Vet Check

 Jeremiah has a little rash on his shoulders and neck from either a skin condition developing, or he was irritation from flies enough to rub some hair off.  There are only two small patches, but since our vet was out anyway, she looked him over.  He has not interacted with anyone but me and our son, John.  My husband hasn't even petted either burro, yet.  JJ was a little stressed, but, overall, he accepted the vet and her topical medicines.  Marty rooted him on from their shared paddock.  

After evening chores, we noticed that Marty wasn't letting JJ into the stall.  The doorway is narrow enough that he can keep him out.  Another problem to solve.

Marty was very good today.  I put his halter on, gave him a treat, and then removed his halter several times easily.  JJ is also easy to catch.  That was the last obstacle to moving them into their permanent paddock with the twelve foot entrance to the stall.  This will prevent Marty from keeping JJ out.  

The move was easy for JJ because he's regularly tied in the aisle, but Marty did stop to look around.  Their new paddock is next to the road.  We watched them to make sure the occasional passing car wasn't bothering them.  They stood on either side of their feeder just munching away.  

It just began to rain pretty hard outside and we expect a decent temperature drop tonight.  It's nice to know they have both shelter that they can share.  

Burro Buddies

 Jeremiah was a pro this morning.  I brought him out of his stall, tied him up, picked his front feet out, ran my hand down both back legs, brushed him thoroughly, and then we went on our walk.  This time, we went around behind the house to avoid the burro-eating cow.  Our walk took us through fresh puddles, too big to jump over, which was a great opportunity to teach him to trust me.  I'm sure after the bovine blockade yesterday, there are little doubts floating around in his donkey mind as to my reliability to recognize danger.  After all, this is Florida.  There could be gators prowling in any body of water.  So, JJ balked as we approached the puddle.  I patiently waited as he assessed the situation.  

The puddle:

What JJ saw:

Patience prevailed!  JJ entered the water, without insisting on a life preserver or a shotgun, and we made it safely to the other side.  On the way to the round pen, he walked past the back deck, bags of mulch, and even chickens and did quite well.  

Once we reached the round pen, we worked on backing up.  While this is natural when a burro is scared, the idea of doing it on purpose is a little foreign.  He gave me a few quizzical looks, as if asking "Why not just  turn around so we can see where we're going?"  We also practiced walking around the cones, once I convinced him that they weren't alien life forms waiting to attack innocent donkey legs.  He calmly walked over a pole on the ground and we headed back the way we came.  He was much better about the puddle the second time.  When we returned to the barn,. I sprayed him with fly spray and let him go back into his stall.  Well done, JJ, well done.  

As soon as a I had another break, I went out to work with Marty.  Our son gave him a very good introduction to people.  He walks right up to you when you enter his pen.  He loves being petted and played with.  I introduced him to brushing, which he really enjoyed, and he let me put my hands on his face, even next to his eyes.  I snapped on the lead rope easily and led him around the pen.  It was starting to rain again, and I felt bad about the lack of shelter.  Plus, Marty's hooves are on soft ground all the time and I'm certain he needs some hoof care.  I decided to hit fast forward a little and move him into JJ's paddock.  We put rock down last spring, which really helps keep their feet clean and tough.  I opened one of the panels and Marty just followed me out.  He led easily to JJ's paddock.  JJ was interested, but not afraid.  They do know each other from being shipped and housed together for several weeks.  Their reunion was uneventful.  JJ immediately followed the older burro around.  I'm hoping Marty helps JJ feel more comfortable.  I dragged Marty's hay feeder into the paddock as well.  There's also a tub to eat from in the stall.  Eventually, I will move them to the biggest paddock in the barn with an open, three sided stall, but that will have to wait until Marty can be haltered easily.  I'm also a little nervous about that paddock because it's next to the road.  It's not a busy road, but it is a lot to take in.  JJ is comfortable in the paddock, so we'll do one step at a time.  

The burros both look much more relaxed together.  

Scary Cow

 Our training session began with grooming, including using a hoof pick on both front hooves (briefly).  JJ was on a roll!  We went for another walk around the farm, which he does seem to enjoy.  This time, we wound our way around the trees in the front yard to the other side of the house, where there is a big open area all the way back to the round pen.  I had a few cones and a small jump in the round pen set up from when we rode the horses earlier.  As we were walking in that direction, past the horse pasture...

(Fiona the cow)  Hang on!  I want to tell this part of the story!  

(Me)  Fine.  Go ahead, Fiona.  Troublemaker.

(Fiona the cow)  The oppression of cattle began long, long ago....

(Me)  Oh brother!

(Fiona)  Ahem.  Anyway, horses were eventually brought in as co-conspirators to be used against all of cowdom.  But the insult of insults was when they turned the donkeys against us.  Our brethren in that little stable, alongside the King of Kings, had always been a kindred spirit.  Neither one appreciated for its labor.  Both the ox and the donkey were called slow and lazy.  I cannot tell you how much it pained me when that donkey jenny came to our farm and TEASED us.  She romped and played while pinning her big ears and making faces!  It was terrifying!  We had gotten along perfectly well with the other donkeys that had shared our pasture on occasion (though they were usually in the barn with the horses).  See, that really was the issue.  She associated too much with HORSES, which every cow knows harbor a serious grudge against all of cowdom.  Why?  You ask?  It's because horses claim that they have to do all the labor while we get to graze all day.  Petty!  But, I digress...

