New Talent Emerges at the Mesa County Fair 2022!

We were thrilled to have a new family from Mesa County email us this year and ask if we had any wethers for sale. 

They were checking with us rather late so our group of wethers was about sold out. 

We had just four babies left that we were considering selling and three of them were females so I felt like their choices were very limited! However they came up to the ranch and looked at what we had left.

Here’s Jaiden looking at Rivets our last wether.

Jaiden picking Rivets.

Jaiden picking Rivets.

Jaiden and his family decided to take Rivets and one doe – Roulette.

Here are Rivets & Roulette in their new home.

Roulette & Rivets in their new home.

Roulette & Rivets in their new home.

Jaiden spent hours working with his two goats and that was very obvious when he came into the show ring.

Here he is at home working with both of them on leading.

Jaiden with Roulette & Rivets.

Jaiden with Roulette & Rivets.

We were super eager to get to the Mesa County Fair Goat Show to see how Jaiden had done working with his two goats.

Man were we ever surprised and pleased to see the fine job that young man had done feeding, trimming, washing, and teaching these goats to lead — they just looked fantastic!

Here’s Jaiden showing Rivets. 

They came in 3rd and that was great considering that the classes were quite large.

Jaiden showing Rivets.

Jaiden showing Rivets.

Then Jaiden came into the show ring with Roulette. She was absolutely beautiful and Jaiden did an amazing job showing her as well. Apparently the Judge thought so too as Roulette came in in 2nd place!

Here is Jaiden showing Roulette.

Jaiden showing Roulette.

Jaiden showing Roulette.

Here is Jaiden with Roulette after winning 2nd in his market goat class.

Congratulations Jaiden & Roulette

Jaiden showing Roulette.

Congratulations to Jaiden and his super helpful family for all the work they put into taking care of these two goats.

It’s so great when it can be a family affair as that is what 4-H is all about. We look forward to seeing all of them next year!

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Eagle County Fair 2021

Our Eagle County kids came back for goats again this year.

That made us very happy as they are the neatest kids we have been around in a long time.

Here they are the first part of January, selecting their choices. Lizzy has Huckleberry and Isaac has Andrew that later became Lizzy’s.

Lizzy & Huckleberry; Isaac & Andrew

Lizzy with Huckleberry and Isaac with Andrew.

Isaac picked Leonardo and later chose Horace as well.

Isaac with Leonardo. (His older brother Jacob in the background.)

Isaac with Leonardo. (His older brother Jacob in the background.)

Horace.

Horace.

Big brother Jacob stands Leonardo up.  Having had lots of experience showing goats himself, he does a great job helping his younger siblings with theirs.

Jacob posing Leonardo.

Jacob posing Leonardo.

We were eager to go to the Eagle County Fair and see how Lizzy and Isaac were doing and how the goats had grown. They always take such good care of their animals so we knew they would look super.

Eagle County FairIsaac took second place in his division in showmanship with Horace. That’s pretty cool as it is only his second year of showing goats, and the competition was stiff.

Good job Isaac.

Isaac 2nd place showmanship.

Isaac 2nd place showmanship.

Here is Lizzy with Huckleberry.

Lizzy showing Huckleberry.

Lizzy showing Huckleberry.

She does an excellent job showing him and here she is with Huckleberry and their ribbon.

Lizzy & Huckleberry with ribbon.

Lizzy & Huckleberry with ribbon.

And Isaac showing Horace.

Isaac showing Horace.

Isaac showing Horace.

He does a super job showing him and here he is with Horace and their ribbon.

Isaac and Horace with their ribbon.

Isaac and Horace with their ribbon.

Here comes Lizzy showing Andrew.

Lizzy showing Andrew.

Lizzy showing Andrew.

He had really grown and you could tell Lizzy had worked with him as she made it look easy.

Lizzy & Andrew.

Lizzy & Andrew.

And Isaac with Leonardo.

Isaac and Leonardo.

Isaac and Leonardo.

I am sure that Leonardo weighed more than Isaac but he did a great job showing him anyway.

Isaac & Leonardo.

Isaac & Leonardo.

It was a lot of fun going to Eagle County and being a small part in the lives of this wonderful family.

We are convinced that they are the nicest family in all of Eagle County!

(Though we didn’t realize that when not showing goats, Isaac is a private investigator analyzing clues and solving crimes while stroking his mustache. Perhaps he was looking into the great watermelon disappearance…does Lizzy look like she’s hiding something behind that mischievous smile?)

Nicest family in Eagle County.

Nicest family in Eagle County.

We look forward to seeing them all again next year.

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San Miguel County Fair 2021

San Miguel County FairWe had some new customers call us this year from San Miguel County.

