Member News

Member News

If I missed adding your pictures...just let me know!

May, 2008

Congratulations

Andrea & Ron Thalmann
Horseshoe Ranch Miniature Donkeys

Meet H.R. Twister! Twister is an absolute love!

Here's H.R. Hurricane, born May 31, 2008.

He's a tiny little dark brown guy.

This little guy is built like a tank.

Meet H.R. Madison, born May 14, 2008. Isn't she pretty?

Here's our last foal of the spring, H.R. Tabatha.

She was born Friday, June 13, 2008.

She's meeting some of our other "critters".

July 13, 2008 ... another beautiful girl for

Jackie & Connie

at Rancho Galleano

May 10, 2008

We had our 2nd foal of the season, and yippee - it's another girl.

Jackie & Cary

Rancho Galleano

May 3, 2008

It's a Boy!

This is Braying Hills Coal Nugget, born 5/3/08 6:25 pm, Black no cross NLP

April 14, 2008

I've been sick all week and Alyse thought she would cheer me up by bringing in our newest addition, Moses! Tina Barry

March 27, 2008

Congratulations

Jackie & Cary

Rancho Galleano

I am a little "girl" and I love my new coat!

September 10, 2007

Congratulations

Judy & Caleb Vaughn

I am a little "boy" and glad to be here!

July 28, 2007

Soper's Miniature Donkeys is updating papers with these great pictures!

Click on pictures to see larger photo!
Congratulations!

July 13, 2007

Becky & Bill Winters

Friday the 13th unnamed boy!

Star & "It's about time" this little guy showed up!

Congratulations!

May 2007

Steve & Cheryl Klund

It's a "Boy"!

Kurt & Carolyn Harrelson

Donkey Hollow Farm

It's a girl!

Kurt & Vicki Sherman

Grand River Miniature Donkey Farm

Grand River Layla

Gary & Shelley Wulff

Baby Boy!

Jackie Galleano & Cary Constantine


Baby girl!

Baby Girl - Clover

Another Girl!
Congratulations!

April 2007

Max & Dee Keithley

Braying Hills


Tina and baby boy
Congratulations!

March 2007

Randy & Karen Cottingham

Sidekick Acres


Annie & Penelope

Autumn & Walker

Lucy & Raven

2007 Easter Donkeys by Rancho Galleano

A local children's group was hosted to an early Easter Egg Hunt at the home of one of the mother's. They called and asked if we would bring out a donkey or two so the kids could have a sort of petting zoo.

We took our weanling, 9 month old Rancho Galleano Teodora, and 2-year-old Rancho Galleano Angelina for the afternoon. The kids and parents were so thoughtful; the children came over in groups of 4 or 5 so as not to scare or overwhelm the donkeys. Everyone loved the donks, naturally, and it really made their annual event very special.

Pictured here are the children with Teodora and Angelina. Thanks for allowing us to share.

Best,

Jackie and Cary of Rancho Galleano

March 19, 2007

Grandsons Ashton & Colby

Asset Magazine Article

Hi Becky,

Hey, we made this issue (Spring 2007) of the Asset Magazine, page 72. Our two 3-year-old grandsons were here visiting us during Thanksgiving and we got pictures of them riding our little herdsire, Sir Winston Churchill.

They sure had a ball but the neat part was that we'd only had a saddle on Winston about a week before this pictures was taken. We walked him around the farm for about 10 minutes, and that was all.

When the boys arrived and we put the saddle back on Winston, he just took to it as if he'd been doing it for years. I'm sure this isn't typical of everyone's experience, but it sure surprised us and the boys loved it, of course.

Thanks,
Jackie & Cary
Rancho Galleano'

2005 Story of My Orphan Foal

My husband and I have had donkeys for about 5 years. We have all sizes. We have a standard jack that we hand breed our jennets to. We go out to find out mammoth jacks and of course have our own little "Uno" miniature jack.

On Tuesday, July 26th, I went to the barn at about 6:30 a.m. to feed the crowd. Now, we don't just have donkeys! We also have mules, a Belgium draft horse, Fox Trotters and Quarter horses. We consider ourselves the geriatric farm, if any animal needed a home we took it in.

Anyhow, I was going into the lot when I looked on the ground, took a second look and saw a placenta, in tact, cord and all. I immediately went to the barn where my 2 are up pregnant, they were still locked in. I then looked down the pasture across from the mule pen to see a donkey foal running with 2 mammoth jennets, a miniature jack and a filly.

Now, who was pregnant that I was unaware of? I called my husband to immediately come home from work, then I called my neighbor to help me corral the crew. I ruled out the jack and the filly. So which jennet had the baby? My older jennet was in a heat cycle, so Crickett had to be the Mom. I had noticed Crickett needed to come off pasture, a pot belly, but no sign of milk.

I eliminated the crowd with the help of my neighbor down to my coming 4 year old maiden jennet, red roan 54 inches tall. When the foal approached her she kicked, she nailed him more than once. I knew we were in trouble. When Curt got home we got Mom into the barn stall with the baby, began to hobble Mom.

We had to hobble a mini last year, after 24 hours she took the baby and life was good. Crickett was not going to take this foal no matter what. We hobbled her for 36 hours, when she finally settled in he did not want to get kicked any more and would not suck. After the first 3 hours we knew we had to get milk into the foal.

We called the vet and he said get some colostrum into the foal. If you can believe it, Crickett would let us milk her, we would put the milk into a bottle and the foal would drink. We used a combination of jennet milk and calf colostrum the first 24 hours. We then found foal replacement and began to mix that. Crickett dried up after 6 days, but she had plenty of milk had Peanut tried to drink.

I spent 2 nights in the barn feeding every 2-3 hours. After 6 days I let him go all night without food. Two weeks to the day he now drinks out of a bucket 4 times a day, about a quart plus each time. I put him out in the evening as he likes to graze on grass. Hay is not his favorite yet, and he doesn't pay much attention to the foal pelleted food. As we all know he might still not make it, but then we did not think he would make it this far.

Out of all of this I learned that there is a horse colostrum that can now be purchased. I also learned that Foal First makes a powder milk that will last 12 hours once it is mixed up. There are multiple bucket and bottle devices that could potentially be hung for 12 hours to get one through a working day. I also learned that yearling jacks without descended testicles can produce sperm!

Life on the farm, every time I think I have experienced it all, I get one upped!

by Carolyn Harralson

2 legged donkey - submitted by Dee Keithley

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Please submit pictures and articles for consideration about your donkey experiences! Hugging donkeys loving donkeys, kissing donkeys, funny donkeys, rough housing donkeys,...donkeys, donkeys, donkeys! Please send us those treasures you have hidden in your photo album and stories you would like to share!

Submit to:

Denise Keithley

417-473-9839

BrayingHills@msn.com