Yesterday, while minding my own business, I noticed one of the humans (the one that gives treats and pokes us with needles "for our own good") was walking with a young donkey.  The donkey was giving us nervous looks.  SInce I remember all too well, the vicious attack against our peace by Rosie the donkey, I was understandably wary.  They were on the other side of the fence, but, still, Rosie's actions cut deep, I tell you.  So, I snorted.  A warning to my daughter and half sister.  The donkey's eyes grew big, so, feeling the sweet tickle of revenge, I snorted again.  The donkey looked up and I got a surprised look from the human.  After that, it was easy.  I threw my marvelous head and kicked up my happy heels in a graceful bovine ballet towards the fenceline.  The results were spectacular!  The donkey bolted and the human let go.  Then, the human yelled at ME!  As if years of oppression by Rosie hadn't even happened.  The human fetched the donkey and tried again.  I did more of a modern dance routine this time with the same result.  The donkey was fetched, again, and turned out in the round pen.  The human went inside to get the boy.  They came into the pasture and we followed them into our pen, expecting some congratulations or acknowledgment of our justifiable desire to get even. Or, at least some food.  Nope.  THEY LOCKED US IN!  Then, the human fetched the donkey and they walked back to the horse barn.  No more dancing with donkeys today.  Oh, but I have the sweet, sweet memories to carry me through the dark, cold night...

(Me)  Cold?  This is Florida.  

(Fiona)  Do not interrupt, human.  I'm having a moment here.  I must get word to cowdom everywhere to notch one up for the poor, har-assed cow.  

(Me)  Nice pun.

(Fiona)  Thank you.

(Me)  Okay, so, the guest blogger, our Dexter cow, Fiona, explained why poor JJ now thinks cows are carnivorous.  We got through it and he trusted me to lead him back past the pasture (although with Fiona locked up away from the fence).  Since we have a perimeter fence around our farm, I opted to let him bolt, rather than suffer ropes burns.  We will have to get past that.  I did some tight circles with him after we returned to the barn, which I can hopefully use, when he tries to bolt again.  

A Good Training Day

 Jeremiah showed some faith in me today.  Again, I tied him in the aisle and did some brushing.  I worked on moving back and forth behind him and reaching for his front hooves.  He moved away when I bent over facing away from him, (in the proper position to pick up his hoof).  I realized that this view was different for him, so we stopped there and I practiced bending over next to him (on both sides) to help him adjust to seeing a human like that.  We've noticed that both burros are worried about humans crouching, or bending.  While a dog is less intimidated when you squat down, burros have the opposite reaction.  It's intuitive with a little thought: Predators crouch before attacking.  After touching my toes on each side several times, JJ relaxed.  I ran my hand down his back legs as well.  I also found little bites on his chest that I scratched while he wiggled his lips slightly.  He tolerated the fly spray tonight, which will help with those bites.  

The things we take for granted with horses become so clear when working with a wild burro.  Going through a gate and turning around to shut it, for example.  Many horses see this as foals and accept it as a normal occurrence in their world.  To a wild burro, this is strange and scary.  He needs to time to study the opening of a path and the closing of that path behind him.  I'm slowly introducing Jeremiah to an entirely new world.  

Marty also had a good day.  We fitted him with a better halter using the panel chute I described before.  Again, we were patient and made sure he accepted each step, rather than using force.  I clipped the lead rope and opened up the panel to let him get used to dragging the rope.  He did not react as JJ did, but took a few steps and then stopped.  I worked with him using gentle pressure and asking for the smallest turn of his head to begin with.  We progressed to some leading fairly quickly.  He is calmer and quicker to accept things than JJ.  We decided that he will be the star Nativity burro this December for our son's school.  As such, his halter is Advent purple.  

Both burros are really making strides now.  Though different in personality, we enjoy them both.  

Jeremiah

Martin

Standing Tied and a Goat

 Today was a bit different.  Nancy the goat is a six year old dairy goat.  When we brought her home as a newly weaned bottle baby, she shared a pen with the pony and the donkey.  She was especially close to the donkey.  She kept him out of trouble and he complained if his goat left him alone.  Later, when we found a great home for that donkey, she was the companion of a weaned baby donkey (Rosie) until she also found a lovely home.  We eventually moved Nancy in with two young goats for company.  In addition, she has sheep for company.  Nancy must miss her donkeys, however, because while our son was moving her from the pasture back into their pen, she broke away and ran across the yard to the horse barn.  The pasture gate was open, so she walked right up to Marty's pen.  Marty showed some territorial behaviors, (swinging his head moving towards the corral panels quickly) so I led her over to JJ's paddock fence.  JJ was unsure at first, but Nancy stretched her head through the fence in an effort to meet him.  He obliged her by touching noses several times.  I don't think he knows what to think of her, but he seemed intrigued.  I left Nancy to graze outside his pen for awhile.  When she returned she was outside of Marty's pen, so I took her back home.  She can duck under the panels and I don't think that would be safe for her.  JJ has a new friend, though.

JJ wanted to come out and play today.  I gave him lots of attention and pieces of carrot for being good about haltering and leading.  I did manage to tie him up to a post in the barn aisle.  It was his first time being tied to anything.  I made sure the aisle was clear, gave him room, and let him figure it out.  He threw his head a few times, leaned back, and tried a few different angles.  That was it.  That's is pretty typical for donkeys.  Not much fuss.  

