Furry Instructor: How Goats Train California Surfers

On an inflatable surfboard in the clear waters of California, aspiring surfers Rebekah Aburn and Elizabeth French take to the waves under the watchful eye of their unusual instructor - a small black goat named Chupacabra. The publication told how animals teach surfers in California The Straits Times.

Photo: IStock

This one-year-old ruminant has become an integral part of their lessons at Pismo Beach, effortlessly demonstrating the relaxed posture needed to ride through the churning foam.

“Goat surfs a lot better than I do,” laughs Abern. “She has a pose and it’s clear she’s done this before.” It’s obvious that she likes it.”

The presence of Chupacabra on a surfboard is the idea of ​​instructor Dana McGregor, who decided to try his idea with goats ten years ago.

After all, dogs have been surfing in California for a long time—they even have their own world championship—but they're not as sure-footed.

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An animal that easily runs up and down shaky mountain slopes is much better suited to the task.

“They have incredible balance,” he said. “They have hooves that allow them to cling to the board.”

"Goat Father"

McGregor's relationship with goats could have turned out very differently.

In 2011, he purchased one to help clear his mother's garden of toxicodendron and other weeds.

Once the vegetation was gone, the goat had to become a barbecue.

But the problem with having a cute animal around—especially the one you named—is that it can be downright tasteless to eat.

“I just became attached to her,” he says.

This affection led to the idea of ​​celebrating your birthday by taking a goat surfing with you. Man and beast climbed onto the board and rushed into the waves.

“I just felt like heaven on earth, like something supernatural had happened,” McGregor says. “I thought this animal would never have had this opportunity to surf.”

Over the years, McGregor, a former major league football player, has had several goats with whom he has had aquatic adventures.

They have also appeared in YouTube videos and even appeared in two children's books, and McGregor himself was given the local nickname "Father Goat".

“My calling is to bring joy to people. And it happens through goats and through surfing,” he says. “People find inspiration in this.”

Tube ride

McGregor is a well-known figure in his town of 8000 people, and he is accompanied almost everywhere by goats - in a car with the license plate SRFGOAT.

In the ocean, these animals have a calming effect on beginner surfers.

“When you first start surfing, you're very focused on things like: Are my feet aligned correctly? Am I okay? says Abern, who works as a crop insurance agent. “But when the goat is there, he’s just confident and moves forward.” And you think you can too.”

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Sometimes the goats even surprise McGregor.

Pismo, a white-haired "wave expert", managed to stay on her feet after her owner lost his footing in a two-meter wave, and continued to ride alone.

If she succeeds, McGregor believes the goat will one day be able to overcome surfing's greatest challenge: the barrel wave, where the wave crashes down on the surfer from above.

Surfing in a tube “is just an amazing feeling,” he said.

“A goat inside a pipe would be epic,” McGregor added.

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