Exercise - a key ingredient of a health and fitness program. For you. For me. For goats? Yep! Goats.

Eleven year old Kaylee Adams of Alamosa, Colorado, uses exercise as a conditioning tool for her show goats. Proof of the effectiveness of her approach is "Paint", the overall Grand Champion Boer cross market goat at the Colorado State fair. Kaylee and "Paint" run five mile every day. So do Bobby Pevler, 11, of Grover, Colorado, and his Reserve Champion goat "Spider".
The parents of Kaylee are Dale and Julie Adams and Bobby's parents are Tammy and Garry Pevler.

The goat show judge, Joe Raff of Wichita Falls, Texas, had high praise for the young people who exhibited 76 goats.
"I was very impressed with the muscle and the structure in the top animals. The first 3-4 placings in each class would be competitive in any wether show I've judged. Most importantly, each exhibitor did an outstanding job, and this was by far the best showmanship show I've ever judged."
Click here for the show results.

This was the first year that goats were to be sold in the Junior Livestock Sale following the show. Kaylee's "Paint" sold for $3500 to a group named "Friends of the Fair", comprised of Fair vendors. "Spider" fetched $3000 for Bobby with the winning bid placed by Denver's Jake Jabs.

Results of the Judging

Group 1 - 19 in class
Weight range: 42 - 71 pounds
   1st - Preston Wait, Campo, CO.
   2nd - Sean Rae, Wetmore, CO.
   3rd - Jacquelyn Pevler, Grover, CO.

Group 2 - 19 in class
Weight range - 72 - 80 pounds
   1st - Kaylee Adams, Alamosa, CO., Grand Champion
   2nd - Bobby Pevler, Grover, CO., Reserve Champion
   3rd - Amanda Gardner, Las Animas, CO.

Group 3 - 20 in class
Weight range - 82 - 89 pounds
   1st - Noelle Chenoweth, Springfield, CO.
   2nd - Meredith Schaefer, Monte Vista, CO.
   3rd - Casey Maxwell, Fort Collins, CO.

Group 4 - 18 in class
Weight range - 91 - 122 pounds
   1st - Jessica Pevler, Grover, CO.
   2nd - Dusty Maxwell, Fort Collins, CO.
   3rd - Casey Maxwell, Fort Collins, CO.

Junior Showmanship
   1st - Casey Maxwell
   2nd - Rian Bernhardt
   3rd - Natalie Marsh

Intermediate Showmanship
   1st - Matthew Rigsby
   2nd - Kristen Shaw
   3rd - Ty Allen

Thanks to Debbie and Dayna of the State Fair Livestock Office and to Julie Adams for their assistance in preparing this article. Thanks also to Chris McClain of the Pueblo Chieftain newspaper for allowing us to share these photos with you.

Kaylee and Paint leave the ring after winning the Grand Champion award
Judy and Kaylee Adams, front left, pose with "Paint" and the members of Friends of the Fair.