Once he quieted down, I moved behind him from one side to the other several times, staying close to his body so he couldn't get a full kick.  He never offered to kick and happily took his carrot piece when I reached his head on each side.  I brushed him and introduced the rubber curry.  He enjoyed the new grooming tool.  We went for a walk after that.  Ralph the barn cat made an appearance and JJ lowered his head and pulled towards him.  The cat ran, which made JJ happy.  I'm not sure how he views domestic cats.  He was reactive to Ralph the first time he saw him.  Does he wonder to himself,"Is it a little mountain lion?"   His curiosity is much better than the apprehension or fear he had the first week.  

He enjoyed browsing on some shrubs in the yard before returning to the barn.  He was a little more adventurous during our walk today.  We haven't worked on any real obstacles, but all farms are full of new things to look at and walk past.  I'm very happy with his progress.  My plan is to tie him up twice per day and go out and feed him treats several more times than that, so if I make him apprehensive, I hope the treats will refresh him.

A Little Rule

JJ enjoys his carrots and likes to be scratched, but he was also beginning to express his desire to not be haltered by turning his hindquarters towards me when I approach.  It was a subtle threat.  No kicking at all (I don't push him).  However, this is rude.  The best way to correct this is to encourage him to move his hindquarters away when he does this.  The lead rope didn't work, so I used a short whip with a 6 inch tail to flick towards his hindquarters.  No contact was necessary as these burros are moved around with a similar length stick (with plastic on the end) at the BLM facility.  I moved his hind end away using the whip twice.  The third time I approached, he did not move.  

We worked on picking up the front feet today.  He wants to step backwards when I reach for his hoof.  I tried holding the lead rope behind my back and forward while I picked up his hoof with some success, but I think this lesson is harder to teach him while holding the lead rope.  Today, I will tie his lead rope to a post in the aisle.  I suspect he will understand how to stand tied pretty quickly.  He has had a version of this already.  Sometimes, donkeys will hold their position stretched out with the halter taut.  I use a treat to ask them to step forward and find relief.  There is usually not nearly the amount of drama that there is for horses.  We shall see. 

Marty's training will focus entirely on catching and tying to the tree in his pen.  I can smell his hooves, so I need to prioritize standing tied and picking feet as the main training goals.  Our son has been doing well with approaching and petting.  He took his halter off yesterday because we were worried it would rub his head.  I will make a chute out of panels, if necessary, to halter him.  

Marty was more determined to turn his hindquarters towards our son every time he approached him.  I did the same lesson with him as with JJ, using the short whip to ask him to move his hindquarters away when we approach.  It took several more times, but he understood and allowed our son to approach him many times.  His reward was the removal of his halter (although that may not be understood as such).  

Our burros are over most of their fear and now they are asking their own questions.  This is when they are testing their methods of communication to express their wishes.  This is an important stage because we need to give them the right answers, without frightening them, and show them the rewards of cooperating with us.  The bonding process is at the somewhat friendly level at this stage, but we need to prove that interaction is better than being left alone.   

A Better Day

 After yesterday, I knew JJ needed an easy day today.  We worked on getting used to the halter again.  He let me pick up both front feet.  Then, he was spoiled.  I rubbed his shoulders, sides, and back.  I scratched all the itchy places on his head, neck, and chest.  I think it relaxed him a little.  After a good rubdown, I removed his halter and pet him some more (always conscious of a bad habit developing if an equine learns to bolt when they are unhaltered).  

Somehow, I triggered his self-preservation response and I thought the best way to counter that was to be low key today.  He was a good boy and stood closer to me than usual.  He also approached me several times.  

It's about communication.  I missed something yesterday, or maybe watching the farrier worried him.  Whatever it was, I had to listen and find a way to reassure him.  

Meanwhile, Marty, who is a very mellow burro, allowed our son to put fly spray on him and pet him all over, for the second day in a row.  I also rubbed his should a little this morning when he came up to me.  He is older and definitely less spooky than JJ.  I can't wait until both are trained well enough to be in the paddock together.  

Sometimes I look at these two creatures and imagine them taking care of themselves in the wild.  They have so much knowledge already.  It's amazing how well they are adapting.  Just about everything we are asking of them is completely foreign.  These little victories mean so much more when everything is taken into perspective.  

Backtracking

 Jeremiah had a day off Thursday and then we made some great progress Friday morning.  I picked up both of his front feet and held them for a second, we walked around the farm a little more, and he even let me allowed me to fly spray his legs.  Things were going well.  

In the afternoon, the farrier came by to trim everyone's hooves.  He had an assistant with him who was a bit boisterous and spoke loudly.  JJ spooked at him a few times.  I didn't think much of it, but perhaps that caused an issue today.  

I went to work with JJ this evening, despite the spitting rain and cooler temperatures.  I was dressed differently than I usually do, but more like I might dress at a horse show, so I thought it would be good for JJ to see that. Unfortunately, he seemed apprehensive of me and did not want to be haltered.  I spent a lot of time doing advance and retreat, while rewarding any movement towards me by walking away.  Eventually, he allowed me to rub him with the halter and lead rope and hold the halter under his head, as if I was going to halter him, without moving away.  I also spent a lot of time petting and scratching him.  I stopped there and called it a day.  These things happen for unknown reasons, but if you don't back up and re-do your homework, it might always be a struggle.  

Today was a reminder that this is a wild animal that I am asking a lot of and he needs time to adjust to his new life.  

Meanwhile, Marty approached me several times while I was cleaning his pen.  When I finished cleaning, I scratched him for awhile.  

Training Happens All The Time

 Jeremiah had a day off yesterday due to some personal business and the heavy rain from Tropical Storm Sally.  So, in the meantime, I'll go over one aspect of his training I don't think I mentioned.

