Ag Day
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, March 14, 2018
A13
Contributed photo
Bruce LeGoat, left, and Mike LeChevon are the first known goat caddies in the world at The Retreat & Links at Silvies Valley Ranch. Selected from the ranch’s meat goats, they
will pack golfers’ clubs and items on a seven-hole ridgetop challenge course at the resort.
GOATS
Continued from Page A10
goats raised for meat. While
most of the goats are destined
for the table as chevon, those
selected as caddies will work
until they are 8 years old and
will then be adopted out to
golfers, or others, interested
in taking them in as pets.
The goats have many
rounds ahead of them before
retirement, however. Bruce
LeGoat is the oldest caddie
at 4 and has been training for
three years.
“Bruce is in the prime of
his career right now,” Mar-
shall said. “When he does
retire, he does want to spend
that time telling jokes and sit-
ting around the caddie shack
with other old golfers.”
The caddies are all affec-
tionately named: Mike LeCh-
evon, Bruce’s nephew Peanut
LeGoat and the first female
goat caddie, Roundabout La-
Doe. Peanut was the reserve
grand champion market goat
at the 2017 Harney County
Fair — “already a star in his
own right, but he will tell
you he’s very excited about
this new career,” Marshall
said.
The caddies start training
when they are kids. The more
than 2,000 goats on the ranch
are tended by a Peruvian goat-
herder, who uses the young
caddies-to-be to carry extra
water and food.
“Goats, for thousands of
years, were pack animals, so
this is not something new in
terms of them packing things
or packing carts,” Marshall
said. “It’s just a new spin on
that.”
To make the transition
from the range to the golf
course, Silvies contracted
with Seamus Golf Company
to design a special backpack.
“This is a first-in-the-
world design,” Marshall
said. “It’s specially made so
they can pack three or four
clubs on each side.”
The goats are selected for
the caddie program based on
their personality and whether
they enjoy wearing the back-
pack. Marshall said they be-
have much like a dog.
“They will lead on leash.
They will stay with you off
leash,” he said. “They’re very
social. They want to be right
there with you. You have their
favorite snack, which is a pea-
nut. They’re kind of in heaven
up on that course. They’re just
not going to want to run off
somewhere.”
If they do decide to walk
off the job, golfers are pro-
vided two-way radios to
contact their supervisor.
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