My guy will come home next year but I currently only have him. Was thinking MAYBE about keeping a goat with him for company but does that actually work? Also when I get a second horse and ones off the property, the goat could keep the other company.
When we picked up my ottb mare there was a goat free roaming that was a āsupport goatā for one of the racehorsesā¦ he jumped on the trailer when I loaded my mareā¦ I think the owner wasnāt telling me something 
. Haha but seriously I think it would work? But I think they require better fencing and honestly my neighbors have goats and the noise is obnoxious. I would get a donkey or foster a horse for a rescue.
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It depends. On the horse. And on the goat. A horse will want company, and another horse is usually the first choice for that. But for some horses, a goat is just as good- or in some ways even better. Other horses will use a goat as furry hoof packing (strike and kill small animals- either on purpose, or by mistake). So, like so many other thingsā¦ it depends.
Years ago now, I had a damaged horse, who was stall bound and impaired after a horrific accident. She, and a rooster, created a deep bond with each other. The rooster was a great pet for her, a constant companion for several years, even after she had recovered enough to be functional. The rooster just āmoved inā of his own accord, from the farm next door, I had nothing to do with his arrival at our farm. He and the mare would sleep together in her stallā¦ he would refuse to leave her stall. She (and later another mare too) would tickle his comb with their upper lip. He loved that. Eventually, when he was old, one of the horses stepped on him (I think) by mistake (I think) and that was the end of him. But yes, other species sometimes do make good pets/companions for horses. But you canāt really say in advance whether itās going to work out or not- itās up to the animals themselves if it does work out or not.
But yes, a goat is good for a companion. It is affordable to purchase, doesnāt eat much, so is cheap to keep. If you take the horse (or both horses) away, the goat is easy to contain in a stall alone- the goat temper tantrum (if there is one) about being left alone is not as destructive to self and stall as what a horse can do if left alone. These are positives to trying a goat. Good luck.
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I have a horse, a mini, and two wethers (neutered goats).
From my experience, it totally depends.
My mare adores the goats. If I take my mini somewhere, she is happy to hang with her two boys and acts like they are part of the heard. The goats also love her and both stay close to her for the most part. The mini is indifferent to the goats while my mare is around, but they do not seem to provide companionship or comfort for her if I have to take my mare somewhere.
I have been lucky with my goats. They donāt eat tails, arenāt escape artists, and are super friendly and easy to put up for feeding time. They are hard on fences and are constantly rubbing and leaning on them. It is very rare to find a goat that is happy without at least one other goat companion. My goats stay with the horses for the most part, but do put themselves to bed each night in a stall and sleep together. I also have made sure to get polled or disbudded goats only, to avoid any horn goring incidents.
I originally wanted goats to help with weeds and grass the horses didnāt touchā¦ hah! They fooled me. Goats seem to have a refined palette and really enjoy the nice hay that the horses get. I also have to make sure to lock them in a stall when my horses eat their grain, as they will run them off it and it is not good for goats (or my wallet)
I never thought I would be a goat person, but my two boys have stolen my heart! Here is Mr. Tumnus and Edmond for goat spam 
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You think goats are loud? 
Donkeys can be heard for (what seems like) miles! 
OP: your horse might be just fine by himself.
When I brought my 2 home, the TB had never lived solo.
Failed his Speed Test as a 2yo, but trainer kept him as a Pony for the next 4yrs.
I have a pic of him ponying at The Arlington Million 
Then I bought him & boarded for the next 15yrs.
Turned out he could care less when I took #2 away for a weekend.
That horse, OTOH, spent a night walking the fenceline & calling when TB spent a night at the vet.
But both survived the separations.
If I had one that required a friend, Iād look for a retiree. On the healthy side, unless you donāt mind the maintenance that can come with age.
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none of the six goats my grand daughters have will even go near a horse and the horses do not like them in Their pastures
problem around here you need protection for the goats as the coyotes will eat them, so once you have goats you need a Great Pyrenees who will be nearly the size of a miniature horse
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If horse and goat will not be friends, you will have a lonely goat. Then you will need two goats. More goats more awesome.
I have two goats. They donāt share space with the horses but often encounter each other through the fence, or if I have goats out in the barn. Horses are intrigued, like to nuzzle them. One goat is indifferent, the other crabby. Early on, my mare nuzzled crabby goat when crabby goat was eating mareās hay. Goat shook head at horse. Mare immediately flattened ears and gave her The Look. That day I learned that goat and horse are mutually intelligible languages.
The one cow bred horse on the property locks right onto the goats when they are near. She goes right at them. They are not allowed to hang out together.
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I have two goats and they will hang with my pony no problem but my horses only tolerate them. My one horse will pick them up and chunk them if Iām not around. He is not a fan.
But goats in general are awesome.
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Aw, what sweetie pies! 
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then you have to dress the goats, the granddaughters make each outfitsā¦
these things are Very food motivated and can be clicker trainedā¦ the girls taught their two primary goats about a zillion tricks and now currently teaching them the same scent work used by FEMA to train their search and rescue dogs (Sage our German Shepherd Dog was taught scent work by a respected FEMA dog trainer)
Sometime this summer the episodic of āStupid Pet Tricksā hoisted by Sara Silverman that they (two goats with two new recused baby goats, the two grand kids, my wife and the kidsā parents) went out to California to be taped for in March, the show is supposed to air summer. Really do not know if/when the series is to air, but they went and did the taping, the interviews and all that stuff (and got paid for ā¦money is in a Coogan Act,trust ā¦ and the girls Get to file a California Tax Return)
So, goats could be as much of a learning process as horsesā¦ big on the could
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Some horses do not like goats and will try to stomp them. Some goats will eat the horses tail.
