Kicked by a donkey

Today I drove to Herr Braun's gas station to ask about the donkeys at his stable.


He immediately told me his donkeys are better and lower priced than most, and fully acquainted with horses.

I said I'd like to come by, and he was astounded that I didn't know where his barn is. I kind of know, but not where to enter. He said that I should follow him in his car.

He was pressed for time and very much acting like a dealer. I was not too thrilled about how he treated me. When we arrived he didn't politely accompany me to the stable, he just walked off and I had to hurry up to follow him, 20 meters behind him. Nice.

Then I saw a paddock filled with horses with no bedding, just a concrete floor you couldn't find for the manure and pee. I haven't seen such unsanitary conditions yet in Germany, but this is the guy who let that baby draft horse, and a bunch of others, starve to death/founder a few years back.

I do not need to be friends with a sellers, but mostly I wanted to see his donkey so that I could see what's available locally. And to bring Baasha by to meet another one.

He said his donkey is very reasonably priced at 700E. He asked what my range was but I didn't say. He said he recently paid 500E for the vet to geld the donkey. His donkey is 5 years old. He did not mention if it has an Equiden Pass, just that his son does the hoof trimmings and has no problems doing them. From the look of the hooves and the gait, I think not often enough.

He finally opened a stall door and a huge donkey came out. He looped a rope around his neck to show me the donkey. He was in a big hurry so he couldn't answer many questions. I didn't mind, I just noted how self-important he was acting the entire time.

Some ladies showed up, asking about Shetland ponies. He tried to direct them to the ponies while I stroked the donkey. He was big. Almost as big as Baasha.

I asked if I could look at his feet and he said yah. I failed at a front hoof and tried for a back one. I knew that donkey was gonna kick so I was prepared, but he got me in the right hand and broke my little fingernail into three pieces. Ugh.

He took the donkey to an outdoor arena and let him loose. We watched him roll in the sand, get up, and come back to us. I asked how tall the donkey is, approximately (I knew he didn't really know) and he said "Big enough to carry you!" I said, "Oh no, really?" He said "Yes, this donkey is strong enough to carry adults."

I thanked him very much and he ran off to his car, without returning the donkey to his stall. I wonder if anyone will come get that donkey and feed him tonight.

Two cats ran up to me on my way out, one sweet calico, and a sweet black one with a hind leg that had been destroyed somehow and just hung there as he limped around.

Yah, this guy's first class.

I will "consult with my husband" as he said.

BUT! He gave me permission to come back with my horse to introduce him to the donkey.

It might not help, but it cannot hurt for Baasha to spend time observing a donkey up close.

Before I left Herr Braun asked me if I had ridden with the endurance rider in this town, Mr. S, owner of Ibn and Star Island. I said yes. He said he drives his horses competitively, in distance races and other driving competitions. I told him I don't know anything about driving competitions.

I get to meet Bellis tomorrow and now I know to just ask to see the owner pick up the feet.

***

This evening Baasha was lying down in his pasture, and I dumped some grain on the ground under his nose so he could eat like that final scene in Black Beauty.

The cat, for some reason, lay down behind him, rolled around and bit the ground  a lot, and just acted altogether adorable. I sat on the grass too, so if anyone had had a camera, that would have been one great moment to capture, all of us on the ground together.

There might be a little shift to green in the dead Winter grass, but it's still too soon to say.