> calming effect on anxious horses. Gilbert was purchased by Rob as a
>> 3-month-old kid
>>
>> to be raised as a baby-sitter. But Gilbert - now 5 - had different ideas,
>> preferring the barn's ponies to excitable Thoroughbreds.
>>
>>
>>
>> His titles include stable mascot, morale booster, and head of security -
>> chasing people away who he feels do not belong in his barn. He is also
>> self-appointed
>>
>> entertainer for owners, showing off, rubbing up against legs, and
>> mooching
>> for food.
>>
>>
>>
>> The Atras' train out of a private barn near the Saratoga harness track,
>> overseeing a string of nearly 30 horses. A spacious grassy area and dirt
>> walking
>>
>> oval line the barn, with the entire area contained by a tall fence.
>> Brittney
>> said Gilbert views Saratoga as his playground, wandering and eating as he
>>
>> pleases.
>>
>>
>>
>> But Gilbert's preferred kingdom is the couple's barn at
>>
>> Belmont Park.
>>
>>
>>
>> "He spends his entire days there in the office," Atras said. "He stands
>> in
>> the doorway and monitors everything going on. He also likes climbing the
>> trees
>>
>> there."
>>
>>
>>
>> Gilbert walks up to a stack of hay bales and slides back and forth
>> against
>> them, scratching his sides without taking his eyes off the chatting
>> humans
>> nearby.
>>
>>
>>
>> "He's showing off," Atras said.
>>
>>
>>
>> Gilbert ambles over reaches out a hoof, like a dog being asked to shake.
>>
>>
>>
>> Head of security. (Annise Montplaisir )
>>
>>
>>
>> "Oh yeah, he does goat yoga. I mean, not real goat yoga, but we stretch
> him
>> so he loves stretching," Atras added.
>>
>>
>>
>> "Real" goat yoga generally involves baby goats who bounce over the ground
>> and climb on top of class participants. As a nearly 200-pound boer goat,
>> you
>>
>> would not want Gilbert walking on top of you.
>>
>>
>>
>> "He never eats healthy snacks, he doesn't like carrots," Atras said. "He
>> doesn't like goat feed, he only eats high performance horse feed. I think
>> that's
>>
>> why he's so big. We don't give him his own, he just bullies horses into
>> giving him their feed."
>>
>>
>>
>> Not even the horses mess with Gilbert, simply walking around when he
>> refuses
>> to move from the barn aisle.
>>
>>
>>
>> "He also eats donuts, and things he thinks he's not supposed to have. If
>> there's something healthy on the desk like a carrot or apples, he will
>> eat
>> them
>>
>> because he thinks he's being bad."
>>
>>
>>
>> Gilbert pricks his floppy ear and stares momentarily at people riding
> bikes
>> down the street. Promptly losing interest, he ambles down the shedrow to
>> Rob,
>>
>> pressing his head into the trainer's arm to request attention.
>>
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