After showing goats for years, 2020 may be final fair for Gaisford

Posted 7/22/20

With so much canceled in 2020, Zoie Gaisford is thankful the livestock shows and sale will continue at the Park County Fair.

“That’s always the thing I look forward to the most …

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After showing goats for years, 2020 may be final fair for Gaisford

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With so much canceled in 2020, Zoie Gaisford is thankful the livestock shows and sale will continue at the Park County Fair.

“That’s always the thing I look forward to the most during the summer, is fair and being able to show and be around all my friends that I’ve been showing against for years,” Gaisford said.

Gaisford is entering her senior year at Powell High School and has been showing animals at the Park County Fair since she was 10 years old.

“I started with my horse, Pumpkin,” she said.

The following year, Gaisford joined a local 4-H group, which led her to showing goats.

“The first year, I only had one, and he was really obnoxious, I guess because he didn’t have a little buddy,” she said. “We started getting two, and then it worked out when I got into high school and was able to show one for 4-H and one for FFA.”

Gaisford tried showing sheep, but decided to stick with goats.

“I just always like showing goats, because they’re just so much fun and they have so much energy,” she said. “People don’t realize it, but they actually are pretty hard to work with — they’re just so stubborn.”

They’re also vocal and playful, and enjoy jumping up on things in their pen.

When asked what she’s learned through 4-H and FFA projects, Gaisford said, “Definitely patience.”

“You can’t really try to rush things,” she said. “I’ve learned how to deal with animals, and I’ve learned the proper way to raise them and that they need a lot more attention than you would think.”

Gaisford has two goats this year, Hunter and Gunnar. They were born around January, and she picked them up in early April. Since then, she has cared for the pair on a daily basis, often working with them and walking them.

Some days require more work. For instance, Gaisford usually stays with the animals during the Fourth of July fireworks.

“That’s always interesting,” she said. “I’ve had goats react in many different ways. Some of them don’t care, and some of them act like they’re dying.”

Her goats often become more clingy once she takes them to the fairgrounds, and “they’re like, ‘This is all new.’”

Gaisford has seen goats rise in popularity at the Park County Fair. During her first year, she remembers seeing quite a few empty stalls in the goat barn at the fairgrounds.

“And then as the years went on, you didn’t see that as much,” she said. “Last year, they had to kick the dairy goats out of the barn and put them into the dairy cow barn, because there were so many goats.”

A few years ago, Gaisford had the Reserve Grand Champion Market Goat and also had the Overall Breeding Doe.

For Gaisford, the 2020 fair is bittersweet, as it may be her last year showing livestock. After graduation, students have one final summer to show, so she has the possibility of returning next year.

“But right now as far as I know, this is gonna be my last summer because I’m trying to get into the Marine Corps,” Gaisford said. “Depending on when my ship-out date is, there is a chance I’ll be able to show again next year, which I’m crossing my fingers for.”

As she prepares for what may be her final fair, Gaisford is thankful for the support she has received over the years.

“The buyers are always so generous when it comes to how much they spend,” she said. “It’s always really nice to see how much this community supports the FFA and 4-H kids.”

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