Driving Lessons

[Nanno]

Nanno, would it work to use a light training harness to train to move forward and whoa, right and left before they are two? I have tentatively trained a young horse that way and used makeshift shafts made of pvc to teach them how to turn without freaking out. Worked well for that young mare but all it took was one spook on her first hook up to the cart and she destroyed the cart and nearly herself! So ended my harness training experience!

Oh dear! I'm sorry you had such a bad driving experience with your horse! I've found it's easier to train horses to drive by hitching a young knuckle-head with an older, steady horse. If the youngster plays up, he can't do much damage since he's tied firmly to an old campaigner who isn't going anywhere, and seeing the other horse not spook at things helps the youngster not overreact.

You can definitely begin training a goat to drive before they are two. Teaching them to walk in front of you without balking may be the most difficult part of training, so the earlier you start the better. One problem you'll encounter with ground driving is that the goat is going to keep turning around to face you, and it's difficult to prevent this without shafts to keep them straight. If they are dragging shafts, then you can step on the back part if your goat tries to do an about-face.

If he already trusts you, the goat should not need to get used to the harness, but some may be spooky about dragging shafts, so make sure to introduce these in a safe, contained area. A goat can't wreak havoc to the same degree as a horse, and probably won't injure himself, but he could easily put a nice scratch down the side of your car or take out some kneecaps if he panicked and got away from you.

Once he's two, then you could put him to a cart or wagon and use him for things like hauling trash to the end of the driveway and other little chores, but once again, he probably shouldn't be hauling people until he's about three and well grown-out. A smaller goat may need longer.