GOD, Jesus Christ, Donkey, Pets, farm, Miracle, laughter, peace, Marriage, Farm, garden, love, hope, Mammoth donkey, Mini donkey, Faith, Animals, Dogs, Cats, Horse, and life on the Farm
Today is April 13, 2012 it has been two years since I got in the vehicle with my GOD mother and survived a semi truck smashing into the passenger door where I was sitting destroying my fragile body. This has been the longest two years I can remember of my entire life. Praise GOD my husband and I are stronger in our bond of marriage and I thank GOD in Jesus Christ name for his blessings, healing and favor.
I think I am finally getting this verse (Philippians 4:11) from the NIV bible I guess these things take time as I am just a human being doing the best I can to navigate life. Nothing happens by accident; I am sure GOD always allows things to come into our life and leave our life as nothing stays the same.
Life weaves in and out for all of us just like seasons come and go in nature. The good news is I know GOD is in control of my life and I need not worry about a thing and I shall be content and live in the moment just like the animals do.
GOD bless you and your family two and four-legged!
Rio, Lily and Rocket Man are taking a break from training while I work full-time to recover from the semi truck accident. Training for manners, picking up feet, out of the barn, over, back-up (as they are never authorized to walk over us) is taught each and every time we are with them. Equine (horses, donkeys and mules) can learn verbal commands just like dogs and I highly suggest training these commands to your domesticated equine i.e., whoa, over, back-up, trot, canter and my favorite ”down” for a roll in the arena.
Take a look at Lucy a Mammoth donkey she is amazing. What do you think of Savana her owner/trainer believes in love and kisses cute video. One more Apollo the mammoth donkey.
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Melody & Lily 2009
Training donkeys, horses & Mules
* No bit is required for training donkeys, mules and horses if all the ground work is completed along with verbal commands
* Never work them too long no more than 45 minutes a few times a week
* Stop training session with something the equine has mastered and end with a nice brush, take them for a walk with you for a bite of grass something the equine enjoys doing
* Become humble and think about how you would want to be trained if you were an equine. Would you want someone to take it slow and easy or be aggressive and in a hurry? Would you want to learn how to carry your human partner with a metal bit hurting your mouth and trying to balance with the weight of a human? Are you up for the challenge to train your equine to ride bitless?You can do it! Training equine to ride bitless is better on the mouth when the rider does not have his/her seat as we should never be pulling and balancing on the mouth of our beloved equine. Safety is always your number one goal and please remember working with equine (donkeys, horses and mules) can be dangerous. Timing is important release the pressure at just the right moment and the equine learn more from this than the pressure. Having emotional intelligence and empathy for your domesticated equine will help you become the best trainer and friend your donkey, horse or mule could ever dream of.
* Enjoy yourself and your special time with your donkey, horse or mule as you will never be in this same time again. Life is precious and fragile enjoy every minute, hour and day GOD has given you.
It is imperative to your success that you provide the foundation of training for your equine. Each of our equine has their feet picked out each and every day. Each has been taught to stand for grooming, farrier, vet and each can trailer load without stress no big deal. Try to remember when training you equine that each day is a building block to the next and take things slow and easy. Donkeys are really smart if you have a small piece of carrot for training new things the donkey will be much more motivated to learn and stay in the class room. Always end the training session with something the donkey has mastered so he leaves school feeling smart. If you end the training session on a bad note your donkey will go back to the pen and think about how to get around you the next time you train.
Melody riding Lily trails with bitless bridle
Melody & Lily 2009 Playing Parelli games
Most importantly remember your horse, donkey or mule is a gift from GOD, life is fragile and precious we never know when our time is up or our beloved equine. Take the time it takes to get to know your donkey, horse or mule more than just getting on and riding. My opinion “Having an emotional connection is the difference between success and failure when training equine.” So go enjoy your equine, have a plan and stay safe.
I am a home study student of Parelli and yes Parelli works for donkeys too!
Melody
GOD bless you and your family two and four-legged!
Fall has officially arrived in the Pacific Northwest and with fall comes rain. Excellent drainage is a must for equine living in the rain and please don’t forget the much-needed necessity shelter. For heavy traffic areas we lay 3/4 clean gravel to prevent mud as mud causes serious health issues for equine. Fighting thrush is a constant battle for our mammoth donkey Rio I just started using No Thursh seems to be working the best. My horse and mini donkey have no problem with thrush and they all live in the same environment, interesting how each equine is unique. Picking up the poop at least once a day will help in more ways than one. Smile.
Are you wondering how to prevent mud? Here is an interesting site from WSU explaining how to prevent mud and keep your pastures growing.
