"Fainting" Goats
"Fainting" goats is actually a misnomer because the goats don't actually lose consciousness, but their bodies and limbs do stiffen when they're startled or frightened. Their real name is "myotonic" goats. when a myotonic goat stiffens they may or may not fall over. The stiffness last from ten to fifteen seconds.
Fainting goats are from Nova Scotia. It is thought that they were used as decoys amongst sheep and goat herds.
It is actually considered cruel to deliberately startle one of these goats just to see it fall over.
These goats are very gentle.
Miniature Horses & Ponies
Miniature horses are horses that stand less than 86 cm (32 in) at the last hairs of the mane ("the withers"). Ponies are smaller than horses, but larger than miniature horses. Ponies are less than 14.2 hh (hands high) at the withers. Ponies "often exhibit thicker manes, tails, and overall coat. They also have shorter legs, wider barrels, heavier bone, shorter and thicker necks, and short heads with broad foreheads." (Cheyenne Mountain Zoo)
Vanderlaand offers pony or miniature horse rides for $5. Children up to 4 years of age can ride the miniature horses. Children aged 4 to 8 years of age can ride the ponies.
Zebu
A new zebu arrived at Vanderlaand last month. I was only familiar with zebus as part of one of Larry the Cucumber's silly songs in the VeggieTales movies.
Zebus are native to the jungles of South Asia and are known for the humps on their upper backs and the large flap of skin below its lower jaw. The zebu is "one of the smallest species of cattle in the world with adult zebus reaching a height of just over a meter." (a-z-animals.com) They are considered a sacred animal in India and used for light agricultural work in Southern Asia and Africa.
And you don't need to go any farther than our own Winchester Springs to see all these critters in one place!
