The Backyard Bunch

From Jim: We have about 15 of our critters in the backyard, and that's not counting the dogs and cats. This backyard bunch is composed of donkeys, mules, and horses. There are Arabians, Thoroughbreds, Quarter Horses, Appies, ponies-3 breeds, and so on. We try to rotate different animals into the "backyard experience" because we really enjoy the close contact we have with them every day. Some of our residents have stories of terrible abuse and have learned the worst about our kind. Constant human contact, with no strings attached, and being in the midst of trusting herdmates helps them gain trust and lessens their anxiety. It can take a long time-by our standards. Equines don't carry watches or calendars. For them, it just takes the time it takes. I think the lesson is patience and then more patience. One of our donkeys took 4 years to grow from a frightened mistrustful victim of abuse to a loving and sweet friendly pet. That's how long it took and it was worth it. We believe that animals at liberty come to a trusting relationship by choice. They are not just desensitised, they are at peace. There is definitely a place for round ring work and training. Our failure to get common expected training done with an animal puts them and us at risk. An equine with no learned skills has a hard time of it. This is quite different from how an animal views our kind. The more they are able to trust us and follow our attempts to shape their behavior, the more things can get done. Lots of positive and non-threatening contact with lots of patience and time is what backyarding our babies is all about. Plus, we really enjoy it. It's our garden of long and short ears.