GOD bless you and your family two and four legged!
Laughter is great medicine! If you see something funny that’s clean and healthy please share if it’s really great I will add to the Donkey Whisperer Farm Blog. Enjoy!
GOD is great, GOD is helping me to stay strong and never give up. I am now attending physical therapy once again and adding water physical therapy in along with gym work. The key for me is to try to not over do it. This is very hard when I want to get well and be able to attend Parelli to become a horse, donkey and mule trainer. The photo below was taken before the semi truck accident this photo puts a fire in my belly and reminds me that nothing, nothing is impossible with our GOD in Jesus Christ precious name.
If you are having a hard time in life I suggest giving GOD a try in Jesus Christ precious name as he loves all of his children. We must never forget we live in a fallen world and GOD does not bring tears, sickness, pain and suffering to us. Jesus Christ is the prince of peace he is my Lord and Savior and I am very grateful for this relationship as the amount of pain and suffering I have had is difficult for the mind to understand.
GOD will never leave us or forsake us never. I share my life with you to give you hope, inspiration and to know that you can do anything you are determined enough to do. Never settle, never ever as we were all created with special talents and gifts enjoy your life and you will never work. Life is whatever we want it to be it is no more and no less.
I liked this blog so much I pressed it enjoy. Maya Angelou.
This is a beautiful maple tree on the Donkey Whisperer Farm, I hope you enjoy this tree as much as we do.
GOD is a faithful GOD we are given the strength to lean on GOD and hold tight to GOD but this takes diligence, prayer, reading the bible, being humble, listening to praise music, attending church, tithing, helping others. It seems GOD will use us to help others and the more we help others the more help will come our way. GOD uses us to help others and this becomes more of a blessing for us than the person we helped, never forget that you and you alone have a special gift to help another living human or animal.
Pain and trauma is not from GOD as we live in a fallen world we are not in heaven yet, I work at remembering that GOD can make life easier and GOD will restore everything stolen from our life. How do we know GOD is in control and still on the throne because we are children of GOD in Jesus Christ precious name. GOD is a faithful GOD he restores everything in abundance stolen from us if we trust him.
Here is a beautiful video shared by Petra Christensen at Parelli showing regular people helping a whale this video made me cry as I love all the animals of the world that our father in heaven created with a special place for the whales as they are the most intriguing to me. I have seen the whales in the Puget Sound while in a boat several times they are truly amazing.
What if the people in the boat decided to not try to help the whale? What if they just rowed away? Thank GOD they did the right thing and restored the whale to her life. Amazing what people can do when they try.
Encouragement and comfort:
In the day of trouble he will hide me in His shelter; in the secret place of His tent will he hide me; He will set me high upon a rock. Psalm 27:5
GOD will cover me with his wings; I will be safe in his care; his faithfulness will protect and defend me. I need not fear any dangers in the night or sudden attacks in the day. Psalm 91:4-5
And this small temporary trouble I suffer will bring me tremendous eternal glory, much greater than the trouble. For I fix my attention not on things that are seen but on things that are unseen. What can be seen last only for a time, but what cannot be seen lasts forever. Corinthians 4:17-18
I call out to GOD in Jesus Christ precious name, the GOD who holds me together. He sends orders from Heaven and save me. GOD delivers generous love. GOD delivers generous love, he makes good on his word. Psalm 57:2-3
GOD bless you and your family two and four-legged!
Seems life is so darn busy and everyone is in such a hurry I find myself thinking “Just one moment please” while talking to people. Here at the Donkey Whisperer Farm we have one Mammoth donkey, one mini donkey, one horse, three dogs and two cats. Donkeys are on “Donkey Time”, they live in their moment and move at their speed and never ever get rushed. I make a point to try to live like the donkeys as life is precious and fragile and there is no need to get all worked up in traffic, a slow waiter, resolving medical billing, or just coordinating the repair of one of our home appliances. Whenever I start to feel anxious I stop and think to myself “I am on donkey time”, kinda like living in Hawaii life is slow and wonderful.
When I feel my neck get tight and my heart starting to race I stop and pray ask GOD to help me and think about Donkey Time as I want to stay on donkey time the rest of my life. Getting upset, worrying, crying, just creates a headache for me and when my body is finished with this reaction nothing has changed. When I stay in faith with GOD and trust GOD is working to fix all the things gone astray and not only fix them but bring us out in favor in a better place than where we started every wrinkle in my face is wiped away. My horse is learning to be more calm but she is a horse and a horse with the same personality as me AAA, living with her big step brother the mammoth donkey keeps her calm. Several times during the winter months we have seventy mile hour winds on our farm, trees snap, branches fly and our big Mammoth donkey lays down in the middle of the storm and eats the tree limbs like they are treats from heaven. I am trying to use this scenario for me when life is difficult and things don’t seem to be going right this is the time I must sit down and pray and wait for GOD.