I was thrilled to learn that their goat show was held in Norwood, Colorado, as it is an absolutely beautiful area.

We used to go to Norwood a couple of times every summer when our boys attended the Boy Scout camp there.  That was a long time ago, and we were looking forward to seeing that part of the state again.

As we traveled over the Dallas Divide, through Norwood Canyon, and up the hill to where you could see the amazing Lone Cone Mountain, we could certainly see that its beauty has not changed one bit.

Our new customers arrived in January 2021 to pick out the goats they wanted to show. It was lucky that we had several boys for them to choose from as some years we run out pretty quickly!

Here’s Peyton with her choice — Sherlock Holmes.

Peyton with Sherlock

Peyton with Sherlock.

Then Marlee with her pick — Mark Twain.

Marlee with Mark Twain.

Marlee with Mark Twain.

And Anberlynn with Pontoon.

Anberlynn with Pontoon.

Anberlynn with Pontoon.

When they came back the end of March to gather their animals, they also took Midas — seen here with Grandpa holding him.

Grandpa holding Midas.

Grandpa holding Midas.

Arriving at the San Miguel Fair, we found the girls and their goats and were amazed at how they had grown.  These three girls had done a fine job of clipping them, washing them, and finishing them off to get them ready for the show.

Here’s Peyton with Sherlock.

Peyton showing Sherlock.

Peyton showing Sherlock.

Marlee with Mark Twain.

Marlee showing Mark Twain.

Marlee showing Mark Twain.

Marlee again with Midas.

Marlee with Midas.

Marlee with Midas.

Anberlynn with Pontoon. I’m sure he weighed more than she did!

Anberlynn with Pontoon.

Anberlynn with Pontoon.

They were such a neat family to get to know and we enjoyed seeing how well they took care of their animals.

It was a pleasure to be part of this journey with these girls and we look forward to spending more time in Norwood.

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Cattlemen’s Days Gunnison County Fair 2021

In early July 2021, we traveled to Gunnison for the Cattlemen’s Fair. 

Because Highway 50 was closed due to construction, we took the scenic route through Hotchkiss, Crawford, down by the Black Canyon, and to the Blue Mesa Reservoir area.

It was a beautiful trip but the roads wind back and forth so it takes quite a bit longer to reach your destination. We were glad when we finally arrived!

This year we had a brother and sister showing their animals that they purchased from us back in January 2021.

Here are Samantha picking out her goat Festus (which she named Pete) out of our doe Miss Kitty and buck Tripp…

Samantha & Festus (Pete).

Samantha & Festus (Pete).

and Jake picking Jimmy Stewart out of our doe Maureen and buck Tripp.

Jacob & Jimmy Stewart.

Jacob & Jimmy Stewart.

Those little goats were just babies then — a little over a month old.

Here they are picking up their two goats towards the end of March to take back to Gunnison so they could start training them for the fair.

Samantha taking Pete.

Samantha taking Pete.

Jake with Jimmy—Jake was getting help from his sisters.

Jake with Jimmy—Jake was getting help from his sisters.

This was taken the end of March in their new Gunnison home.

Jimmy on the left, Pete on the right in their new Gunnison home.

Jimmy on the left, Pete on the right in their new Gunnison home.

It’s always exciting to see the 4-H kids doing such a great job with their animals and to check out how much their animals have grown in just a few short months!

Here are Samantha showing Pete…

Samantha showing Pete.

Samantha showing Pete.

and Jake showing Jimmy.

Jake showing Jimmy.

Jake showing Jimmy.

They both did a fantastic job and we thoroughly enjoyed being there to watch the show and to see all of the great people of the Gunnison area.

Jake with Jimmy & Samantha with Pete.

Jake with Jimmy & Samantha with Pete.

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Black Canyon ABGA Boer Goat Show 2020

Black Canyon Goat Show2020 marked the second year of the Black Canyon ABGA Boer Goat Show
held in Montrose, Colorado.

This is a fantastic show for all ABGA qualified animals, as it gives them the opportunity to obtain more points on their way to being ennobled.

Boer goat producers come from all over the state of Colorado, as well as from many surrounding states in the western part of the country.

The event goes for two days and is adjudicated by two different ABGA judges, which gives attendees and spectators alike a chance to learn more about the Boer goat breed and what the ABGA is looking for in their animals.

Most of the animals in this show are beautiful, but some catch your eye more than others.

This doe just stole my heart and I really wanted to take her home! She was from Kickin’ A Ranch in Colorado.

Erica and Doe

Erica and pretty doe.

Owner Erica was leading her out in the show ring as Glenda, one of the judges that was there on Saturday, watched to see how the doe carried herself. This doe did take first place in her class which was no big surprise to me!

