Melanie Davisson stood outside the gate of the Livestock Arena with her pack goat, waiting to show everyone watching Primrose’s ability to go through an obstacle course of hay bales and metal pipes at the OC Fair.
It was Davisson’s first time competing; she was there with her daughter.
“You’re never too old to have fun,” Davisson said before she went out, surrounded by a dozen more goats and their handlers, “and try something new.”
The competition is a test to show how well handler and animal go through various obstacles, mimicking the real-world use of goats by backpackers and hunters to carry their gear while navigating the wilderness.
Nik Kieler, who supervises the fair’s livestock programs, said the competitions are important because they honor the traditions behind why fairs first started and help give a sense of Orange County’s ranching past. The fair, which continues through Aug. 18, has hosted more than three weeks of competitions, drawing breeders and handlers of goats of all sizes, llamas, miniature donkeys, poultry and for Sunday, Aug. 11, rabbits, cavy and dairy cattle.
The pack goats, guided by their owners with a leash, had to go over stacked hay bales, across ramps and pipes, zig-zag around potted plants and finish by allowing themselves to be tied to a post with a rope.
When it was Davisson’s turn, she led Primrose gingerly through the course with little resistance — a good showing, aside from the moment when the goat stopped to munch on a plant’s leaves.
“She had a snack in the middle,” a smiling Davisson said as she returned to her friends.
Most competitors live in Southern California, but usually come from outside the county to show their animals at the OC Fair. Davisson and a few others came from Poway in San Diego County.
Any age competitor could enter the competition, but mostly children were vying for a ribbon.
Each goat took the course differently. Some obeyed no problem. A gentle tug of their leash and they went through all the motions to their handler and the judge’s delight.
Other goats were a little less cooperative. One goat had enough halfway through the course and laid down. Rest easy pal.
Other goats would start without a problem, circling the large stack of hay bales, but stepping over the metal pipes was more than a leap they were ready to take that day. One young boy appeared to be pulling as hard as he could to coax the goat through the course, and he eventually succeeded, drawing claps and cheers from the crowd.
Joseph Perez, 10, and his brother Michael, 7, each brought goats they’ve raised since birth. The brothers both took home blue ribbons.
“It’s fun,” Joseph said, “and I really like the goats.”
Their mom, Mara Perez, said the family brought 70 goats to the fair to exhibit.
“When they’re babies we work with them right away,” she said. “After a couple of weeks of working with them, it’s pretty easy. They just kind of follow. Kind of like when you get a new puppy, same thing, teaching them to wear a collar and follow you and come with you. Goats respond very much the same way.”
The family lives on a ranch in Temecula. Perez said her boys take a goat on walks with them and the animals carry snacks and water for them down to a lake where they fish. The family sells goats to people who use them to camp.
“A lot of people get detached from agriculture and understanding how important it is and how beneficial it can be,” Perez said. “I think it’s really great for children, especially, to learn how to take care of an animal, to raise it.”
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Fairs nowadays feature a lot of peculiar food combinations, rides and exhibitions. But before, livestock was the center of the events, Kieler said.
“It’s a really big educational opportunity for the public coming to the fair to be able to see all these different types of animals that we have on display all the time,” Kieler said.
Livestock breeding is a declining tradition in the region, Kieler said.
“A lot of the people that come here are an older generation,” he said, adding one of the long-time sheep exhibitors got sick and wasn’t able to bring his animals to this year’s fair. “So it’s a little bit scary to see.”
The OC Fair is the only fair in Southern California right now that has a pack goat competition.
Deb Katz, who’s long competed in pack goat competitions, said the animals can carry about a third of their weight. Pack goats weigh anywhere from 180 to 250 pounds. She said goats are more popular elsewhere in the world than they are in the United States.
Katz brought 30 goats to exhibit at this year’s fair.
She gave a simple explanation for why she spends so much time raising and exhibiting the animals.
“Goats are my thing,” Katz said.
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