The Donkeys and Donuts Fun Run Saturday was a lot of fun. When we got to the park about 8:30 the people were already gathering ready to run at 9AM.
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| Signing up to run with the donkeys |
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| We had all speeds for people and donkeys. Some were walkers, some were joggers and some were runners. Actually 3 of the donkeys got away from their partners for a short time, but they didn't go far by themselves. Unlike a horse that was running loose in the park without a rider. We don't know if the horse saw all those long ears and panicked or if he and his rider had parted company earlier, never did find out. |
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| Sugar and Jacque had not been off their property for years and were quite intimidated when they first got there and were thrown in with our herd. Their answer to the problem was to jump in our trailer and look around. It didn't take them long to decide to come out and become one of the group. They really seemed to enjoy all the excitement once they figured out no one was going to hurt them. |
All in all a good time was had by all. everyone had a smile on their face and are already talking about having another fun run. Some of them are coming out next Sunday to practice with the donkeys on some of the trails out here around our property/
Leigh Anne shared this video of her friend Indy running Jasmine. Leigh Anne and Jasmine walk the Arizona Trails every summer and Jasmine is quite the little ambassador for donkeys. When people see her on the trail she is so cute with her little pack saddle, of course they want to see her and it gives Leigh Anne a chance to tell people about these amazing creatures.
Sunday was going to be a long day. We were suppose to pick up a jack that has been running on about 75 acres and deliver him to Lucky A Rescue in Alpine, AZ. As luck would have it, Michele from Lucky A was going to be in the Scottsdale area over the week-end, and said she would bring her trailer, which saved us a lot of driving. She also asked if we could pick up a mini mule on the way, so that was the plan.
We had been told the jack was unhandled but friendly and it sounded like it was going to be difficult to pen him in a small area to corral him and get him in the stock trailer, so our answer to the problem and to take Frijolita and Coquette with us as bait. They are pretty girls and he's been a lonely bachelor for about 3 years, since the rest of his herd were taken away. At the time, they couldn't catch him with the others, so they left him there. Lynn and Linda took the girls in their trailer and we planned on getting him in our trailer for the trip north. The owner has some health problems and the neighbors have been making sure the jack had water and throwing hay to him for weeks. Michele at Lucky A had agreed to take him if someone could haul him and we said we would.
When we drove in with the neighbor he was standing up on a hill above the road and started snorting at us immediately. We went down by the barn area where the water is and set up the trailer with the girls in it and used corral panels we brought to make a funnel into the trailer.
I'm still wearing a brace, so I'm not very useful, so I just tried to stay out of the way as Linda, Lynn and John spread out to get him down in that area.
He was moving most of the time and there was no way a human could get close to him. He is absolutely gorgeous and is a really fast runner. I don't think cowboys on horseback would be able to catch him if that became an option.
After running him around for awhile, he zeroed in on the girls in the trailer and headed that direction. He actually jumped in the trailer with the girls. The middle gate was closed, the girls were behind the gate, so he couldn't actually get to them.
I wish I had thought to video what happened next. Actually before he went up there he had tried to go thru the fence in a corner, where the neighbor said he had escaped before. The fence needs some work and he got tangled up in the barbed wired and had to work to get out of it.
He literally ran into the trailer, with the middle gate closed he only had about 8 feet of forward space, which means he crashed into the middle gate. Just about the time he crashed Lynn managed to get to the back of the trailer, just as the jack lunged out and saw Lynn. He leaped to the right into a corral panel, leaped over it.........almost. Got tangled up in the corral panel as Lynn was trying to get a corral panel over the opening into the area. When the jack leaped over the panel, he also leaped over Lynn's head. He finally got untangled from the corral panel, which he bent and took off again. He headed for a perimeter gate, pushed it out of the way and was on forest service land that covers who knows how big an area. The neighbor said he's been out there before until he decided to come back.
The only good thing about the whole situation is, he didn't break a leg or his neck. He's only about 4 years old, but has been alone most of his life. Not only is he not socialized with people, he's not socialized with other donkeys. He's relied on himself for most of his life and when I called Michele to tell her we couldn't get him, I told her my suggestion would be to dart him like a wild animal, which he really is. She is still trying to come up with a way to get him, I wish her luck, hopefully she will figure out something that works.
