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Equids - Horses & Donkeys
My treasures do not clink together or glitter, I saw another version of this once on a truck's license plate frame: A few years back I snapped out of a long-term practicality-induced coma and realized that life wouldn't be complete unless I had a horse. We shortly moved from a condo-like house in La Mesa (where the house had more square feet than the property it sat on!) to our new place in Granite Hills, which is zoned for horses.
Sabrina has been wonderful, but Cooper turned out to be a handful. He would absolutely panic when I'd take Sabrina out for a ride or lesson. Not just fretting - he was so freaked out it was dangerous. For a while I felt I couldn't safely take Sabrina out anywhere, for fear Cooper would hurt himself. That obviously wasn't any kind of way to have a horse. Cooper needed a buddy.
Then one Sunday, while eating breakfast on the porch, Michael spotted an ad for a little donkey who was at the Humane Society waiting for a new home. The next morning we were up there with the horse trailer, met him, counted legs and (big!) ears, and adopted him. The three of them got along great. Eeyore was as smitten with Sabrina as was Cooper. So when I'd take Sabrina out, now both of them would run and holler. But the panic-stricken edge was off. They were upset any time she was out, but not dangerously so.
Then we were back to two critters - Sabrina, and Eeyore, who was hopelessly attached to her. Now every time I'd take her out Eeyore would run and holler the whole time. Poor little guy! I couldn't have lessons or go for rides in the afternoon, 'cause I'd come home at dusk to a donkey soaked in sweat. I had to plan outtings for the morning, so Eeyore could cool out and dry before the chilly evening came.
I thought a second donkey would do the trick. Michael wasn't so sure about this scheme... Eeyore can be a bratty, nippy, nervous, hard-to-handle little guy. We didn't need another one like that! Enter Clementine. An out-of-state friend, Lisa, knew of a young donkey jenny right near us who was looking for a home... We went to meet her, and she was the dead opposite of Eeyore - bold, friendly, calm, and gentle. Once Michael met her, he was a goner. We had ourselves a second donkey.
Through all of this, Paul Libby, a lovely person, has been our fearless farrier. He "came with the horse". Sabrina was sound, and confident about having her feet handled, so he must've been doing something right. I consistently get compliments on the state of her feet, and have referred several friends to Paul. All have been happy with his work. Contact me if you are looking for a knowledgeable, patient, kind person to shoe or trim your critters. |
One shouldn't keep horses alone - they are herd animals, and need friends. So we thought we'd start with a sensible two horses. Sabrina for me, and Cooper for Michael.
We considered getting a third horse, or maybe a pony. Or a goat - goats can make great companions for horses... But they are hard to keep penned in. 
Cooper turned out to be too much for us to handle. It got to the point that if he didn't kill me first, I was going to kill him. Y'know how people will say that a young gelded-late Arabian is probably not the best choice of a first horse for a new owner? Well, they're right! Eventually, we placed Cooper in a new home, with a trusted friend who had experience working (successfully) with difficult Arabians. They got along brilliantly! I don't know who was happier - us, for having gotten free of him, his new owner, or Cooper, who was just not happy as a backyard horse. 
The situation finally came to a head when I signed up for a 4-day clinic with Mark Rashid. I knew that if I were to leave Eeyore home alone for 4 days, he wouldn't eat or drink, and would be terribly unhappy. Rather than completing the clinic, I would almost certainly be called home after a day or two to deal with a colicky, exhausted donkey. That wasn't going to work. I considered taking him along, but he's a bit of a homebody, and hates going out on adventures. 
It's worked out great. Eeyore and Clementine play and hang out together. Clem is clearly in charge, and Eeyore loves her. Amazingly, live is quieter with two donkeys. Eeyore used to feel compelled to honk about every little thing, even late at night. Now he just looks to Clementine, whose general attitude is "it's nothing, don't worry about it".