I started thinking about how goats won't work here, and ponies kick the crap out of Baasha (even once his down on the ground!), and how even when I finally find a horse, it won't be any good to go riding with Baasha having a fit where he might even hurt himself.
I thought about donkeys. I know, Baasha isn't so sure about them, but I thought maybe I could find one that really likes horses already.
Let me tell you how hard this is. First of all, donkeys in Germany are apparantly exotic animals for the wealthy. They start at around 450E and go up to 1500E if they can pull a cart.
But heck, I paid 140E for 2 mongrel cats so...this is just how it is here and I will have to deal.
I just cannot imagine a small donkey actually doing damage to Baasha - although I know it's possible. I feel like this is a real option.
So I started emailing people about their for-sale donkeys. Oh my did I get in trouble!
It turns out most people are dead set against the idea that a donkey can be a companion to a horse.
I was roundly scolded and actually promised to look for a pony. Which... I'm not gonna do.
Different species, different needs, the donkey/horse pairs I've seen, I was told, were "making the best of a bad situation." I believed them. They are so scornful of the idea.
But I have this conviction that it could work.
Sadly most of the ads are adamant: "For sale to a donkey community home ONLY" (rough translation from the German).
My man is a bit confused - but I tried to explain that Baasha needs a companion for when I take off riding the future/imaginary horse I might buy someday. He simply needs a companion that won't hurt him. And doing this before I find a riding horse would be the perfect time because they need to bond. (I wouldn't just throw them together, don't worry. And I plan on taking him to the neighbor's donkeys over time to desensitize him.)
Then I found one that might work.
They say she loves horses to the point where she grooms them, and she's only been around horses the last few years.
She's priced at something ridiculous that I hope I can talk down. I am told she's so low in the hierarchy that a shetland foal chased her around.
I'll let you know what happens.
***
P.S. Tomorrow I have a date to see a Thoroughbred as a free lease in my neighborhood. ACK, a TB! But I need to ride, and it's here, and free.
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17 comments:
We have a little donkey! He's in with our horses all the time with NO problems. Hope it works out for you :)
As for the TB, remember they come from your beloved Arabs ;) (as do a LOT of breeds lol)
Love Donkeys!!! I know one little donkey that lives with several horses with no issues so I don't understand why people are against it.
Good luck with the TB !
Well I have no desire to own a donkey, but many around here get along with the horses but the horses pretty much ignore them.
Well be careful, Free lease worries me a little, but might be a nice enough horse to get you back riding again
We have two miniature donkeys and they are great companions for the horses. We got them specifically to be companions for Starman when he retired. If you click on his page on my blog, and scroll to the end, you can read all about how wonderfully they got along.
Fingers/hooved crossed. My mare has a dog for company, they make quite the pair!!!
I think Donkey's are cute as can be. I have never had one, but I've seen many instances where they are companions to horses.
Good luck!
The donkey we had at the barns was best friends with Smokey. While I don't think they are as close as horse/ horse, it was still a good bond...
I hope it goes well!
What's up with the expensive animals in Germany?
So, here's a thought:
Could you get a goat to hang out with Baasha and just keep it in a fence-able pasture ? I know there are different parts of your pasture that aren't fence-able, but is there any part that is? Goats don't need that much room, it would just need to be a big enough space that you could throw Baasha out with the goat whenever you and NewHorse go for a jaunt?
Goats are cheap!
Here in Texas, most farms and ranches keep at least 1 donkey with their horses and cattle. While true they have different needs than horses, I am baffled by the attitude you are encountering.
yes, yes, YES! That is a proper looking donkey. I absolutely love the Bible-looking donkeys (I have no idea what the coat is called), so much that I get irritated if I see some newfangled spotty donkey and I get excited when I see a proper donkey. You may purchase that donkey for Baasha, I approve!
Aarene - if the goat is locked away from his horses, he is likely to just bellow til the horse(s) come back over by him. So she'd need two goats, to be each other's friends, and ack, before you know it she's got a full petting zoo!
We have a donkey in with a herd of about 20 horses where I'm boarding right now. They are known to be good "guard dogs" against coyotes! He mingles no problem with the horses and he's very sweet.