As with all things sometimes it works sometimes not. Also, if water can run through it so can a goat. Fencing must be very good.
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We have goats, and we have horses. There are a lot more goats than horses.
Horses will nearly always prefer another horse. You can get a goat, but that goat will probably prefer other goats too. Keep in mind goats have the same maintenance needs as horses - trimming their feet, grooming, shots, even dental. If money is a factor, theyāre about the same as a small horse. They have different nutrition needs and if you are feeding a concentrate you will have to feed them separately. They are not supposed to have most horse grain and vice versa.
How they get along depends on the horse and goat. My gelding likes one goat, but we have over twenty of them. The filly isnāt allowed near them because she is a little too interested in them. She is our tallest horse (pushing 18h) and last year I saw her hang her head over the fence and bite one of the goats on the other side ā picking it up and everything.
But, when my gelding was on controlled turnout recovering from an injury, he was really lonely. Since he is gentle we let him hang out with the goats and it did improve his quality of life.
One caveat. If you get a goat and you have hay nets be very careful. Iāve been very lucky to be in the right place at the right time but more than once heard a goat screaming and found it was hung up in a net by its horns or throat. None of our nets are low to the ground but goats manage to get into anything they want to. Weāve switched to hanging the flake-nets from a polyester bag with one hole in it. Our round bales are netted, so the goats are not allowed free range near them.
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Yes. Yes they do and will. I had Lilly with my single gelding for years and years to keep him company. Then I got a few more goats. Not until I got another horse did I give away my goats.
The phrase, āGet his goatā to mean to upset someone, comes from keeping goats in stalls with some racehorses to keep the horses calm. If one wanted to throw the race, theyād sneak into the barn the night before a race and get the goat. Theoretically, this would so upset the horse, he wouldnāt run well the next day.
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one should Ask their feed store about Free goat parasites test kits that are supplied by one of the goat stuff manufacturers
Our feed store has them under the counter, the kits are free, the testing is no charge , just have to cover the mailing to the test lab
On this note, whatever feed you use check the manufactures web sites for discount coupons or even free samples. On Average I am redeeming $30 of coupons a Month ā¦currently have $55 of coupons to useā¦ my feed store will let me pre-buy product placing the orders on hold for later pickupā¦this allows me to use coupons with short date lives which is becoming more common (must used within two weeks is pretty common now). (these are internet coupons that are tagged to the IP addresses)
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Thatās actually a great idea. Thanks for the reminder.
You can also call/email manufacture, leave a positive review, and they email you coupons.
I would also suggest you find out first if your horse needs a companion at all. I always assumed my mare did until her pasture mate had to be euthanized. For the first couple of days, she looked a little confused, but then settled in nicely. We do breed goats, but they are rotated around the property for brush control. When they are fenced near my mare, she enjoys eating near them, but when they are somewhere else on the property, she is fine, too.
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I have a 12 hand pony for my horse, a goat for my pony when I trail ride or trailer away, and another goat for my goat. So I have four animals so my horse will be happy. They are all fine together and are friends. No tail eating. They all live together during the day.
The up side of goats: they do not founder on pasture, like minis or donks. Small, easy to handle, eat what horses eat. They are intelligent and amusing.
The down side of goats: they must be protected from predators, particularly at night. My goats get locked up in a bear-coyote-dog-whatever-proof stall at night while the horses are free to roam. They get out of many fences. But my goats stick with the horses, so even if they can get out, they donāt. They are not equids, you will have to learn a whole nother protocol for taking care of them.
They are NOT noisy, even the famously loud Nubian breed, if they are happy. Noisy goats are unhappy goats.
If you have free time you donāt know what to do with and a penchant for never leaving home, you have the option of milking. Itās pretty easy, but Iād rather ride so I donāt. If you think finding a farm sitter is hard, itās nothing on finding a farm sitter who milks.
I am fond of my goats. Okay, one is pretty squirrelly. Iām fond of one of my goats.
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I know not The Topic but even if you had gotten some offers if you attempt again the site may say I see you have Already received That coupon offer,here is another (that was not shown or listed),
I was at the Purina site looking up something on the OutLast Treats when the site suggest a coupon offer which I had used a few months ago. Since I knew they tracked usage by IP I assumed it was a new offer that was just like the old oneā¦ no it was the old offer once again. After submitting email address thatās when it came back saying no the $30 offer but here are two $20 coupons
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i had two horses and sent one out for driving training. The remaining horse went NUTZ!!! i drove up the road to a farmer who had goats and asked if he would RENT one to me! He picked out an older nanny who no longer came into milk very well and rented her to me for 80$ for the month. Wellllllā¦she was āenoughā for my gelding and they got along nicely. I got talked into leaving my mare with the trainer a second month, so i re-rented that goat for another 30 days. (another $80.00). Well, come month three, trainer wanted one more month to put on the finishing touches. OK, fine. So i re-re-rented goat (now named Lllllilllly). By the time i brought the mare home, Lilllillly was deeply hooked onto my gelding, Flight. So, i went BACK to farmer and asked if i could buy her outright. Yes, he said. And another $80. lol
Nowā¦i gotta say, i immensely disliked having a goat. A) she was not very good to look at B) she always got out and ate all the hostas and lillies. (ergo her name). BUT both horses really liked her and visa-versaā¦so she stayed until the day she died. Which was many lonnnnng years later.
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we have since moved, have a lot more room and a whole flock of sheep. The sheep are excellent pasture mates to the horsesā¦both the domestic herd and the mustangs. They share a big barn with big fans in the middle of hot summer days, or shelter under sheds or in the barn on blustery winter days. The horses genuinely seem to like having āpetsā! Sheep are much easier to keep containedā¦BUT they are much harder to keep alive too (intestinal parasites are a HUGE problem for sheep on pasture)
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