This isn't a vineyard post but pertains to the land. We needed to manage the grassland and since the nine donkeys we used to have here each summer for the last 11 years didn't come to us this year, Alex reached out to a sanctuary which, after an inspection, offered us four animals, two girls and two boys.
On Thursday, our first three rescue donkeys arrived from My Lovely Horse Rescue in Edenderry. County Offaly. We were to receive two females, Blanche and Ursula, but at the last minute they had a new arrival, Bruce, and asked if we'd take him as well. We agreed wholeheartedly. We don't know anything about our donkeys except that Blanche is petite, young and friendly, Ursula is afraid and was likely mistreated, Bruce is older. We can't really place him age-wise, but as donkeys live to about 40 years of age, my guess would be 30+. Bruce is a sweetie, so I'd say he was abandoned because he got too old to work.
The funny thing is that Alex's stepbrother's mother's name was Blanche, and Chris did the location scouting in Jamaica where Ursula Andress walked out of the sea in her bikini in Dr. No. How weird is that connection? And Bruce Springsteen is my favourite rock artist, so naming Brucie after the Boss fits.
Yesterday, both Blanche and Ursula let me stroke their heads. Bruce, who had been standoffish at first as he'd only just met the girls, has now been hanging out with them which is great. Donkeys are highly social and hate being alone. Bruce comes to me when I call his name, as does Blanche.
The other two boys will be coming later because they need to become geldings first (sorry boys, but those are the rules). So the boys are younger. They will most certainly outlive us. We know more about Archer and Zeke as they were written up by the Donkey Sanctuary in 2022 when they were rescued shortly after being separated from their mother. Lucky boys. I wasn't in love with their names and was thinking about renaming them Remus and Romulus. Or maybe something like Burrito and Jack? But I'll wait until we meet them to see how they feel.
We are making good progress with the donkeys. All three come to me when I call them. Carrots help. But we have a funny thing happening with little Blanche. When Bruce tries to come to me, she chases him away. Is the little sweetheart a bully in disguise? Why is she chasing Brucie away? We'll have to watch this behaviour. Ursula is already looking better, with less hair hanging off her head, and she seems calmer and happier.
I'm really loving having our own as opposed to someone else's just occupying our land. I will bond with them little by little. They are so good for the land. Their manure is excellent for composting. They tap the land gently into a healthy profile. They munch most of the grasses with joy, keeping them cropped and healthy. Need to keep the land ready for farming when necessary.
We will be moving them around so they don't eat too much at one time, which could result in laminitis. We have a lot to learn. They will teach us.
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| Ursula |
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| Bruce |
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| Ursula |
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| Blanche |
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