I pray my transparency helps you if you are in the middle of a storm. Remember living on donkey time is easy simply lay down inside your mind while you are in the middle of the storm, pray for peace and wisdom and wait for GOD. Pray for all things and wait as great things always come after the storm in life if we stay in faith with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
GOD bless you and your family two and four-legged!
Donkeys can be slow to respond, slow to move, and require a trainer that they respect and they have no fear of, a human trainer that has a creative and innovative plan to make things interesting.Donkeys get bored much faster than the horse and their ability to learn is different from the horse or mule (1/2 horse 1/2 donkey.
How is this learning for donkeys different from horses?
Donkeys being trained successfully require a safe, fair, loving home where they feel their human partner is the leader of their herd. Donkeys must be successfully tamed before teaching them any new task i.e., riding, leading, hoof picking; be patient and remember you are on Donkey Time “kinda like living in a vacation place like Hawaii life is easy and slow in Donkey Time.”
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People make jokes all the time to me about donkeys “oh your little or big ass” I am quick to reply “Ass is reserved for the two leg human I think it don’t say it” and yes I am a donkey whisperer for humans too smile. Learning how to train a donkey really helps with the humans in our life that can be an ass as it requires patience, love, boundaries and understanding, I like to say give everyone the three-second rule to correct the behavior in a fair and practical way no abuse, this works on humans who step over boundaries too.
Taming a new donkey:
I use Parelli ”friendly game”, rope halter, carrot stick, no abuse put the donkey in a small space, talk calmly to the donkey, look to see if the donkey will take a piece of apple or carrot. A donkey scared to death will not eat and this is a warning sign to proceed with caution in taming this donkey remember to keep your face away from their hips, rear as donkeys can kick side ways like a cow. I begin by saying whoa in a small space, rub their face, try to stay calm and keep my emotions in neutral, place the rope halter on, tie them up so they cannot move to start this taming as most not all donkeys can be introverted; standing still and scared to death or can get aggressive when scared i.e., kicking, striking or running off with the human. Donkeys are very physical equine it is important to remember any kind of equine (horse, donkey or mule) can be dangerous you must take responsibility for your actions. I have learned that most tamed donkeys want their loving time first, scratching, rubbing, talking to them and they love a healthy treat i.e., 1/2 green apple a couple of pieces of carrot. Learn parelli as they explain the psychology of the equine and Parelli started out with a mule so he truly understands the patience, consistency, time and all that is needed to be succesful with donkeys, mules and of course horses! I personally am very grateful for the Parelli home study and I am sure all equine (donkeys, horses, mules) are grateful too as I have seen and heard of some very horrific training techniques for donkeys, mules and horses. Humans are natural predators and when they are afraid they do whatever it takes to stay safe and sometimes this training can back fire and thus all the training programs available to try to help the human with their equine and dogs.
Why Do I Love Donkeys, Mules & Horses?
Donkeys do not freak out or go right brain on adrenalin very often as they are seriously into counting every calorie and self-preservation with the benefit to be able to think all of the time no need to get in a hurry. Donkeys are usually “not always” introverted thus people call them stubborn (some horses and ponies act this way with boring work and no motivation, inspiration opportunities) and they stop moving their feet, sometimes they just lay down. The need for a great leader is evident in these equine! The key to success in training an equine is a human who wants to be a partner to the equine and a human partner who has empathy and works hard to inspire and connect with strong safety boundaries, this is when the relationship blossoms. As Parelli says “when you take off the halter all you get is the truth” if your equine leaves you or will not come in to you this is a sign of a relationship problem.
Why do I love horses?
Horses are majestic and fast, my horse Lily is a quarter horse but she has some speed in her kinda like a ferri car, not for everyone but exactly what I needed to get my life back on track she would be considered the leader of a wild herd of horses and she would fight to the death to stay on top. This is her personality and well it’s mine we are truly mirrored together and I understand her needing to move her feet and run and buck get the endorphins pumping as this is my personality too. Lily is a lot of horse and she is always pushing the boundaries and then finally she stops and goes to work, in the wrong owners hands she could become a very dangerous horse.
I have always been in love with the horse since I was a little girl, their ability to move their feet and perserve thru their smell senses, strength and speed is exhilarating to me. My mare Lily brings me back to my beginning as a youngster as I could escape and ride off with my horse and a friend or just me and my horse. Horses are not for everyone that is for sure, people do need to be aware that choosing the right equine is essential (some people would work better with a donkey), some people should not ever be around any equine as they have no empathy. All equine can learn to become great partners depending on the personality of the human and the personality of the horse and the type of training the human wants to invest in the relationship as great things take time and hard work.