The first morning Jeremiah arrived, I lined up the corral panels to create a chute he could walk through form the trailer into his pen.  He moved cautiously and picked the corner furthest from me, as any prey animal would.  Throughout the day, I peeked out at him through the back door window or glanced at him as I walked to the barn to attend to the horses.  He remained on full alert.  He was tense and nervous.  His eyes wide and apprehensive.  His nose taking in the new smells and sounds, his head high, and his ears flicking back and forth.  This was the moment when I could most likely frighten him.  I thought the best thing for him would be to establish a routine right away.  I also had cleaning to do in his pen, beginning after evening feeding.  

I clean the stalls and paddocks twice per day.  It helps me spot trouble early (less poop than normal, watery, dry, etc...) and interact with the horses to check on their well-being.  I need to be able to enter their pen, or stall, without spooking them, and scoop using the manure fork, sometimes close to their hooves.  In fact, our horses let us scoop under their bellies without batting an eye.  

To decide how to establish this with a wild burro, I thought about all the things that are most likely to upset him when I step into his 20 foot by 30 foot training pen.  The list includes directly looking into his eyes, waving arms, moving fast, moving towards him, getting behind him, the manure fork itself, and any loud noises.  With that in mind, I entered with the manure fork close to my body, looked at the ground, moved in straight, predictable routes, and gave him as much room as possible to move away while I was going after one of his poop piles.  Over the next few days, he understood that when I entered while looking towards him and talking to him, it was a training session, but if I entered looking at the ground (for poops) this was not a time he would be asked to do anything.  Though watchful, he quickly relaxed in my presence twice per day for cleaning.  This was ideal because these short cleaning sessions gave him the opportunity to study me without me looking at him or making him too nervous.  He could get used to the way I moved and the way I spoke quietly to him.  Over time, he no longer worried about the manure fork I carried and I always gave him plenty of time to move before I picked up a pile near him.  I didn't think of it as training, but it was!  It taught him more about me than I realized.  

During his day off yesterday, when I cleaned his paddock, he approached me and reached his head out. He clearly wanted attention, so I stopped what I was doing and scratched him for a few minutes.  When he was satisfied, I went back to work.  This was the first time he felt brave enough to solicit attention.  This is big for JJ.  He is the shyest donkey I have ever worked with.  It's no surprise he chose a cleaning moment to do it.  This is his safe time.  

This morning was another step.  I always park the wheelbarrow in the same place in his paddock, just outside the stall, but not blocking the doorway, so he can exit the stall before I clean.  This is what he has been doing ever since I moved him into the stall/paddock.  But today, he chose to keep eating in his stall, so I quietly worked around him in the stall, always ensuring he could leave, if he wanted.  I was closer to his hooves than I have ever been with the manure fork and I even walked behind him briefly.  

Now, I really appreciate how important these little twice per day house-cleaning tasks are for training.  It's helped him become more comfortable with me. Soon, he will be as relaxed as the horses.  He might even become like our son's gelding where I have to practically wake him up to ask him to move his foot so I can get all of the pile he's standing on.  In fact, the other donkeys we've had were notorious for garnering attention during cleaning time.  They would move between us and the wheelbarrow to insist on scratches.  Our first donkey even knocked the wheelbarrow over, if he could!   He thought it was very amusing.  Perhaps they wonder why it's so important to us to collect their droppings!

The Meeting

 After thoroughly grooming my horse, right where JJ could watch, I put her back in her stall and brought JJ into the barn aisle.  We worked with the brush and the fly spray.  JJ also took a treat from our son and allowed him to pet him.  This was a big step for him.  He's learning that there is more than one person in the world ready to be kind to him.  Then we walked past the other stalls and around the corner of the barn to Marty's pen.  There was no dramatic expression of emotions, but they seemed to recognize each other as travelling companions.  Then, JJ took and I took a walk around the farm.  He was not interested in grass, but preferred to browse on small tree branches, (I had to keep him away from my fig and mulberry trees).  He especially liked the wax myrtle.  He was extremely efficient at biting and chewing up the small branches.  It was easy to picture him back in Nevada chewing on the white sage and needlegrass.  

I'm still working on finding a properly fitting halter for him.  His halter training was done with a rope halter, but I'd like to find a more comfortable flat buckle halter for him.  I have seen horses pull back and loosen a properly tied rope halter, plus, for long hikes, we'll want something that isn't as thin and harsh.  He might fit a yearling halter. I'll try that tomorrow.  Of course, with halter changes, he is a bit more apprehensive, but it just gives me a chance to reinforce his training.  I went back to the approach and retreat method a little to introduce the shiny, new halter to him.  He accepted it quickly.  At no time did I insist or try to trap him with the lead rope or halter.  I think that's important when training a wild burro.  

I'll back up a little and explain, in more detail, how we approached JJ's halter training and what we're using on Marty as well (our son spent much more time petting him this morning).  

We approach and retreat while looking for signs of tolerance from the burro.  The idea is to approach, which puts pressure on him, and then at the slightest discomfort, turn away and retreat from him, to take the pressure off.  We approach them at the shoulder, and give the hind end plenty of room.  If we push too hard, they will move their hind end towards us, which would be a fail moment.  After many, many tries, the burro will eventually allow us to touch his shoulder.  With our two boys, it seems that they will allow touching on the shoulders, back, hips, and neck, long before they allow the head to be touched.  Just as Rome wasn't built in a day; we don't rush them.  It seems better to do daily, or twice daily, short, sessions.  An old cowboy once told me to watch for them to make chewing motions towards the end of the session.  He said that means they are thinking about it.  That seems like a good place to hold steady where you are and end on a good note.  I think they appreciate getting the chance to think things over.  Processing it overnight seems to help, with the harder portions.  If we did the session right, they will be ready for a new element the next day.  This is how we try to train at the burro's pace, rather than our own timeline.  It certainly seems to lower the risk of being kicked, or actually scaring the poor burro.  Their world has been turned upside down.  They need time to adjust.  I'm certain there are other ways to train faster and more effectively, but this seems to be working for us.

