How to Trim Your Boer Goat for the Show Ring

Is this your first time showing and you have no idea how to trim a goat. Perhaps you would like that "show goat" look for your pets. In order to trim a goat for show you have to have time, patience, and general knowledge on how to go about it the "right" way.

The first step in preparing your goat for its new haircut is to wash the goat. For a white goat, most of the horse shampoos work wonders on getting urine stains out of their coat. Most of these shampoos are purple. Let the shampoo sit for about 10 minutes and proceed to wash and dry your goat.

The next step is to brush your goat. Get the hair as natural as possible or let them air dry.You need to get your trimmers,blades,hoof cutters,and scissors ready. Start off by trimming the hooves, then use the scissors to trim up the hair above the hooves for a neat appearance.

The next step is to decide on how much body hair you want to take off. Some goats are pretty slick in the summer and need hardly any taken off.You can use the 1 1/2 inch blade for this. The bucks will need more hair taken off than the does . I use the 1 inch blade for the bucks.

You will want to trim from the neck to the side of the rump-NOT the buttocks, down to the knee, and over the back. On the bucks , go from the shoulder, then barrel, to the side of the rump. From the bucks head down to his shoulder needs to be thicker than his body. I use the 1 1/4 blade fo the bucks "mane".

After trimming the body, move around to the head. You want to trim the bucks more heavily on the forehead to show the nice "Roman" nose that is so sought after.I use the 1/2 inch blade for this . Just trim the does unsightly hairs. Trim the does chest like her body. When you get closer to her chest, cut that shorter to show off her curves. You cut the bucks shorter also and trim very close between the chest and the arm. The 1/4 inch blade works well for the chest. You may have to take the guide off and freehand the shaving.

Next we move to the rear. You will want to leave the hair longer on the buttocks to make the goat appear "wide" . Judges love the muscled rear look. Basically, just trim sparingly. Use a blade 1/2 inch longer than what you did the body. The tail needs to be shaved flat-freehand. On bucks, shave freehand down to the scrotum to show his "twist".

After completing the head, body, and rump, we move to the belly. Use a 1/4 inch blade to cut your goats belly. Judges like it cut close to the skin. Shave carefully around the does udder, and the bucks testicles. We are almost there!

The trickiest part of trimming, I save for last, which is the legs. Try to blend the body with the legs. You will have to trim the fetlock area freehand, as the blades are too long to do so. After you finish trimming, step back and take a look.

You may notice unsightly hairs. Simply trim them back. The best time to trim a goat for show is about a week before the show in case you mess up. The day before the show, trim sparingly on parts you notice are out of proportion. I hope this article on trimming goats has helped you. Good luck in the show ring! I hope to see you there!