When I look on the web at how equine have been treated it makes me want to cry! Most donkeys are thrown in a pasture with a horse as a pasture mate and well that’s it. I say “Your missing out” Donkeys are good for us humans who work too much, speed around too fast in life as they make us slow down, I call this “DONKEY TIME” and enjoy the moment GOD has placed in our life “the donkey, horse and mule is a healer and is used for post traumatic stress, exercise and emotional wholeness.
It is my goal and I do this for free via the world-wide internet at WWW.DONKEYWHISPERER.COM to try to create hope, innovation, leadership, creativity and most important a change for the donkeys, mules and horses. I do this by sharing information for free to help their humans understand what the donkey, mule or horse needs to feel safe and stay in a safe partnership with their human partner.
I share my personal life to try to help people understand donkeys, horses and mules can learn and not only learn but become a partner with you, if you get thrown off and the equine is connected they will not run off and leave you they are connected to you, this is truly a gift from GOD. We hope you follow along and watch as Rio our Mammoth donkey turns 5 this year and observe the journey Rio and Scott take as they start riding as partners in our arena. Rio is still growing and his bones will not be completed fused and grown until he is 6 years old and this is why Rio is still doing mostly ground work as we want him to stay healthy and continue to live in optimum health. We purchased Rio at 9 months old, he could barely walk on the line, drug Scott along in the beginning but things changed really fast. It is truly a wonderous thing to watch these two guys connect as they are both learning and listening to me guide them along their journey. I call this training a partnership 49 and 51 partnership and this can slide back and forth with the human always staying safe; clear and consistent leadership for the equine. Teaching the two of them (Scott & Rio) is challenging but oh so rewarding. Perhaps you are wondering if Parelli training works for horses, donkeys and mules? I am here to say yes!
Short training Video of Rio & Melody - before the semi truck accident
Please remember to keep your training sessions short, drilling does not work with equine especially the donkey as they will stop trying. Always teach both sides of the equine (horse, donkey & Mule) and remember just like people one side is easier than the other. Try to set the equine up for success so if you are training something new don’t drill and go back to something the equine has mastered and end the training session with the equine succeeding never the opposite.
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Please consider another way to train your equine! Stop getting disturbed by your training with your equine break the negative cycle and provide the equine with a successful training class “set them up for success” you can do it! Remember to end the short training session (no more than 10 minutes per task) with play time something the donkey, mule or horse has mastered and enjoys.A small bite of green grass helps on the way back to the barn, trailer, stall etc as you are connecting with your donkey. I know you are saying they have feed in the barn yep but don’t you know that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence and this is an opportunity for you to do something your equine wants to do, get a few bites of green grass just a few minutes of your time really makes the relationship stronger. Donkeys demand a connection to learn and horses dream of this kind of training. Donkeys are not horses so please don’t try to make them into something they are not “old cowboy” training does not work for donkeys. It is much easier to attract a positive result with honey than vinegar and this works with people too; family, business, work, neighbors, give it a try to remember to be grateful for everything in your life to Jesus Christ our Lord and savior.
Parelli works for donkeys, mules and horses as they understand how to teach the connected riding and psychology of the equine. Just like people have personalities equine (donkey, mule & horse) have horsenalities as Parelli says “pick your equine carefully”. Another important consideration is taking your donkey for walks of grazing allowing them to take a bite here and their with you walking next to them. Please remember “Donkeys hate dogs instinctively dogs are predators plan to make the training successful when de-senstizing them don’t let the dog chase at your equine ever. Your carrot stick from Parelli works great to keep the dog in their space if they move in too close to the equine as it just takes one kick and the dog is dead, no do over.
Please remember with GOD driving your life in Jesus Christ name your opportunities are infinity! Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life. Proverbs 4:23 NIV
If you own a donkey you understand the difference between a donkey and a horse for sure! Perhaps you are considering a donkey? Please understand donkeys & mules (half horse and half donkey)require health just like the horse; shelter, clean mold free low sugar hay, feet trimmed, teeth, veterinarian and one more thing donkeys are easy keepers.