Lynn and Linda headed home with the girls and we headed north to pick up the little mini mule. Judy had him all ready to go when we got there, so we loaded him up and headed to Scottsdale. We stopped to get gas and I offered him a carrot, he took the 1st piece but when I offered him another one, he acted like I was trying to poison him and wouldn't take it, wouldn't even look at me. ............typical mini mule behavior I guess. They seem to dance to their own music, especially if they have been passed around and haven't bonded with a special person.
I almost forgot to take a picture of him. I took this one when I was trying to give him a carrot and he was ignoring me, obviously there was something out the back of the trailer, more interesting than me trying to bribe him with a treat.
It was dark when we dropped him off. Wish it had been daylight, Michele's friend has 9 donkeys and they all came to greet us and check out the trailer. We didn't get home until almost 11pm, so we had a long day, I just wish we could have gotten the jack. But I'm not sure what he would do if we had gotten him in a trailer, he definitely does not want to be trapped.
We had been told the jack was unhandled but friendly and it sounded like it was going to be difficult to pen him in a small area to corral him and get him in the stock trailer, so our answer to the problem and to take Frijolita and Coquette with us as bait. They are pretty girls and he's been a lonely bachelor for about 3 years, since the rest of his herd were taken away. At the time, they couldn't catch him with the others, so they left him there. Lynn and Linda took the girls in their trailer and we planned on getting him in our trailer for the trip north. The owner has some health problems and the neighbors have been making sure the jack had water and throwing hay to him for weeks. Michele at Lucky A had agreed to take him if someone could haul him and we said we would.
When we drove in with the neighbor he was standing up on a hill above the road and started snorting at us immediately. We went down by the barn area where the water is and set up the trailer with the girls in it and used corral panels we brought to make a funnel into the trailer.
I'm still wearing a brace, so I'm not very useful, so I just tried to stay out of the way as Linda, Lynn and John spread out to get him down in that area.
He was moving most of the time and there was no way a human could get close to him. He is absolutely gorgeous and is a really fast runner. I don't think cowboys on horseback would be able to catch him if that became an option.
After running him around for awhile, he zeroed in on the girls in the trailer and headed that direction. He actually jumped in the trailer with the girls. The middle gate was closed, the girls were behind the gate, so he couldn't actually get to them.
I wish I had thought to video what happened next. Actually before he went up there he had tried to go thru the fence in a corner, where the neighbor said he had escaped before. The fence needs some work and he got tangled up in the barbed wired and had to work to get out of it.
He literally ran into the trailer, with the middle gate closed he only had about 8 feet of forward space, which means he crashed into the middle gate. Just about the time he crashed Lynn managed to get to the back of the trailer, just as the jack lunged out and saw Lynn. He leaped to the right into a corral panel, leaped over it.........almost. Got tangled up in the corral panel as Lynn was trying to get a corral panel over the opening into the area. When the jack leaped over the panel, he also leaped over Lynn's head. He finally got untangled from the corral panel, which he bent and took off again. He headed for a perimeter gate, pushed it out of the way and was on forest service land that covers who knows how big an area. The neighbor said he's been out there before until he decided to come back.
The only good thing about the whole situation is, he didn't break a leg or his neck. He's only about 4 years old, but has been alone most of his life. Not only is he not socialized with people, he's not socialized with other donkeys. He's relied on himself for most of his life and when I called Michele to tell her we couldn't get him, I told her my suggestion would be to dart him like a wild animal, which he really is. She is still trying to come up with a way to get him, I wish her luck, hopefully she will figure out something that works.
Lynn and Linda headed home with the girls and we headed north to pick up the little mini mule. Judy had him all ready to go when we got there, so we loaded him up and headed to Scottsdale. We stopped to get gas and I offered him a carrot, he took the 1st piece but when I offered him another one, he acted like I was trying to poison him and wouldn't take it, wouldn't even look at me. ............typical mini mule behavior I guess. They seem to dance to their own music, especially if they have been passed around and haven't bonded with a special person.
I almost forgot to take a picture of him. I took this one when I was trying to give him a carrot and he was ignoring me, obviously there was something out the back of the trailer, more interesting than me trying to bribe him with a treat.
It was dark when we dropped him off. Wish it had been daylight, Michele's friend has 9 donkeys and they all came to greet us and check out the trailer. We didn't get home until almost 11pm, so we had a long day, I just wish we could have gotten the jack. But I'm not sure what he would do if we had gotten him in a trailer, he definitely does not want to be trapped.
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