Cheers for the Long-Ears

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Unfortunately, many people who work with mules do not appreciate the animal’s sensitivity. They also may not have understood this fundamental characteristic: You cannot force a mule to do anything. Persuade, yes. Organize his work so he’ll be willing to cooperate, but try to coerce or intimidate him, and you’ll have a battle on your hands.

Mules’ reputation for a long memory is well-deserved, so it is especially important to treat them gently and intelligently. They’ll remember whatever treatment they’ve received – for better or worse – and the source. Stories abound of mules waiting several years to avenge themselves on a bad handler.

Because poorly trained or mishandled mules can be bad company, before you buy one, it’s especially important to know where your animal came from and how it has been brought up.

Darling donkeys

The donkey has been not only one of the most used, but also the most abused animals in history. It has spent hundreds of years in service to humans, but is still often misunderstood by its owners and, unfortunately, by veterinarians. There is a tendency to view donkeys as simply a small horse, but their nature and physiology are distinct and require different care. Dr. Elisabeth D. Svendsen has compiled information on all facets of donkey management in her book, The Professional Handbook of the Donkey. (See References.)

The donkey’s long history as a beast of burden has given it an essential role in the economies of some of the world’s poorest regions. More recently, however, the donkey has found its way into more affluent circles as an excellent family pet and a good-natured saddle mount. A new and promising use for the donkey’s special temperament is as a therapeutic animal for people who are physically or mentally disabled. 

Many donkey owners who also own horses praise the donkey’s intelligence and congeniality. People who would never consider training a horse by themselves have been comfortable and successful in training a donkey. 

Jan Rowe, of Albion, Maine, who has years of experience with donkeys and horses, says training donkeys is very different from horses because of the donkey’s placid nature and intelligence. Donkeys won’t be intimidated into doing something.

“A donkey looks at a whip and asks, ‘Are you kidding?’” she says.

Donkeys will become good friends, Rowe says. “Once you get them to follow you around, you have it made.”

Rowe has used some creative training approaches, once actually resorting to a carrot on a stick to get a donkey to take a first step. Her experience training donkeys includes working with two wild burros (small donkeys) that she adopted several years ago through the U. S. Bureau of Land Management’s National Wild Horse and Burro Program (www.WildHorseAndBurro.blm.gov/; (866) 4-MUSTANGS). This program removes these animals from public lands when their numbers threaten their habitat and health. Her burros, Shadow and Twilight, were so wild she couldn’t get near them when she first brought them to her barn.

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