Surrounded by asses

The title, though catchy, is really just an excuse for me to photodump our two ridiculously fun miniature donkeys, Pico and Churro.

I never endeavored to venture into donkeys (or mules, for that matter...) Though related to horses, donkeys are anything but. Their level of self-preservation is much stronger than that of your average horse and thus they can appear quite standoffish, stubborn and difficult to train. Ask anyone who keeps them, they will all tell you that there has to be something in it for the animal if he's to A) have anything to do with you, and B) accept your guidance. Luckily donkeys are exceptionally intelligent and curious creatures that form strong bonds with other animals and humans when given the opportunity, but it means that conventional methods of training horses using pressure and release don't work with them, leaving many a horseperson scratching their heads when it comes to how to work with these affable but opinionated fellows.

When it boils down to it, your relationship with the donkey is what's going to determine whether he'll listen to a word you say. 

A few years back, a friend of mine sent me an auction ad for a sad looking grey yearling mini donkey. "I may or may not have inquired how to save him" she wrote. At the time, I had finally made the decision to euthanize Stella, my 9yo appendix mare, after years of battling worsening chronic lameness that had finally reached the point of no return. Needless to say I was ready to latch on to any pathetic, wayward creature in need of feeding and scratches. We formed a plan, paid a measly couple hundred bucks for his bail, hitched up the trailer and drove eight hours to New Jersey on a cold Saturday in December to pick him up.

To say he was in rough shape would be putting it mildly. He was severely underweight, matted and his hooves looked like they'd never been trimmed. He had a heavy, wet cough and a "tucked up" appearance that horse people recognize as a hallmark sign of pain. We took one look at him, grabbed the Health Certificate from the auctioneer's office (which wasn't even worth the piece of paper it was printed on), shoved him on the trailer and high tailed it to the interstate. When we stopped to gas up in NY, he had gone down in the trailer with breathing remarkably similar to that of Darth Vader. My friend - a vet tech and of all the people I know, the least likely to panic unnecessarily - thought for sure he was going to die before we got him home. I don't recommend driving with the trailer in tow the way I did that night, but given the alternative we decided a bumpy ride was the least of the donkey's concerns.  

Two weeks on heavy antibiotics, Bute and a lot of TLC did the trick. We discovered he was heavily infested with winter mites in addition to his other health issues, which required multiple silver sulfide dips to remedy (in the dead of winter, no less, and in order for the dip to work you need to let the animal air dry...needless to say I don't recommend it.) Despite all of the poking and prodding and meds all in a strange new environment, he was remarkable sweet and gentlemanly about everything. We quickly named him Churro after the sugary, fried confection popular in Mexico and Latin America. 

Any reasonably sane animal owner knows that two is always better than one and as we pondered preparing for Churro to come to my house after he finished his lay-up, it became obvious we would need to acquire a companion for him. A quick Craiglist search yielded several mini donkeys for sale in the area. A little black jack with a white nose and mischievous expression caught my eye. Within the day I had negotiated his price with the seller and by that evening he was on the trailer headed home. I can make things happen quickly when the motivation is cute little noses to pet.

Picaro - "Pico" for short - got his name from the Spanish word meaning "rascal". Extremely timid at first - it was obvious he'd never really been handled - he warmed up quickly and it wasn't more than a few days before his true colors came through. He had an oral fixation and loved to carry things around. He also loved to play and would soon learn he could goad Churro into chasing him around the paddock. If anything was left in the pasture or hung within his reach, we would inevitably discover him playing with it within mere minutes. Despite being two intact males, the two boys bonded almost immediately and have been inseparable since.

I'll fully admit these guys live a pampered life and don't have to do a thing to earn their keep except allow my husband and I to enjoy their company. They have gone packing and trail walking with us and their presence has graced a handful of local parades. They love the attention and always seem to enjoy getting out and exploring with us. 

They also seem to enjoy acting as project managers (because in all honesty, we don't keep livestock, we collect four-legged life supervisors).

While I have been humbled by Pico and Churro a few times, they have helped me develop so much more depth to my horsemanship than I possessed prior to them strolling into my life. The old adage "patience is a virtue" rings sound with them: give them the space and time to think something through thoroughly and they'll do anything you ask of them. Try and hustle them and you might get a taste of how strong 300lbs of sheer willpower is. 

These days, there is nothing more pleasurable than heading out to the donkey shed with a glass of wine or bottle of Corona and spending some quality time with these two, or waking up to their braying for breakfast. In our increasingly fast paced world, they are an excellent reminder that the most wonderful things come in small packages.