Craig — Goats are notoriously wily and stubborn animals, and they lived up to their reputation for the young showmen and women participating in the Moffat County Fair goat show Thursday morning.

The goat show was just one among many keeping Moffat County’s 4-H participants on their toes Wednesday, Thursday and continuing Friday, including shows for sheep, beef, swine, rabbits and poultry.

Halle Hamilton, 11, has been showing in the fair for three years, and entered two of her goats and her pig this year. Thursday morning, she appeared to be in nearly every goat event on the books, and took home the reserve prize in showmanship, plus a third and fourth place in market goats.

“I just like learning all aspects of them and how to work them better,” the tireless Hamilton said. “They (the judges) look for how you work with your animal. It’s how you make the animal look.”

First-timer Justin Haskins, 8, also took home a stack of ribbons, including third in showmanship, plus a second and third place in market goats.

“I’m very proud of him,” said his dad, Flint Haskins. “As parents, we rely on him to take care of his animals. We remind him, but he does all the work.”

The day’s events also included categories for dairy goats.

“Sheep and goats are the hardest to show physically… because you have to brace them, but it’s as easy or hard as you want it to be,” said goat show judge Kaylee Kerbs, who traveled to Craig from Texas for the fair. “It’s a whole lot of work. There’s kids that spend a whole lot of time preparing and there’s kids that just roll into fair.”

Kids who were either between events or preferred to just have fun could head outside the livestock barn Thursday for goat-roping, offered by Branden Edwards and Craig-born Tia Brannan from Grand Junction. The pair brought 61 goats for the kids to practice their lassoing skills on.

“If you want to have goats, you have to have them for a reason, so this is what we do,” Brannan said, adding that the event has grown in popularity in recent years.

Goat-roping will also be on offer, free of charge, Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Contact Lauren Blair at 970-875-1794 or lblair@CraigDailyPress.com.