Donkeys are always easy keepers and require low sugar (below 10% NO alfalfa hay) shots, clean water, love, exercise, training, rubs, talked to and shelter whew! Donkeys CAN NOT stay healthy in big pastures full of green grass as this causes laminitis (sugar diabetes in humans) interesting article by Pete Ramey http://www.hoofrehab.com/HORP-061200-LAMINITIS.pdf
Donkeys were created by GOD and to prove it GOD placed a cross on their back, the cross is easy to see in light-colored donkeys and difficult to see in the dark-colored donkeys. Donkeys began their existence in the desert eating very little a bite here and there and of course donkeys have those magnificent ears to alert them early to predators for survival of their species. Please remember if you commit to a donkey you really should commit to two donkeys as donkeys are happier in every way when living with another donkey. It is my opinion the mini donkey is the least amount of money for purchasing and care; hay, vet, clean up and much easier to train as they are miniature donkeys physically easier manage. I highly suggest Parelli http://www.parellinaturalhorsetraining.com to learn how to train a donkey as there are very few donkey trainers in the world so home study is your best option. I offer free support at my website http://www.donkeywhisperer.com.
Both of our donkeys are Johns; geldings (Johns are for gelded mules only) Rio (mammoth) and Rocket Man (mini) or in horse language (gelding cannot reproduce) and both of them are introverted and afraid of new things. Not all donkeys are afraid of new things and gelding are usually easier than jacks (stallion) in horse world. Jennies (mares horse world) can be more difficult as they can reproduce so please remember this. My training is completely different for my donkeys than for my horse (mare) as she is extremely fast and extroverted I must match her personality with my timing and plan of action to stay safe and keep her as a model equine with respect for humans. Interesting thought; some ponies can act like donkeys more whoa than go and will not move their feet.
If you open your home, heart and bank account to a couple of donkeys (the only animal in the bible GOD gave the ability to talk) be prepared for the donkey bug as donkeys are that special! This applies when donkeys are lucky enough to be cared for by a human who treats them with clear black and white (no gray) leadership, love, respect and no abuse of any kind. “On the other hand if the human is a human Ass the donkeys will not be loving and friendly as they are into self-preservation first and most importantly”, just like you or I would be if we were being abused by a human Ass.
I say “Ass is saved for the human and used when needed only by the human’s ability to care for any living thing including the donkey.” Thus I wear my shirt saying “I am the ass whisperer whenever I am dealing with humans as it creates laughter, lightens everyone up. I never call the donkey an Ass as they are the sweetest loving equine (horse, donkey, mule) I have ever encountered in my entire life UNLESS the human Ass has abused the donkey. When encountering a donkey that has been subjected to the human Ass abuse it is very difficult to heal/train the abused donkey and sometimes not possible. Sadly now the donkey that has been abused is scared and can become very dangerous as donkeys are into self-preservation the same as you or I would be if treated inhumanly.
Taming a new donkey:
I use Parelli ”friendly game”, rope halter, carrot stick, no abuse put the donkey in a small space, talk calmly to the donkey, keep your face away from their hips, rear as donkeys can kick sideways like a cow. I begin by saying whoa in a small space, rub their face, tie them up so they cannot move to start this taming as most not all donkeys can be introverted standing still and scared to death or can get aggressive when scared. Donkeys are very physical equine it is important to remember any kind of equine (horse, donkey or mule) can be dangerous you must take responsibility for your actions. I have learned that most tamed donkeys want their loving time first, scratching, rubbing, talking to them and they love a healthy treat i.e., 1/2 green apple a couple of pieces of carrot. Learn parelli as they explain the psychology of the equine and Parelli started out with a mule so he truly understands the patience, consistency and all that is needed to be successful with donkeys and for Mr. Parelli & Mrs. Parelli I am grateful and I am sure all the donkeys that get this training are grateful as I have seen and heard of some very horrific training techniques for donkeys, mules and horses.
Why did I name my farm and website the Donkey Whisperer in lieu of Ass Farm etc.?
GOD in Jesus precious name gave me the idea and the domain name was available at just the correct time for me and to GOD I am truly grateful. I want to help all the equine and the humans live a life of promises as GOD has written in the bible. While the world is in turmoil GOD is holding his children close to him and GOD is making a way for his children to smile in the middle of the storm. GOD has brought smiles, peace, purpose, safety, love, success to our lives as we honor GOD in Jesus precious name over and over every day. When you say the simple prayer “Jesus come into my life I make you my Lord and Savior” we believe GOD will change everything in your mind, body, spirit and life. GOD never said life would be easy here on earth but he did say he will never forsake us or leave us as we are his children.
Summary:
Save the word ASS for the human and use as needed (just think it don’t say it) I promise it will help put a smile on your face, please call the donkey a “DONKEY”. Smile
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Rural life of a West Virginia family. We love horses and blacksmithing, hunting fishing, cooking camping and teaching the little ones about the garden.
