Sables In Show Biz! by Nancy St. Vincent Links At Bottom of Page

This past June, my husband Ken and I were contacted by the Middlemarch Film Company of New York City. They were filming a documentary on the life of Benjamin Franklin and were looking for some goats to be in some of the background footage. The filming location was to be on the ship The Providence, which is a replica of a historical sailing ship. The Providence was anchored at Fort Adams in Newport, Rhode Island, approximately 45 minutes from our home.

We agreed to bring two yearlings Sable does, Emerald Forest Norah and her sister Emerald Forest Nobelle. They were two of quads and the only two of our herd we have ever left horns on. The horns turned out to be a plus because they were looking for animals that would fit that time period. Deciding not to dehorn is a whole other story. We had sold an older, very sweet doe to a family who had a goat and wanted a companion for her. Well to make a long story short, she was attacked and killed by dogs. I felt very guilty and decided from then on that the horns are the goats' only defense. We do not show and I like the looks of the horns. Back to the story.

We arrived on the dock at 6:30 am the morning of the shoot. The goats were very curious of the new sounds and smell of the sea air, but not nervous at all. The scene that the goats would be in involved the crew loading the ship for the voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. Ben Franklin made several trips to Europe in his lifetime. The goats needed to be on a lower deck with crates and some chickens borrowed from a local historical farm. The problem was to reach the lower deck you had to cross a gangplank, no trouble here for the goats, and go down a seven foot perfectly vertical ladder. They are goats, not gymnasts. We had a problem!

The Providence’s crew was dressed in period clothing to blend with the actors. The idea came to hoist the goats up in a sling, swing them out over water and down to the lower deck. As you can guess, I was ready to load those girls up and head for home. The boson, a young man who was very sincere and compassionate for the goats’ safety said he would make a harness that would lift them up humanly. If they are uncomfortable or frightened we will call the whole thing off. So we let Norah be hoisted up a few inches off the dock. She seemed comfortable and she seemed to enjoy it.

The Providence’s crew was dressed in period clothing to blend with the actors. The idea came to hoist the goats up in a sling, swing them out over water and down to the lower deck. As you can guess, I was ready to load those girls up and head for home. The boson, a young man who was very sincere and compassionate for the goats’ safety said he would make a harness that would lift them up humanly. If they are uncomfortable or frightened we will call the whole thing off. So we let Norah be hoisted up a few inches off the dock. She seemed comfortable and she seemed to enjoy it.

She didn’t cry, struggle or shake! She seemed like she had done this many times before. After Nora, it was Nobelle's turn. All went well with her also.

Once on board their main role was to act like goats. They were fed hay, and Nora was milked by one of the crew in one of the shots.

We had a great day and it was an experience and pleasure working with the film folks.

The documentary on the Life of Benjamin Franklin is scheduled to air on PBS in the fall of 2002. So keep your eyes open for the Sable Showgoats

Editor's Note: Thanks Nancy, and we all look forward to seeing your "Stars" on stage!"