Most of you whom know us, and know Susan "Paintedpromise", know we purchased a little mini donkey from Susan's herd of babies.
We figured you'd like to see her in her new home, and see some of her new adventures she is getting to do as a new member of our little crew.
This is Madeline taking a stroll in her pasture after getting her first face trim with the clippers. She's working her way to the (3) pygmy goats she shares the pasture with. Also notice the horse tie in the back ground, yep, everything is big and tall......was quite the site to watch me clip Madeline. She was rather good about her ears and face front, but when you got to under the chin, she said she was outta here and shot right under the horse tie......that was till mom gave her a cookie and she thought then she'd just stand there and get finished off.
This is Madeline the same day helping Dad put up her play pen. She has a 12'x12' playpen in the corner of the pasture that we put her in for about 2 hours every late afternoon so her big brother John mules can come out and wrestle. Keeps her safe and out of their way as they romp and just be boys. She has the pasture all the rest of the time day and night that she shares with the goats so she really does not mind for a couple of hours.
This is Madeline with mom. When she first got to meet big brother mule Gus, he was not too sure about her. As he plastered his ears back as she got up close to him.........she turn and ran to mom. Yep, me !! David laughed his you know what off, because if was obvious since she no longer had her mom, I was it. He swore since it was so close to Easter he was going to buy one of those Easter Bonnets, you know, one with big floppy ears sticking out of the top!! Stop laughing. Needless to say, a few days later when Gus was out in the pasture and checking out Madeline in her playpen, Mattie decided to turn her butt to him while he watched her from the outside, and she kicked out at him......as if to say, SEE this, SEE what I can do !!! Another time early one morning, she was out in the pasture and the sprinklers to the pasture came on..... She ran like the dickens up and into the breeze way of the barn and through big brother Mule Earl's stall rails and stood with him. He towered ever so large over her, watching the sprinklers go and nuzzled the top of her head......for a big ole boy, he was really sweet with her. Then later Susan told me, yes, little donkey's do not like getting wet !!! I can imagine why, she already is small..........
That is the end for now, there will be more to follow of Madeline's adventures in her new home of travel for you all to follow. This Friday night is her big first camp out trail ride as she hitches a ride in the horse trailer with her two big John mule brothers, and heads to Payson for the Lone Ranger weekend campout ride at the Doll Baby Ranch . Life of the little mini donkey !! We'll be sure to get some pictures of her first camp out.
Hope you all enjoyed,
David and Linda
AND LATER THAT DAY IN ANSWER TO SOME QUESTIONS...
When Susan delivered her to us, it was a Friday late afternoon when I got home from work on Feb. 27th. She had spent the whole day with Susan at a petting zoo, so she was pretty tired. When Susan pulled out with Madeline's mom in the trailer and other young ones Madeline cried for her mom. Pretty much most that first night, just about every hour she cried for mom, as did her mom for her from what Susan told me.
However, come Saturday morning, David and I pretty much spent the whole day outside with her, working on the trailer, setting up her playpen and etc.......she did not cry for her mom anymore and even got to visit with the 12 little mini horses that live right across the street from us ... they run and kick up their heels in their front pasture and Madeline does the same from hers.
The playpen we had here. I had it in the back behind the barn stored. It used to be my schipperke's playpen in the dog back yard when she was a pup. We had bought it from Dottie at the Western Ranchman, and always knew it would come in handy. It's perfect for her and has a walk through gate that we keep latched open so she can go in and out during the day time on her own. She really seems to like it a lot, and the goats since we put in up camp out in there on their own with her.
Madeline today has fully adjusted to her own schedule, she comes running to the gate when you get home from work, plays ball with you in the pasture. And also pretends she is "racing stripes" from the movie of the little zebra thinking he's a race horse......as she loves to race with David across the pasture and pass him up as she hits the breezeway first .... needless to say our neighbors around us probably think were idiots as we race around the turn out with her running along in tow just a kicking up her heels to pass us up.
She lays with the goats and lays right side by side with our dogs as they kiss her face. She has really adapted very well to her new home.
At the moment, John Henry is being weaned at Susan's, and is for my mom who is buying him from Susan. I know my mom is all excited and has not seen him in person but can't wait to get him home with her. So John Henry will get to come visit Madeline, at our place up north when we go up there while my mom brings John Henry and her Mule for camping for when we finish off her mule's driving lessons this summer.
Linda
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