Walking around the farm with JJ was a big step and one that I've really been looking forward to.  That's the crux of what we want to do with our long eared friends.  We have trails we can walk to from our farm and beautiful state parks in our state with equestrian trails.  That's what we do instead of expensive theme parks.  We like to be on the trails with our beloved pets, be they dogs, goats, horses, or burros.  

Settling In

 Tropical Storm Sally is moving away from us, so our skies are overcast, but not rainy.  We'll see if the weather holds.   I took advantage of the drier weather to do a good training session with Jeremiah this morning.  

The last few days, I have done short sessions with Jeremiah because he was still getting used to the move into the barn.  Yesterday, he rolled and napped in the shavings inside his stall.  He is also going in and out freely to eat his hay and get out of the rain.  

Whenever you train, you need a goal.  Sometimes, especially for us novice trainers, those goals change as the session goes on.  With more rainy days in the future, I wanted him to be comfortable with the inside of the barn (which is very different from anything a wild burro has seen), so my rough outline of goals were to walk him through the door from his stall to the barn, work with his feet a little, and attempt to fly spray his legs (he has little rough areas where the flies are getting him).  

JJ was amazing!  We walked back and forth next to the other stalls and he stopped to look at several things inside the barn.  He picked up both front feet for me (I did not hold onto them, yet), and he let me fly spray his legs (prime fly feeding zone on donkeys).  He likes being touched on his shoulders and neck the most, but he also let me hug him.  He was nervous about many of the new experiences, especially the fly spray, but he trusted me.  As a reward, I took him out for a little hand grazing and shared a carrot with him.  

To appropriately reflect the burros roots as the companions of prospectors, their formal names are Jeremiah Jack (JJ) and Martin McBray (Marty).  They sound like a couple of old prospectors themselves!

Marty's training is going a bit faster already.  Our son already pet him on both shoulders this morning.

Second Burro

 When we signed up to do this TIP Challenge, we originally wanted two burros, but only one was available.  However, one burro was returned and since we were still interested in getting a companion for Jeremiah (burros do better in pairs) I picked him up this morning.  We are calling him Marty, but that might change as we get to know him better.  He is reported to be very food motivated ('a piglet' is actually how we was described) and pretty easy going.  He is 11 years old and from Yuma, Arizona.  His color is called 'burro pink' by the BLM.  He also has a star on his forehead.  

It's hard to believe this guy was passed over for adoption too many times.  He was directly sold as a sale authority burro, which means he could be resold.  However, our plan is to keep both burros.  

Since I'm busy with JJ, our son will start training Marty, with supervision.   

He was moved into JJ's old training pen while JJ watched with interest from the barn.  Once he is halter trained, they can be together.  I love the contrast between the two burros.  JJ is 12 hands and Marty is 13 hands, so both are good sized burros.

Poor JJ had no training session this morning because I had to go pick up Marty.  I hope he isn't jealous.  I'll work with him after chores tonight.

Jeremiah's New Home

 We made it to the paddock this morning!  He has access to a stall now and a paddock with a rock base, which should help his hooves toughen back up.  He did well walking over.  We took our time and I let him graze a little.  Tropical Storm Sally has some outer bands dumping a lot of rain on us, so I'm glad he has a dry place to get in, when he's ready.  I placed some hay inside the stall and some at the entrance.  What a good boy!

The Outside World

 We missed our morning session because the rain came down in heavy spurts.  As I looked out the window at poor, soaking JJ, I planned a way to move him from his pen into the barn so he could have better shelter.  The tree in his current paddock provides great shade, but it can't stop these soaking rains.

The solution was to get him ready to lead outside the pen.  His pen is next to the horse paddocks, which are adjacent to the barn.  It's actually set up in a small pasture that has a gate leading into the paddocks.  JJ's future home is easily accessible, but it does require him to walk through the small pasture on the lead. 

He allowed me to halter him easily again and I started with leading him a few steps at a time around his paddock.  Then. my son opened the gate and, after several minutes, JJ mustered up the courage to step outside.  We slowly made our way along the outside of his pen.  I gave him an occasional carrot treat.  He is beginning to show more personality as he wiggled his lips towards me hoping for more carrots.  At some point, he will probably nip and I will probably scare him a little to make sure he knows he can't do that.  It's perfectly normal behavior in a herd of burros, but human skin is more fragile.  

He also reached down for a few swipes at the tall grass as we walked.  I didn't discourage it, nor encourage it, but quietly urged him on.  About halfway to our destination, the sky poured down again.  He looked at me a little apprehensively the further we moved from his sanctuary.  I sensed that he had enough for the day, so we gradually worked our way back towards his pen.  I was really hoping to move him tonight, but it's more important to move at the appropriate pace.

