As the weeks of summer continue it means we are getting closer to ADGA nationals and I could not be more excited! I listened yesterday to an extremely enlightening podcast about dissecting the general appearance score card and really understanding what makes a goat exceptional from a general appearance perspective. I learned a lot about the front end assembly of the goat, and how this impacts things from their briskets, to their withers, their point of elbow and point of shoulder and even further down into their legs and pasterns.
Everything that I know about goats is from listening to judges, reading in books and talking to other breeders and goat enthusiasts. I can tell you as a child I spent countless hours sitting ringside with my mom watching the shows and listening to the judges reasons, which really helped me to hone my skills and be able to pick out class winning animals. I use these skills today in order to pick out new animals to bring into my herd and to thin out the kids that I keep. My goal as a small breeder is to raise healthy, productive and competitive goats, so I cannot keep all of them that are born here on this farm and while it is easy to keep the cutest or the friendliest, that does not align with my goals as a breeder and goat owner.
I will tell you this podcast delved deep into the bio-mechanics of why certain things happen to goats, and gives me a better understanding of when I look at a goat and I say that I like him or her, I am able to quantify why I like that animal and what I can do to improve that line of animals for the future. This got me really excited thinking about Nationals! It is only a few weeks away! I cannot wait to see all of the beautiful animals there and watch and listen to the show! I am feverishly writing my list of things to bring while we are down there, and I absolutely cannot wait to chat with other goat enthusiasts, hopefully reconnecting with others I have met in the past
and be absolutely immersed in the world of goats that I love dearly! If you are there please stop by and say hello! I look forward to making memories and meeting new people! Everyone stay cool and Happy Goating!