ISO Mini Alpine Saddle/Pannier

[BES619]

Hello,

I have mini Alpine goats and looking for used saddles/panniers to introduce them to carrying light weight for hikes. Please let me know what you have.

[Nanno]

I believe Butt-Head Packgoats and Bantam Saddle Tack both make saddles in smaller sizes. They wouldn't be used of course, but it may be hard to find used saddles for mini breeds since almost everyone packs with full-sized goats.

I judged a packgoat competition up in northern Colorado years ago and a couple of the kids had miniature Alpines in the show. I was impressed with their structural correctness and strength for their size. The Nigerian contributed a lot of body depth and sturdiness. They could only find dog packs to fit them though. And if you're only doing light loads, you could look into dog packs. I've got an Outward Hound pack that I use on our yearlings. Since they don't have a solid tree they tend to slide off the side. Goats aren't symmetrical because of the rumen on the left, so treeless saddles don't like to stay in the middle. But you can get away with them if you're not doing heavy loads and you don't mind straightening them throughout your hike.

Good luck!