We made some great progress, but JJ also demonstrated his intelligence.  A few days ago, I led both my horse and the pony individually into the same area to show JJ.  I let both graze a bit before taking them back to their stalls.  My motive was to let JJ see halters and lead ropes on others before I asked to put one on him.  Donkeys can learn by example.  One of the first things JJ tried to do when we moved outside of his pen was to graze.  Hand grazing is very useful for equines to know, so we will take a little side trip and learn this while getting him more comfortable with leading and moving him towards his new home in the barn.  I teach the horses a visual cue to tell them when it's okay to graze and I say "heads up", when we're done.  It's important to control the start and stop to keep your horse focused.  We'll start on that tomorrow.

My birthday is coming up.  My present is a burro sized, neoprene, pack saddle.  It's actually a burro racing saddle for competitions out West (indigenous sport in the Colorado mountains).  We won't be heading out there to race, but they make lightweight, comfy pack saddles specifically for donkeys.  It will come in handy for taking JJ on our family hikes and camping trips.  

Breakthrough

Yesterday evening went much better.  He took several more steps and seemed more at ease with the lead rope.  I removed his halter quietly and petted him for awhile to encourage him to stick around after the halter came off.  It was a good end to the day.  

When I went out to work with JJ this morning, I started by setting up the wedge and preparing to move him in to halter him.  He balked at it and gave me a quiet, appraising look.  So, I draped the loops of lead rope over his neck (no reaction) and haltered him easily.  What a good boy!  He got a chunk of carrot for his efforts.  I also petted him for awhile as a reward. We did a few steps on the lead and then he let me rub his forehead several times.  Things were going so well that I ended the session early.  His halter remained on for the evening session, but he can go back to relaxing and finishing his breakfast now.  

He has a much quieter look in his eyes than he did before.  He is interacting more, rather than simply tolerating me.   When I attempted to move him into the wedge, his look seemed to say 'trust me', so I did.  I think he's teaching me as much as I'm teaching him.  

Leading

My goal yesterday was to halter JJ.  That proved to be a little more difficult than I thought it would be.  While he let me touch him with the halter, I could see that putting it on was going to be challenge for the afternoon session.  Instead of potentially frightening him into moving away, which could set that up as a pattern, I decided to use corral panels to move him into a small space where I could train him without allowing him to avoid me.  By positioning two panels in the corner of his paddock, so that they formed a wedge, he could neither turn around or kick me, but he could move his head and body away to let me know if I was pushing him too hard.  It also allowed me to work with him through the panel, which was safer for me, should he react suddenly.  Once he was in there, I didn't rush the process.  I continued to take my time and reassure him.  After about ten minutes, he allowed me to halter him without trying to move his head away.  Once he was out of the wedge, I scratched him a bit and left him alone to get used to the halter.  

This morning, I showed him the lead rope carefully and then clipped it on with little trouble and we started the rudimentaries of leading.  At first, he was unsure of the long skinny thing that was attached to him, so I dropped the lead rope and let him drag it for a few moments, to get used to the sight of it.  Soon enough, he stopped and I picked it up and showed it to him, again.  Once he relaxed, I began to pull gently on the lead to look for a movement of his head towards my direction.  Once he responded to that pressure, I asked for a step.  He moved out at the trot on his own few times and I kept the rope slack at this point.  All I was looking for was him to give into pressure.  The pressure I used was the same type I do with calves; steady until I get a response, and then slacking up as a reward.  After some good responses, I unclipped the lead rope and fed him a carrot.  After this afternoon's leading lesson, I'll remove his halter for the night.  I'll use the wedge as long as it's needed to halter him.  

I'm very happy with his progress so far.  I have heard about others making quicker progress with bolder burros, but JJ has a different personality.  He is not bold, nor particularly brave, but he thinks about things a lot and has never shown any aggression towards me.  While some burros have been braying to ask for their breakfast already, JJ is silent.  He is also so careful about taking treats that I don't have to worry much about him becoming pushy.  He has a quiet personality.  It may take longer to gain his trust, but it will be worth it.  I also think his personality would do best with another burro.  We have already considered doing that, either the next time a BLM auction comes to our area, or through another TIP Challenge.  Burros are social animals and they need the companionship of another burro.  We did try to adopt two, but they were in high demand.  

Picking up the Pace

We did two sessions already this morning and I gave him a lot to think about.  He'll have a long rest before we do another this afternoon.    

I moved him around in both directions using a small piece of rope.  I rubbed it over his shoulders before we started and showed it to him again after to ensure he was not afraid of it.  We worked on the commands "walk" and "whoa".  He is still awkward moving to the right compared to the left.  Consequently, I spent more time with him going to the right.  He did shut down at one point, which I patiently worked through by asking the same thing in the same way until he responded, then moved onto something else quickly.  The shut down was probably due his basic donkey sense wondering why we were doing the same thing, yet again.  Burros and donkeys are like gifted students; they always want to know why.   

I also spent a lot of time petting him, showing him the halter, and touching him with it.  He did very well.  Over the weekend, I removed the nylon halter that was put on him in the chute during pick up, because this week was predicted to be quite rainy and it would likely rub him raw when it became wet and heavy.  It was a poor fit anyway, so I used a different halter to show him today.  He tolerated it very well, going so far as to let the noseband touch his nose.  I hope to be able to put the halter on and off by the end of the week. 

Donkeys and ponies can learn by example, according to research, and many of us that have been around them for awhile can attest to that (I think ponies tend to study bad habits a bit more..hehehe).  With that in mind, I have been tying the horses and pony where JJ can see them when I do grooming sessions.  Today, I walked both my Mustang and our Shetland Pony out to the grass next to JJ's paddock to see if he was curious about them, yet.  He still showed some fear, so we stayed back.  He was more comfortable with the pony, probably because she's smaller than him.  

