Just Half a Day

Yesterday we had just half a day of decent weather. Not glorious, but decent. It was windy and overcast, but warm. There were some birds singing. It felt like spring. I spent all of that time with all of my equine buddies and it was so much fun! Bella had a pedicure, all the horses got dewormed, everyone went for a short walk (mainly just to rinse the mud off in a ditch or pond).

I've let Bella's mane tangle terribly.

They'll come out with a lot of patience and some good detangler.

Duncan and Juniper were happy to come play too. 

I haltered them both and we went for a walk around the pasture. It went pretty well. I'm not sure how it would go if I asked them to line out on a narrow trail. We'd need to practice.

I took Duncan out by himself and Juniper was pretty upset so we stayed where she could see us. He just had one hoof  trimmed and got his gross dewormer, then got to graze a bunch. He was pretty happy.

Juniper got to practice being tied for the first time since being here.  She did fine. One of the things that I learned from the donkey symposium videos is that donkeys generally do better tied than being held by a handler for veterinary treatment or hoof care. At the Donkey Sanctuary they keep a donkey buddy or buddies nearby and tie them, but don't squeeze or confine them. So I tried that and hoof handling went beautifully.

Then we went for a little walk. I had moved the trailer and it looked different inside with both of the dividers open. And because it was on a different incline the door wouldn't hold itself open. I didn't expect her to load with me stuck holding the door open and everything being different, but she took a look and hopped right in without me.

Then, with the goal of having her go into some ponds, we headed down by the creek, which she hadn't seen before. It's high and moving fast. She thought it was interesting.

She didn't much like bushwhacking through the weeds that are as tall as she is, but she did it for me. We waded through some flooded areas that were about 4-5 inches deep & had grass growing, which makes them less scary, but she didn't really want to go into the pond where she couldn't see the bottom. Right then a storm blew in, so we headed back at a donkey hurry, which isn't very fast. :) I even told her pirates were coming for us on the wild waters, but she didn't feel inclined to rush. 

I gotta say, I think I sure got a good one. She's so willing to try stuff out. I love it. 

Of course I love my horses too. It was nice to spend the day with everyone.