No kidding! Co Down farm dabbles in a
little ‘goat yoga’

Perfecting the downward dog pose is testing enough even for the most flexible yogi, but how about adding a goat into your work out – or on top of your back, more specifically – and seeing how you fare?

Goat yoga is one of the most recent crazes to hit the US, and while Northern Ireland certainly boasts its fair share of yogis, it’s safe to say not many have practised their positions with a farm animal balanced precariously on their spine.

Well, if you fancy seeing it in action for yourself, you can thanks to the efforts of Castlescreen Farm in Downpatrick.

Owners Damien Tumelty and Jackie Gibson, being the good sports they are, have agreed to showcase it for the cameras when they take part in Bank of Ireland Virtual Farm Weekend at the end of this month.

The couple will be demonstrating it on Friday July 31, as a one-off, allowing virtual visitors to see it in action, and gain a little more understanding of the benefits of this particular pastime.

But first of all, what exactly is the reasoning behind including an animal more likely to be seen in the farmyard than the yoga studio in your average class?

Well, the concept is fairly straightforward; the goats are by their nature very placid creatures, and it’s believed that their presence calms participants as well as adding a few laughs to the session.

The trend originated in Oregon in the US, and it’s said that the addition of the animals to the work out increases the work you have to do, which of course strengthens your muscles and your core, as well as simply encouraging the stimulation of those happy hormones we call endorphins.

At Castlescreen Farm and farm shop, there are certainly plenty of cheerful vibes on a regular day; the Co Down enterprise is one of the top suppliers of Dexter beef in Ireland, so life is busy.

They are well known for their pedigree Dexter cows, which produce beef that’s distinctly succulent and age-dried for 30-35 days, which really intensifies the flavour, making Castlescreen Dexter beef a real favourite at BBQs across the country.

The Tumeltys also have donkeys, pigs, ducks, geese and pygmy goats, and along with home-reared lamb, pork and bacon, their latest culinary venture is pasture-raised organic-fed chicken.

They certainly have their hands full, but as Jackie explains, they were more than happy to give goat yoga a go for Virtual Farm Weekend, which is scheduled to take place this year from Friday July 31-Sunday August 2.

The original Open Farm Weekend event was postponed due to Covid-19 restrictions, and although visitors cannot physically attend any of the 19 farms this year, they can engage with them on Open Farm Weekend’s social media channels (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) and www.openfarmweekend.com throughout the Virtual Weekend.

Says Jackie: “When we were approached to try the goat yoga we thought it sounded fun and something we could try out when we are hosting the live event. I was yoga mad for years but haven’t practised much since having my children.

“Goats are naturally playful and curious animals and love to get stuck into the middle of things. We’ve had pet pygmy goats on Castlescreen for years and our current two, Bonnie and Clyde, are real characters and they didn’t take much persuasion to jump and give yoga a go, only a few custard cream biscuits!”

She adds: “During the farm tour and on-site BBQ we regularly run with NI Food Tours, the goats are always a hit with visitors who love to touch and feed them. They have a calm temperament and are just like little children running about the farmyard! We are only doing the goat yoga as a one-off for Virtual Farm Weekend but who knows, it could be a business venture in the future!”

Throughout this year’s Virtual Farm Weekend there will be a chance to see specific farm activities such as robotic milking, grain harvesting, sheep shearing, virtual farm tours, wildlife watching and potato harvesting, as well as a special programme of live activities.

Led by the Ulster Farmers’ Union, the free Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend initiative, now in its ninth year, has highlighted working farms particularly to those from a non-farming background, showing the story behind our food and helping to cultivate an understanding of quality farming practices.

Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend chairman and UFU deputy president David Brown said: “Although Covid-19 has changed the format of this year’s weekend, we believe the virtual activities will still capture its spirit and ethos and ultimately showcase our farming industry and the wonderful work our farmers do.

“Having the ‘live’ element is an exciting twist to help farms engage directly with the public and show them what it’s really like to live and work on a busy farm.”

Visit www.openfarmweekend.com for more information.