We have our donkey Sparky. Sometimes the new horses are freaked out by him for a few days, but without fail they wind up being obsessed by him. We joke that the highest horse honor on our farm is to be Sparky the donkey's preferred friend.
cdn, hm, you have ONE donkey with horses. i'm gonna count how often i see this phenomenon.
jeni, one donkey? not two or five? *lol*
crystal, you're right - why is it a free lease? why won't anyone pay to ride this horse?
annette, it might have been your starman post that put the idea in my head; ) the fact that baasha goes dangerously ballistic if he's left behind is a big worry for me for when i get another horse.
camryn, thank you.
dreaming, i wish i'd seen many instances where it works - i wouldn't have taken the donkey farm's scolding so badly.
breathe, so you've seen it happen too, with one donkey and horses?
aarene, you really need to come see our complicated piece of land. i could build a goat pen, but the point is that they be together, and that pen would not extend out to pasture (down the hill and then up again around that other lot) so the animals would be separate, unable to see each other, anytime baasha went to pasture.
come visit!
leah, i have to dig up that email for you from that donkey farm so you can feel the pressure they put on me: "PLEASE don't do that to a donkey!" they said.
funder, a bible donkey! that's it! i love the traditional donkey coloring too and would never want a white one or a spotted one. i guess if you had a donkey business you might want different colors for variety. a donkey business like what i found this week: "donkey hiking! - pay us 19E per hour to take a donkey for a walk in the woods!" good heavens!
jill, that's one more solitary donkey living successfully with horses. i'm amazed, i really am.
melissa, i'd forgotten completely that you have a donkey. do you get the feeling he's suffering being away from his own kind? are you up at night about this? cuz according to some people here you are committing a cruelty. *sigh*
I see donkeys in with horses all the time. I drive past a huge property on the way into town that has about 8 horses and one donkey. Sometimes I stop to visit him. I do feel sorry for the donkey at times, though, because he is obviously low in the herd status and gets chased by the horses, especially when I try to pet him. He stays with his horse herd, though, and otherwise seems content.
I love donkeys...all colors and patterns. Doesn't make a difference to me. They are all the same sweet, special creatures on the inside.
I hope to get a couple someday!
~Lisa
You could also take your hypothetical donkey to the nativity play each Christmas! A neighbour used to do that with her donkey, who enjoyed the experience (including eating flowers in the church).
I too have a donkey for a companion animal for my horse. He is a wonderful perfect companion!! Be careful... they are addictive, wish I could have more! LOL They are very, very smart too. :)
I know we already talked about my donkey, but for those who don't know my donkey Zep is best friends with my horse Chrome. They've been together for over a year now and play all the time! Zep does not appear to miss having other donkeys around at all. He loves his herd.
I do need to explain the situation better though. Chrome could care less about his companions leaving. When they leave he is content to go off on his own to graze or explore. He's also completely content to leave them behind and strides off for unknown adventures with confidence and excitement. He truly is my dream horse in that respect. I love his independent, adventurous nature.
The other two are a different story. As far as I know Faran has never been around donkeys before Zep (could have been, but not sure) and he is definitely a buddy sour horse. He hates when Chrome leaves. He even starts neighing before I get the halter on Chrome and lead him out of the pasture (he also neighs when Chrome wanders off into the pasture alone and goes out of sight in the trees). He doesn't get frantic or anything, but he totally ignores Zep when Chrome is gone. I don't think Zep is any comfort to him in that situation, but he did not bond with the donkey like Chrome did, so I agree it is important for Baasha to bond with a donkey before you bring another horse into the mix. When all three are together Faran will play a little with Zep, so he only ignores him when Chrome is gone.
If it makes you feel any better about the donkey not having donkeys for companions when Chrome leaves Zep brays for him. He's not as bad as Faran, but he's still not happy to be left behind. So I guess there is always the chance you could just have two frantic animals when the other horse leaves . . . just a variable. I truly hope it all works out for the best. :)
I do think that a donkey is perfectly fine with horses though (those people are nuts!) and I think they make way better companions than goats. Goats can be companions for horses, but the risk of them getting injured is pretty high. Chrome almost broke one of my goats legs. Goats are also loud and hard to keep in pens. Don't get me wrong I loved my goats, but they did stress me out a lot lol. And keeping them out of the horses' feed was a pain in the rear!! They bloat very easily if they eat too much feed due to acidosis so that is not a good thing at all. Ruminants are a whole other ball game if you aren't familiar with them.
I think the donkey you found is absolutely adorable (as is the pony with her) and I really hope it works out for you and Baasha!!
Sorry for the novel!
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