An outback Queensland school says a unique education program where students train and race goats is reaping rewards.

The Barcaldine Prep-12 State School has been training and preparing goats since 2010, as part of a program where agriculture students in the high school learn animal husbandry.

Principal Grant Williams said feral goats have been donated to the school and the students have worked with teachers to train them for the track.

"My understanding is we have the only high school goat racing team in the southern hemisphere so it is quite unique," he said.

"It actually introduces them to handling animals like horses in a much more safe way because they are a smaller animal.

"They don't kick, they don't bite, so it's a good way to get into animal husbandry with them."

Agriculture teacher Gemma Tavita said they use similar techniques to train goats as people would if they were training horses.

"They are very intelligent creatures," she said.

"Some of them will not run straight, but that is all to do with the training, so [they need] more exposure.

"We run them on the athletics track on our school oval - we have them running towards home.

"We have our remaining goats, who are not racing, staying back in the yard.

"They are a pack animal, they like to stay together, and we won't ever run any of them on their own individually."

'It's fun sitting behind a goat'

Cloe Gribble, 16, is working with a goat called Magnum.

Cloe said when the goats race, they have bridles on, bits in their mouth and wear a breast plate and saddle, as well as pull a cart behind with a student on board.

"They are very strong," she said.

"We have a lot of young goats here and they pull real well.

"And we have a lot of old goats here and they still pull pretty well too."

Cloe Gribble with a goat Magnum at the annual goat race. ( ABC News: Chrissy Arthur )

Snowy, 1080, Toe Cutter, Uni, Backflip, Flubber and Patches O'Hoolihan are among the goats being prepared for the race.

Patches holds the record - running over 100 metres at Barcaldine in 12.49 seconds - set in 2012 when his rider Liz Pumpa was 10 years old.

Liz said not a lot of kids can handle riding Patches.

"It is quite fun sitting behind a goat and it is exciting," she said.

"It is just handling them and being around animals.

"He is very, very fast, very quick out of the mark.

"But a lot of kids can't handle him because he is quite a strong goat, and he can misbehave in the yards.

"Once he starts running, he is a pretty good goat."

Liz is now 13-years-old and said as students get older and heavier, their roles change with the goats.

"I weigh more [now] so I get to ride less goats," she said.

"Pretty much because I weigh more I get put on the bigger, older goats that aren't really as fast.

"But it is always good leading them around and seeing the younger kids have fun."

Spotty the goat making its racing debut. ( ABC News: Chrissy Arthur )

Goats will race at the Barcaldine Showgrounds late on Saturday afternoon as part of the town's annual Tree of Knowledge Festival.

The Tree of Knowledge Goat Racing Cup will be the feature race.

Organisers said they were expecting goats to race from Sarina and the Rockhampton area, as well as local goats.