Tomball Goat Yago: Business partners offer yoga, wine tastings with goats

In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, Monique Dermaux turned to goats. Dermaux, proprietor of Tomball Goat Yago and an engineer, said she purchased three goats in Navasota to beta-test a yoga-with-goats business in early August 2017. Dermaux’s property on South Cherry Street had flooded multiple times since 2008.

“The goats, they can’t tolerate water—wet hooves—so we put the goats in our house for about two weeks, and then, after everything from Harvey settled down, we continued on with Goat Yago,” she said. “We wanted fun. We didn’t want serious.”

Dermaux said she and her business partner, Vicki Barfield, offer customers one hour of yoga, playtime with goats and plenty of photo opportunities for $20.

“I ask people if they’re here for the yoga, and they all just kind of stand there, and I go, ‘You’re here for the goats, right?’” Dermaux said. “[We] make sure everybody gets their photos for Facebook and Instagram, the goats get on your back, [and] we make sure everybody gets to play with the goats.”

Dermaux said yoga with goats launched after she became an empty nester.

“My kids grew up here. We had horses. We have chickens, a couple of cats, two dogs. But really, I’m a middle-aged lady: I liked the goat thing,” she said. “I had the property.”

Yoga is open to the public Sundays at 1:30 p.m. Although the business is temporarily closed to comply with health guidelines during the coronavirus outbreak, Dermaux said she plans to reopen.

Tomball Goat Yago—pronounced as “yay-go”—also offers wine with goats through a partnership with Traveling Vineyards, Dermaux said. Attendees taste five wines paired with food at no cost; however, guests are encouraged to buy the wine.

“The goats are very spoiled here,” she said. “There’s no way you’re going to leave here and be stressed out.”

Tomball Goat Yago

2531 S. Cherry St., Tomball

713-859-6750

www.greatliferanchtomball.com