I've increased both the length and number of training sessions because I need to get to where I can lead him and move into the paddock/stall combination in the barn relatively soon.  With all of the rain, he is danger of developing thrush and/or rain rot if I don't move him to the next level.  I also need to consider the fact that we're in prime hurricane season and he will need shelter if one approaches.  You can't rush donkey time, but by increasing the sessions, I hope to arrive at the same place a bit sooner.  

Both Sides

 Equines have an unusual quirk in their brain structures.  The parts of the their brains that process the visual images received by by their eyes are not fully connected.  That's why a trail horse will often spook at the same object twice; once on the way out and then again, on the way back.  The best way to deal with this is to make sure both eyes look at the spooky object.  With a little imagination, you can guess why this might actually work to their advantage.  For an animal that needs to be alert for predators, dismissing an object easily would work against them in the wild.

This also means that we need to work with equines equally on each side during training.  Sometimes, we skip this step, or hurry, and that results in unevenness.  I'm already thinking about this with Jeremiah.  I first pet him on his left (near) side.  He seems to prefer that I approach him on that side.  I doubt there is any trouble with his vision.  I think this is just a quirk or natural unevenness he developed.  When the animals are moved around in holding pens, it is likely that the handlers are right handed and move them from right to left (facing their left sides).  That could be the simple explanation.  So, I have been trying to even up the offside with the near side by focusing on spending as much time petting both sides of him.  We have made great progress last night and this morning.  I can touch his shoulders, neck all the way to his ears, cheeks, upper legs, back, and sides.  He takes pieces of carrot very carefully from my hand now.  This morning, while I was standing next to him, he turned his head towards me several times.  Best of all, he seemed to be waiting for me for both his breakfast and when I returned later for training.  

Carrots and Scratches

 9/7/2020

The smothering blanket of high humidity lifted a little as winds from the Northeast passed in overnight.  Everyone felt better this morning.  

Jay (JJ, Jeremiah) is becoming more accustomed to the routine.  He watched as I fed the barn horses and then brought him his flake of hay (plus, a few oats and minerals in a bucket).  He enjoys the minerals, but isn't showing any interest in the handful of oats.  

Next, I cleaned the stalls.  I do this twice per day because it keeps the bugs down.  He has been alert when I climb over the corral panels to scoop his pen, but this morning, he grazed.  He knows that isn't training time.  I left him to eat his breakfast in peace for an hour or so.   

When I returned, I had a few, small carrots.  He took them from my outstretched hand cautiously and I backed off while he enjoyed his first treat.  I left the third one on his hay.  

Next, I approached him for scratches.  He was easier to approach and seemed to enjoy it for the first time.  He reached down and grazed a bit while I scratched his back.  He likes the area around and below his ears scratched.  I left after a good scratching session.  It was good to see him happier today.  

Ready for the Rain

 Jeremiah watched a bit forlornly this morning as the horses and pony he barely knew were led out of the barn to the pasture.  He could catch glimpses of them in the pasture around the buildings, but their absence seemed to worry him.  He has not even touched noses with the horses, (his HMA has only burros; no wild horses).  However, he has no doubt become familiar with them in his years at the holding facilities.  

He has not brayed, which is not unusual.  A wild burro has every reason to hold his tongue when he is unsure of his surroundings.  The day his bray echoes through our farm will be a good day.  We hope to add another burro to our farm eventually.  That will be better for both.  

After an extensive scratching session, he trusted me to touch his head enough to remove the halter.  He looked at me brightly when it was gone.  Almost a thank you.  

Finding a treat he enjoys will help with training.  I dropped a bit of carrot on his hay this morning,  He ate it.   

This afternoon, I used a sheep hoof trimmer to neatly cut his BLM cord off of his neck.  He has worn that ever since he was processed into the holding facility, so it will be quite a change.  They are useful in quickly identifying animals in holding, but he has a family and a name now, so he doesn't need it. I hope he sleeps well tonight.

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First Touch 9/5/2020

 It hasn't been 24 hours yet since JJ came home, but he is doing very well.  I gently moved him around with just the minimum pressure (me walking towards his hind end) and used the words Walk and Whoa until he knew what I was asking.  It's too hot to do much and donkeys hate to be drilled.  When he was stopped, I practiced moving towards him and retreating towards his shoulder until he could tolerate me almost touching him.  I kept it up without touching him until he didn't flinch his shoulder as if a fly were about to land.  Then, I reached out and touched before retreating.  I did that several times until he tolerated longer scratches along his withers.  I repeated the lesson in the evening, but added touching his other shoulder.  He is not ready for anything else, yet.  At this point, we will rest here.  I will continue the lessons and try to build trust at this level.  I don't want to lead him or push him in any way until he is not just tolerating, but receptive.  

Rain is coming tomorrow.  His nylon halter will be a heavy, wet burden likely to rub his head.  HIs nylon neck cord will also rub him in the heavy rains.  My simple goal tomorrow will be to remove them.  He is not ready for leading, yet, and if I can touch him, I can train him.

Jeremiah Was Not Just a Bullfrog

 The name of a place can be descriptive of the terrain, animals, or plants to be found there.  When one mentions the Nevada desert a lot of animals come to mind, but I will admit that a bullfrog is not high on the list.  Nevertheless, there is a place known as the Bullfrog Herd Management Area and that is where our burro's story began.  He was born in 2014 and rounded up in 2018 in the Bullfrog HMA.  Upon arriving, he was vaccinated, dewormed and gelded, none of which was likely to endear him to humankind. Since then, he's been in BLM holding pens, which I suppose is like a form of wild burro purgatory.  Sometimes humans moved him with flag sticks from one pen to another, but, just as in the wild, the other burros he was with were his temporary family.  

