Pack Goat
Pack goats are large breeds of goat trained specifically for carrying loads or small children, or pulling small carts. They are particularly favored in hilly places where their innate nimbleness is an asset.
The goats are often sold with the cart harness or safety straps for riding. People who train the goats train them to favor specific styles of harnesses, often based on the specific body type of that particular specimen of that particular breed.
Pack goats were once bred to not have horns, but their ability and skill at detecting danger and protecting their "herd" made them more effective with the heavy horns. The horns are also used by handlers to turn the creatures, as the curved boney extensions make good handles.
Basic Information
Growth Rate & Stages
Baby goats, or kids, are born and spend nearly two years as rambunctious, fast-growing creatures. They are playful and high-energy.
At around two years old, the goats begin to rapidly calm from their youthful energy. This is when their training begins in ernest. They are worked with almost daily to prepare them for the pack life.
At around four years of age, the goats are considered fully grown and fully trained. If any pack goats show too much aggression (usually the males), they are butchered or put out for stud. Good pack goats are females and smaller, more passive males.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Pack goats are bred to be the most hardy of goats, favoring neither meat nor dairy production over their ability to move through nearly every climate and environment of Alfeari and the neighboring kingdoms. This means they can survive on scrub in the high mountains, lichen on the frozen Northern Plateau, or the short dry grasses of the plains of the Far Reaches.
Additional Information
Domestication
Pack goats are fully domesticated and trainable as pack animals, or herded for dairy or meat production, depending on the specific breed and, sometimes, the specific animal.
Average Intelligence
Intelligent animals, pack goats and other goats are often mixed into other herd animals. The goats are very good at dedecting danger, protecting their larger herd, and keeping larger, more nervous herd animals calm. Unlike several annoying breeds of sheep, goats are unlikely to wander off a cliff or into a predator's den.
Lifespan
15 years
Average Height
0.80-0.90 m OR 2'7"-3'
Average Weight
165.3-220.5 lbs OR 75-100 kg
Average Physique
Large, curved horns. Lean muscled body with sturdy bones.
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Usually some variation of white with black or dark brown splotches. Some sub-breeds have curly hair, though most have straight, short hairs.
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