Westbrook ISD fourth grader invents award-winning portable goat rack

WESTBROOK, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – Cooper Southerland invented portable, easy-to-assemble goat and sheep racks for stock show use.

Westbrook ISD fourth grader Cooper Southerland has developed a contraption with many agricultural community members turning their heads. He calls it “The Goat Rack on Your Back” and was originally part of an agricultural mechanics project for his school and the 4H Club. It’s meant for use in stock show preparations for those who show goats or sheep.

Traditional goat racks are bulky and heavy, posing challenges for stock show contestants. At larger competitions, bringing your own rack may not be possible due to size regulations related to your animal’s space. While most stock shows do provide some racks, the high number of competitors at significant events can make it difficult to secure one in time to prepare your animal for the show.

J.J. Caswell, the Mitchell County Ag Extension Agent, has accompanied Cooper to these stock shows and believes the invention has significant potential.

“Every sheep and goat person has to have something where they can set these animals up and work on them, and they don’t allow that at all these major stock shows because of their size. Being portable, have it in your pin and I think it’d be excellent,” McDowell said. 

Cooper’s invention reduces the size and weight of this rack by over half. It can easily be carried in a small 17-inch backpack and used in small animal pin areas. Because of this convenience, Cooper explains how many have approached him at stock shows inquiring about the device and its price.

“People usually come up to me wherever I use it and ask me, ‘Where’d you get that?’ And I tell them I made it. And they ask, ‘How much is it?'” Cooper said.

Cooper’s Goat Rack on Your Back has won him a blue ribbon in both the San Antonio and Houston Stock Shows. Ag teachers and stock show judges have approached Cooper and his family about the potential future of his invention.

Due to increasing positive reception, Cooper has now received a provisional patent for his invention. He intends to perfect the design and will soon begin manufacturing more with his family to sell for the next show season. Cooper says that he wants to use the money from the sales of his Goat Rack on Your Back to fuel his future stock show projects.