I enjoy going to these ABGA shows even though I don’t personally show my animals. I’ve been raising Boer goats for over 20 years, but there is always more to learn, and a show like this is a great place to do it. I also get to see some beautiful Boer goats, catch up with some of my friends I haven’t seen for a while, meet new friends, and witness the wonderful care that these people give to their animals.

I mean, it’s a couple days immersed in goats. What could be better?

It was great to catch up with Erica, Carol, and Jennifer among others and to meet some ladies who brought their goats up from New Mexico. One special little gal and her Mom came from Arizona, and since she sat near me by the ring, I got the chance to get to know her a little.

When I first noticed her, she was sitting on the other side of me with her goat. You could just see how much she thought of her little goat the way she was with her.

Skyler & her goat Bailey.

The next time I looked her way, she had the little goat on her lap! I had to speak to her to see if she would allow me take a picture!. It was just too cute.

Bailey taking a nap on Skyler’s lap!

She told me her name was Skyler and gave me permission to share her pictures with you here. Her little goat’s name was Bailey and she was tired so Skyler helped her get some rest.

Later I found out that Skyler is a senior in high school and she wants to go on to do something related to animals. She will be great at that as she obviously has a real love for them.

I later took some pictures of Skyler and Bailey in the show ring for the showmanship class. She does an excellent job showing her animal.

Skyler & Bailey

Skyler & Bailey.

Judge Scott, who was making the decisions on Sunday, asked every contestant questions to evaluate their knowledge.

Skyler talking to Judge Scott

Skyler talking to Judge Scott.

Skyler took Reserve Grand Champion Showmanship, so congratulations to her for doing such a great job.

Skyler & Bailey w_ Reserve Grand Champion Showmanship

Skyler & Bailey, winners of the Reserve Grand Champion Showmanship prize.

My sincere best wishes to Skyler on her upcoming graduation from high school in 2021. I certainly hope our paths will cross again.

Meanwhile, I encourage anyone who loves Boer goats to put this event on their calendar for next year. It’s one of the best Boer goat events in Colorado. You won’t be sorry!

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Delta County Fair 2020: Enjoying Our Old and New Customers!

1 Delta CountyIn August, we traveled to the Delta County Goat Show in Hotchkiss, Colorado.

As with the other 4H shows this year, we were concerned we wouldn’t be able to attend the one in Delta because of COVID-19 restrictions.

Thanks to long time friend and customer, Bill, we were able to go see the show. We were very excited since we had a first-year 4-H customer, Cole, showing his goat, Waves. He had purchased Waves from us earlier this year, and we sure didn’t want to miss his and Cole’s debut in the show ring!

We were so pleased to see the fantastic trim job that Cole’s Mom, Lanni, had done on Waves. It looked like a professional had trimmed that goat. However, Lanni said that she had never done one before! She sure fooled us.

Cole’s younger brother Stihl had been helping with exercising Waves as well. You could tell that Stihl really likes the animals. We’d love to see him show in the future!

We were also happy to see our longtime friend and customer, Trey, who was at the show with some of his own goats out of a buck purchased from Swan View Ranch.

We have had the pleasure of watching Trey grow up. We first met him when he came to purchase his first wether at the age of 11!

Here is Trey showing one of his younger wethers.

Trey showing one of his goats.

Trey showing one of his goats.

Here is Cole showing Waves. What a great job he is doing for a first year as a 4-H student.

Cole showing Waves.

Cole showing Waves.

You could really tell that Cole and Stihl had spent a lot of time teaching Waves to lead.

Cole standing Waves up.

Cole standing Waves up.

Cole took first place with Waves in his market goat class. Congratulations!

Cole and Waves take first place in their market goat class.

Cole and Waves take first place in their market goat class.

Here is Trey showing his doe.

Trey showing his doe.

Trey showing his doe.

Trey took second place market goat in his class with this beautiful doe.

Trey's doe takes 2nd place in her market goat class.

Trey’s doe takes 2nd place in her market goat class.

The great thing about the 4-H is it’s truly a family project. Everyone works very hard for the final outcome of the goat show. Congratulations to both families for everything they did to help Cole and Trey succeed.

Trey is a senior in high school this year. We sure hope to see him show one last time next year. It wouldn’t seem like the Delta County goat show without Trey and his Dad, Bill, being there. We would truly miss seeing them.

It’s the first year for Cole and at the rate he is going — we look for many more successful years in his future. He has a great family behind him too which makes all the difference in the world.

Until next year!

Cole & Waves with their first place ribbon.

Cole & Waves with their first place ribbon.

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