Cheers for the Long-Ears

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“At first I just brushed them with a broom so they could get used to being touched without the threat of my getting close to them,” Rowe says. Eventually she was able to get close enough to touch them. She spent that first winter just “leaning on them and loving them” – not a hard strategy for any donkey owner – until they followed her everywhere. She spent even more time working with them before attempting to train them for driving.

Well-trained donkeys make excellent introductory riding animals for young children and are beloved saddle mounts for many of their owners. Donkeys and mules don’t have the big shoulders horses have, so their saddles have a special tail piece called a crupper to prevent saddle and rider from sliding forward onto the animal’s neck. Some donkey owners, including Rowe, prefer to ride bareback or with a bareback pad. It just takes some knowledge and a lot of balance, Rowe says. “Like learning to ride a bicycle.”

Another role that contributes to the donkey’s value on the farm is that of “watchdog.” Donkey owners report their donkeys running stray dogs and coyotes from the property. Most donkeys cohabit happily with other animals, but because of their protective natures, they should be introduced slowly to new neighbors.

Allan Smith, of Union, Maine, says donkeys are easy to fence in. One strand of electric wire will do the job. “But you want to make sure there’s a charge in it,” he says. “When I don’t charge their fence, they know it, and they get out.”

Even though they’re most frequently used in this country as pets, donkeys’ ability as draft animals shouldn’t be overlooked. Small as they are, donkeys can pull quite a load. Sally Boyd of Teel Cove Farm in Tenants Harbor, Maine, uses her two standard donkeys, Hershey and Babe, for wood- and hay-gathering as well as for plowing her gardens. She ordered special small-scale equipment from England (including a plow, a spring-tooth harrow and cultivating tines) so she could work her animals in the garden. With the voice of experience, Boyd says using animals for garden work isn’t for everyone.

“I’d imagine you’d get very frustrated if you’re used to using a rototiller, because it takes three times as long with donkeys,” she says. “But if you enjoy working with animals, it’s fun.”

Good care pays off

Having originally evolved in dry, harsh climates, donkeys can thrive on a simple diet. Keep donkeys off the sweet feed and grain, as they can founder and develop laminitis just as horses do. Mules are much less likely to founder because they know when they’re full and will stop eating. As browsers, donkeys are fond of the roughage other animals may turn up their noses at, such as thistles and pigweed, so they can help maintain the landscape as they munch their way through the weeds. First, though, familiarize yourself with weeds in your area that might be poisonous to your animals by checking with your county extension agent.

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