An unlikely duo arises in the midst of a sand covered arena filled with other contestants. Surrounded by crowds of people observing closely, waiting to see what happens next. Connected through an unbreakable bond, a goat and its caretaker manage to place in the 2024 Cedar Park Jackpot show.

This isn’t the first time Carly and her goat Lainey are met with success after their ongoing hard work.

As a new member of the Future Farmers of America organization, freshman Carly Thompson has repeatedly involved herself and her goat Lainey, in livestock shows throughout the area — most recently, the Williamson County Livestock show.

Then and now

“I got into FFA because of friends and family that I knew doing it. I [thought] that it would be something that would be beneficial along the road. I didn’t have any prior experience [with goats] before I had Lainey. It was just a lot of help from all the people around me like Ms. Veraa, Mr. Green and Ms. Rojas – they’re all very helpful,” Thompson said.

Deciding to explore FFA and agricultural classes as a first year, Emily Veraa, an agricultural science instructor, described Thompson as a “bright young lady who shows a lot of interest and passion.”

“Watching [Carly and Lainey] work hard and earn trust from one another [has been] the most significant part of their season. They are both learning and gaining skills. Each time they are able to show [in livestock shows] and practice, they are learning and becoming better prepared. My favorite part of watching Carly with her goat is watching her confidence grow. We are very glad to have her in our classrooms and in our FFA program,” Veraa said.

Thompson said Veraa has played an important role in her transition into the school’s FFA program, helping her build more and more experience over time.

“I reached out to Ms. Veraa and she gave me information about the barn meeting. Then, it was a process of getting to know [my agriculture teachers] and getting involved,” Thompson said.

Notably, Thompson has also received help from her peers including sophomore William Westmoreland who is also involved in agriculture.

“It’s been great having Carly at the barn everyday after school as she’s a hard worker, asks for help when she needs it, and offers her help when she sees someone who could use some,” Westmoreland said.

Westmoreland and Thompson have both been taking care of goats. Walter — Westmoreland’s goat — and Lainey interact together in the barn, and the bond between Carly and her goat has improved with the introduction of social interactions with other goats.

“Carly and Lainey have a great time with each other, and it’s amazing to see Lainey be so interactive with Carly [and] especially the other goats, like my goat Walter. They play with each other, chasing and head butting, [which is] a great exercise for them. I’ve noticed that Lainey only tries to nibble Carly and no one else, [it’s] a way [that] shows her connection with Carly,” Westmoreland said.

Thanks to the help from both her teachers and peers, Thompson has been able to place in livestock shows with Lainey, but the preparation for each of them hasn’t been as easy as expected.

Competitions and shows

“[Preparing for the competition] was a team effort. It was a little bit stressful since it was my first time but now I’ve really come to love the process and it’s become fun for me,” Thompson said.

Thompson said she turned her initial stress from competing into an enjoyable experience, becoming friends with others who share the same interests as her.

“[What] I enjoy the most about competing is the friends that you meet along the way, I’ve met so many people at the few shows that I’ve been to from other schools although it is a competition they’re all so sweet and if you ask anybody they’d be so willing to help you with anything,” Thompson said.

After each show, Thompson said she learned more about the competing process and what the judges look for.

“For the meat and breeding portion, you line up in the ring and you walk in a circle with your animal, [next to] everybody. [The judges will] have you do what’s called ‘The butt pose‘ and they’ll see the back and the hindquarters of the animal. Then, you also do the side posing, and they’ll get to see what’s the best meat quality. There’s also showmanship, which is all about you and how you walk with your animal, pose your animal, and how you get your animal to brace,” Thompson said.

Goats in livestock shows are categorized to make sure each animal’s representation is done fairly, dividing the goats into different weight classes: light, medium and heavy. Then attendees get to the ring and compete with all of the others in your class. That’s how you place in reserve and grand champions.

Lainey

“The most surprising thing I’ve learned about goats is that they’re like a big dog – she sits down, she’ll lay down, she’ll jump on you. I’ll sit in her pen and she’ll come up and chew on me,” Thompson said.

Thompson and Lainey’s divide as pet and owner has slowly blurred over time, instead becoming more of a companionship and friendship between the two of them.

“I call her my ‘Lainey baby.’ I get to go see her in the mornings, in the afternoon, and after school. If I’m having a bad day I’ll just go up to the barn after school and Lainey is there, she’s just so joyful and ready to do something, when she wants to, of course. Just the joy of having her in my life [has] really helped me out,” Thompson said.

Lainey’s energy has been able to calm Thompson after long and stressful days, especially after she’s kept busy with her responsibilities as a student.

“Lainey is very sassy. She will not do something if she does not want to do it, she’s very food motivated. [But] she’s [also] really sweet, she really is,” Thompson said.

Even while being a goat, Lainey shares some human characteristics which she’s expressed over time, creating the bonding experience between her and Thompson rather ironic.

“I love watching how far she’s come from whenever I first got her and she was too scared to even walk, then the bonding process of these few months that I’ve had her and I’ll continue to have her. Now as soon as she sees me, she’ll start baa-ing for me. She’s so ready to leave her pen and get out and walk as soon as I get there,” Thompson said.

Future goals

“With Lainey, it’s fun to win, but winning isn’t my overall goal, that’d just be a step along the way for [us]. I just want to see [more of] the improvement. I’ve already seen so much with her,” she said. “I like the bond that we’ve created and for that to continue, [I need] her to get more comfortable with me as we just continue on and we travel to competitions,” Thompson said.

Thompson’s plans and goals focus on personal and animal growth, rather than a medal.

“Over a long period of time I’d like to advance to [taking care of] more animals for at least my senior year. Just moving on to different animals – for high school. I don’t want to continue on [after school], I don’t want to be a vet or farmer or anything but I will say that I want to gain the leadership qualities involved in becoming an officer,” Thompson said.

Moving forward, Thompson plans on extending her ability to take care of animals.

“I’ve done rabbits in the past and I’m on goats right now, I definitely want to try lamb – I think those would be super fun. My senior and junior year [maybe I’ll try] a steer [or] a heifer. I know many people have so much fun with pigs, I think that would also be really fun,” Thompson said.

Thompson said she is excitedly planning ahead of her plans after taking care of goats and Lainey, diversifying the livestock she takes care of.

FFA and the agriculture program

“FFA plays a huge role in my life. I’m there with FFA people all day long, [and] it’s taught me so much. I’ve been able to be surrounded by so many people that have been able to help me and [continue to] grow [my] passion to [continue doing] it,” Thompson said.

FFA has become a central part of Thompson’s high school experience and life in general, helping with her personal growth and fueling her passions.

“A memorable moment [is] the first time I was in the barn. I remember I’d never been there before and I’d never met any of the people there and as soon as I walked in they were all really welcoming and friendly. I walked into the barn just to be met with such a community,” Thompson said.

FFA members are part of a tight knit family, even while being in a well-known and school-wide organization.

“It is a community and everybody’s so sweet. You have to put yourself out there and I’m a bit introverted sometimes but it’s just getting over that and warming up to people,” Thompson said.

Despite not wanting to carry out her knowledge on agriculture and livestock after high school, Carly Thompson will continue to be an active member of the FFA program, whether it’s with Lainey, or other animals.

When Thompson considered participating in agriculture and FFA, she ultimately decided it “would be a really good fit to help me learn and advance my livestock care.”