His journey east, with all the other burros and Mustangs being adopted for this event, was delayed several times.  The pandemic made it difficult and hurricanes made it treacherous, but he arrived, safe and sound.  

My first glimpse of him was when the TIP Challenge organizers (and their equine savvy kids) moved him through the lanes and into a chute where I had my trailer backed up.  He was a furtive grey creature dwarfed by the sheer size of the specially made chute.  They used twine to lower a halter into place and strap it on his head.  Then, I watched as they opened the chute for a path to the trailer.  He was unimpressed.  As many times as he has been loaded and unloaded on his journey east, I could understand.  He turned back a few times but flag sticks directed him toward the inevitable.  His lips were clamped tight and his body tense as he finally decided to step into the trailer.  

I had one pit stop at a gas station on the two hour drive.  He mashed himself against the front wall of the trailer, as if trying to blend in, while I quickly ran inside the convenience store.  At our farm, I set up the portable corral panels that directed him into a large pen with food, water, and a shade tree.  

We named him Jeremiah, (the aforementioned Bullfrog HMA) and because we hope he will be a friend of ours.  His nickname is Jay.  He got to work mowing the grass in his pen and learning the sights,sounds, and smells of his new home.  

One short session with him to find out how close he would allow me to get to him.  We worked up to five feet and called it a day.  He has a lot to take in.  

Training the Burro

 We love donkeys.  We've had several over the years, beginning with the irreplaceable, beloved Donkeyotee.  When he passed away, the farm was incomplete.  Xavier was next.  He came from a horsetrader via an auction.  He was a very good boy, but he bonded closely with Gus the feral pony, so he left with his best friend.  Rosie was our only jenny.  She was sweet but only pasture sound.  Our farm could not provide her with 24 hour turnout like she needed, So she became a companion to an older horse.  For five months, we have been without a riveting bray to greet us at mealtimes.  No bright brown eyes peering hopefully for attention.  Nobody to stand in the way of the poop piles while we are cleaning, or knock over the wheelbarrow.  

All the donkeys we've had were trained and loved.  They were good for the vet and farrier.  They went for hikes with us and played the role of Christmas donkey for the school Nativity.  The big ones could be ridden and the smaller ones could carry packs.  It's been a joy to have donkeys around.  

This time, we decided to try to adopt a BLM burro.  These descendants of the miner's best friend live in remote parts of Nevada and Arizona.  They live in a world of rattlesnakes, mountain lions, javelinas and scorpions.  They dig water holes with their hooves that wild animals actually depend on.  Unfortunately, the rangeland (our public land) which supports them is in demand by oil, natural gas, mining operations and others looking to exploit the natural resources.  Even ranchers are given leases to run their cattle in the fragile desert.  The desert can only support so many wild animals on the remaining land, so the burros (and wild horses) are periodically rounded up and auctioned off.  Many don't find homes and spend their days untamed but locked up in holding pens.  The BLM offers them up for adoption, either live or online, several times per year.  Those that are passed over too many times are sold for pittance to dealers, who then sell to slaughter (the middleman is necessary because the government is forbidden to sell directly to slaughterhouses).  Many organizations try to help facilitate finding homes for the passed over animals to prevent a sad end.  One is the Mustang Heritage Foundation.  They sponsor Mustang Extreme Makeovers and TIP Challenges.  These are opportunities for people to adopt and train a wild Mustang or burro and then present the animal in a special show 90 days later.  The idea is to show how easy these animals can be gentled and learn to trust people.  They are clean slates.  Scared, but not scarred.  Their bloodlines are not traceable by human records, but nature makes them hardy and tough.  All equines have a sociable nature and that is what makes them bond closely with people.  This is easy to see when you look at the amazing things people have taught Mustangs and burros in a short time.  In the TIP Challenge, yearlings Mustangs and burros learn how to lead, pick up their feet, load in trailers, walk through obstacle courses, and some even learn how to do tricks.  For the adult Mustangs, they are shown under saddle in everything from jumping and dressage to reining and cow work.  

So, it was natural for me to wonder how well I would do with a burro in 90 days.  All of our donkeys have had zero, or very little, training.  I have taught them all of these things (and more).  Could I answer this challenge?  Could I teach a wild burro, like I've taught our domestic donkeys?  

Many who take on this challenge are professional trainers.  They train and then sell the burros to a good home. I'm not a professional trainer and this burro will be our new friend (so, if I mess up, we have to live with him!).  We want a desert friend to go hiking and camping with.  To give treats to and scratch their backs.  To enjoy the unique personality of a long eared buddy.  

We picked him up on Friday, September 4th, two hours from our farm.  We are at the apex of Florida summer.  The height of the crushing steamy heat..  Not exactly what a desert creature expects.  It limits training times to mornings and evenings, but a lot can be done when you spend time with an animal.  

I hope to keep you updated as to the progress (or lack thereof).  Feel free to laugh at my mistakes or enjoy the little breakthroughs.  

It will be a patient and thoughtful journey.  Donkeys are not horses.  They can move fast, but prefer to conserve their energy and think about things.  The flashy round pen training techniques don't work on donkeys because they push too hard and too fast.  If you push a donkey, they just shut down.  On this journey, we will be on donkey time.  It's a nice way to travel any road.