There may be life off the ranch, but any Fremont County farmer or rancher will tell you – The #aglife is “the good life!” #Aglife is a County 10 series, brought to you by Wyoming Community Bank, that pulls the curtain back on farm and ranch life in Fremont County.
You hear a lot about the “GOAT” these days, meaning the “Greatest of All Time,” but it was another type of goat, the four-legged kind, that took center stage in the show ring of the Fremont County Fair early Tuesday afternoon.
The show is the icing on the cake, the work comes in raising, feeding, and preparing these animals for the competition.
Tuesday morning, Morgan McConnaughey of Shoshoni was playing the role of de facto leader among a small group of younger exhibitors.
Though only 16 and entering her junior year at Shoshoni High School, McConnaughey was the elder statesman of the group.
“I’m the oldest out of all of us, so I keep everything under control,” McConnaughey said.
In addition to showing a goat, she has a hog and a steer at the fair.
She was giving advice as her younger sister, Tinsley, and a friend, Tylee Taylor, were drying a freshly washed goat with a portable vacuum cleaner running in reverse.
Joining them were their brothers, Taven McConnaughey and Daysn Taylor. After the girls were finished drying their goat, Laela Hander arrived at an adjacent stand and repeated the process with her animal.
“I started with goats because I wanted to show steers,” McConnaughey said. “But I was too little. Their hair care is the same as steers.”
There is a routine, and a lot of work in getting an animal prepared for county fair competition.
“We rinse them every day and walk them around for about a half-hour,” McConnaughey said. “We clip their hair at home.”
There are a few secrets for getting that finished look for the show, one of which is glue.
“We glue their leg hair out so it’s fluffy,” McConnaughey said.
There is a market class and a breeding class for goats.
McConnaughey is a show veteran, starting in 4H at nine-years old.
She won the showmanship competition later that afternoon. 
Goat Show Action – h/t Carl Cote, County 10