Want To Be A Hero?

Howdy,

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Consider becoming a satellite adoption center for sweet donkeys needing help as Peaceful Valley Donkey Adoption center will teach you how to do everything.  Sadly during this difficult time in our economy more and more animals are being starved, abused and neglected. 

Perhaps you wonder why my heart aches for the donkeys.  Donkeys are the underdog, donkeys don’t usually fight back when being abused they just check out mentally, stand still and take the abuse it’s horrific.

I can look in the eyes of donkeys and see their pain or pleasure depending on their human partner current and past lifestyle.  Think of it like an abused human who has lived through extreme trauma with Post Traumatic Stress symptoms. 

Donkeys that have endured horrid abuse will take a special human who can be patient with them but most importantly prove to the donkey you are a good human who would never hurt them in any way, action is best i.e., providing, food, water, safety from predators (animals or  human), talking to them, kisses on the nose, brushing and a few carrots every once in a while.  

Donkeys are excellent listeners thus those big beautiful ears and a deep desire to be with their beloved human partner.

Please network and share these links with everyone you know via your social network.  Donkeys are worth the few seconds of time to hit a few keystrokes on your keyboard.

GOD bless you and your family two and four legged!

Melody

http://www.donkeywhisperer.com

 

How To Take Your Donkey, Horse or Mule’s temperature

 

All equine (donkeys, horses and mules) should be 99.9 anything above 100 is a fever you need to call the Vet.  How to Video clip by DVM.

 

Donkey

Howdy,

Check out this beautiful photo of a gorgeous Donkey many more beautiful photos to enjoy at this blog.  Enjoy!

GOD bless you and your family two and four legged!

Melody

http://www.donkeywhisperer.com

 

Let’s Use Social Media To Stop Equine (horse, donkey and mule) Slaughter In America

Howdy,

A friend just forwarded me this plea for help to stop horse Slaughter in America just takes a few seconds to help.  Select STOP HORSE SLAUGHTER IN America.  Please forward this link to everyone you know to stop horse slaughter in America.

Here’s what you can say:

Taxpayers should not pay millions of dollars in subsidies for this cruel industry.  Thank you.

Please leave a comment sharing what you did to help!  Each of us can make a difference just takes a few seconds of our time via the wonderful social media of the internet.

GOD bless you and your family two and four-legged!

Melody

http://www.donkeywhisperer.com

 

Donkeys Can Do Anything The Horse Can Do

Rio 9 months old

Howdy,

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!

http://www.donkeywhisperer.com

 

Here Comes The Rain Again

Howdy,

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!

Melody

http://www.donkeywhisperer.com

 

Tips For Winter Preparation On The Farm

Howdy,

2009 photo of Melody loving on the donkey girls (Jennies) before the car accident at Mas Ass Acres, truly a fantastic memory.

The weather is changing fall is in the air and soon it will be winter, preparation is the key to optimum health for domesticated equine (horse, donkey or mule) as they depend on their human partner to care for them.  Owning a horse, donkey or mule is a huge responsibility and should never be taken lightly even when we don’t feel good (exhausted, tired, or sick) we must take care of our equine or get help to care for them as they depend on us and cannot do it for themselves.

Blanket Or Not To Blanket? This is another personal decision in keeping our equine in optimum health.  Equine can grow beautiful thick fur coats if they are healthy and are not blanketed.  Sadly when they are sick and not being fed correctly it is extremely hard for them to grow a healthy fur coat as all of the nutrients are working to keep them alive.  

All domesticated equine must have shelter to get out of the cold and wet elements.   If you blanket please remember this is a huge responsibility the blanket must be checked daily for sores, wet, sweat, rubbing, moving entanglement.  A wet, dirty and frozen blanket can contribute to a serious illnesses and even death in our beloved equine at the minimum colic.  An electric water bucket screwed tightly against the barn so they cannot bite it and get electrocuted will help keep your equine drinking water with a bonus you do not have to break ice.  All of our equine drink more warm water than cold water in the very cold winter days we always have two buckets one heated and one not.  Did you know? Clean no mold hay and fresh water are the most important  nutrients we can provide our beloved equine.  Do you have your buckets ready for winter? 

Please remember if your equine is old, sick or recovering from surgery a clean blanket is a must.  The absolute best coat is usually not always but usually their fur coat as it drys quickly and is less maintenance for us humans.  Since winter is coming make sure all your blankets are cleaned and fit your equine. 

GOD bless you and your family two and four-legged!

Melody

http://www.donkeywhisperer.com

 

Planning To Bring Home Your Horse, Donkey Or Mule

Howdy,

Your excited all of your hard work and preparation; removing brush, trees, drain, hay barn, safe fence, and creating a shelter whew!  Now you are finally prepared to bring your equine (horse, donkey or mule) home.  Did you know the equine needs a buddy to stay in optimum health?  Did you know they will be better mannered for you when you provide a buddy?  Equine are herd animals, safety, social and grooming are all part of their basic needs for survival.  Placing your equine in a pasture all alone will make them have some serious psychological issues so do the right thing and make sure you have a buddy for your equine. 

Donkeys do best with at least two donkeys as well “donkeys are unique they are not horses they are donkeys”.  Equine need to lay down and sleep it is very difficult to do this when there is no buddy watching over them, thus comes training problems and all kinds of health problems.  Please never leave your equine all alone it is not natural for them.

Please consider how many equine need homes Pet finder are free or very low money to save an equine life and provide a buddy for your equine. All equine are herd members, all equine require another pasture mate in order to stay calm, relaxed, sleep and groom one another.  This is a fact not just an opinion. I am a student of the Parelli home study program for more information take a look at their website for natural equine training and care.

GOD bless you and your family two and four-legged!

Melody

http://www.donkeywhisperer.com

 

Horses, Donkeys and Mules Never Forget Human Friends

Here is a really good article Equine Never Forget Human Friends, Enjoy!

GOD bless you and  your family two and four-legged!

Melody

htttp://www.donkeywhisperer.com

 

Think Outside Of The Box

Howdy,

When training equine (Donkey, horse and mule) try to think out of the box. Make sure nothing is new and stressful to your equine i.e., trailer loading, walking up to mounting block, preparation is the key to a succesful and enjoyable time with your equine.  Remember equine can only do what you have trained them to do. It’s not their fault if you’re not communicating clearly they cannot speak our language they rely on us humans to train with clear and concise tools.  Have a plan before you get your equine out.  Plan what you are going to do so you are clear and not confused as the equine is always looking for a leader and if we don’t lead guess what they will. Smile.

Take a look at this horse side stepping up to the mounting block, every time you are working with your equine you are training them to do something.  Try to have a plan and be consistent each time you work with them.

Teaching our equine to do the things we need and want them to do each time we ride is an invaluable training tool and it’s cool.  So Think ahead before riding and make sure your equine understand exactly what you want them to do. 

I am a home study student of Parelli as they have the best online training available. A virtual training office at the finger tips of your computer lot’s of video’s showing you how to do things.   

GOD bless you and your family two and four-legged!

Melody

http://www.donkeywhisperer.com