Set in the foot-hills of the Cordillera Central mountains in the Dominican Republic, only 22 Kilometres out of the capital city of Santo Domingo, Hacienda Mirasoles farm is home to an innovative project called “Gets My Goat” that is making a difference with marginalised youth.
The farm has an open house every weekend (and sometimes during the week) and on public holidays. It is the perfect place to come by yourself, with your kids and family, or with friends. This website will tell you a bit about who we are, what we do and why we do it.
We hope it will encourage you to learn more about us, and to come and visit us, either at the farm where you can see everything for yourself first hand; or in the city, at our Café and store where you can get a taste at least of what it’s all about.
Our Projects Name
If someone “gets your goat”, they make you mad. The origin of the expression is not well known, but the expression is used in English on both sides of the Atlantic, at least going back to the early 1900s.
A commonly repeated story about the expressions origin is that goats were placed with racehorses to keep them calm. When malicious individuals wanted the horse to race badly they removed it, that is, they ‘got someone’s goat’, the horse became unsettled and ran badly.
What we do know for sure is that goats make you feel good and get you to laugh out loud. They are curious, comical and endearing. They disarm you and make you forget all your worries.
Goats can also teach us lots about how to live together. For example:
- Young goats, unlike many of us, still show a little deference to the older goats.
- A mother doe can accept an orphaned kid and raise as if one of her own.
- An adult buck makes his own “cologne” to woo the lady does.
We look forward to welcoming you at our farm or at the Café. Even if someone or something has gotten your goat, we know you will leave us feeling calm and collected and with a smile on your face.