She’s not your average high school senior. For the last four years, Briley Wieland’s days have been spent in a barn with nine goats – feeding, drenching, walking, washing, and wrapping. Then it’s time to feed again.
Or taking two of those goats (and a lamb) to a Texas livestock show.
Or coaching younger competitors in nutrition, grooming and exercise of livestock.
At night, under a wall full of award buckles and ribbons, she logs onto her James Madison Online High School account to do her school work.
It may sound solitary, however it is anything but. Along with her mother and constant companion, Candice Wieland, a whole network of Yorktown family and friends support Briley’s next-level career of raising goats and lambs for show.
It was evident at the 2024 Cuero Livestock Show when her grand champion goat, named Hollywood, sold for $78,000. The sale refl ected the generosity of Briley as well as the purchasers because the proceeds were donated to retiring the loan for the new Ag Friar building. All told, youth donations from the auction totaled $103,000.
“I couldn’t believe I was high animal,” Briley said of the auction. She was unaware of the sale figures while on stage during the bidding.
At this year’s Cuero Livestock Show, Briley was even more proud because the young competitors she worked with throughout the year earned champion awards. Landrey Koopmann with the Yorktown 4-H won Champion Meat Goat and Caleb Boehl with the Prairie Street 4-H won Reserve Meat Goat.
“It's hard for little kids to understand it, but if you have somebody helping them,” she said, “then it really does help.”
She recommends livestock competitors seek out coaches. “Find somebody that you look up to in the show world. And most of them will offer coaching,” Briley said.
Even after eight years of showing, Briley said she still works with a coach while competing in “the majors:” Fort Worth, San Angelo, San Antonio, Houston and Austin.
She and Candice research the judges at each event and take different goats depending on the judging preference.
“Every judge is different,” Briley said. “You'll have some that want muscle, like a lot, a lot of muscle, and they won't care about structure. And then you'll have some that want really, really good structure and more of a pretty profile.”
“So we have different styles,” Candice said. “She's got her Houston goat that's different than her Angelo goat, and her Austin goat. I think a lot of the judges we have this year are looking for a lot of muscle.”
This week, Briley is showing at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. On Sunday, she was busy washing and grooming her goat for the show, but after graduation, Briley will be going to cosmetology school, so she can shift her wash and blow out skills to human hair.
However, she’s not leaving livestock behind. She will be attending school in Central Texas, which is the ideal place to breed goats. Briley will intern with Morgan Allan of Morgan Livestock.
Look for Briley to be helping many a DeWitt County livestock competitor for years to come.
“That’s my dream,” she said, “to help kids with their animals.”
