By Patty Wilber
I was invited by Katy Lundy to do a groundwork basics clinic, aimed primarily at people that are doing donkey (= burro) races.
I had not worked with donkeys before, so to prepare, I watched some YouTube videos from MaryJo Enfield, read some articles, and most importantly, I went over to the Lundy’s to work with three of their donkeys.
I found that the techniques I use with horses generally worked on these donkeys, but I had to be stricter and more determined, especially with the older animals. The Lundy’s youngest (Carbon) and one of the participant’s (Lisa K.) eight-month-old (Cedric) felt the most similar to horses as they were very responsive, while some of the older ones really made me work to get their attention.
Katy and Carbon
Lisa and Cedric
Sometimes, when nothing at all happened in response to what I thought was a pretty strong cue, I ended up laughing at my ineffectiveness. I am pretty sure the donkeys were laughing behind their ears as well.
We worked on stopping, backing, lunging at a walk (a mental exercise), moving the hip, moving the shoulder, change of directions, sideways, and creating combination patterns like: lunge one circle, move the hip to get the animal to face up, and then back up.
Me and Carbon.
Then we went over to the obstacle course and also worked a little on showmanship.
A few truisms:
The human should ask the donkey to move his/her feet. The donkey is not supposed to ask the handler to move! When a donkey is allowed to consistently move the human, things usually deteriorate because the human is now just a donkey toy.
Be persistent, very persistent, but do not blame the donkey, and do not get mad. The human has to outlast and outsmart the donkey, which is sometimes easier said than done.
Be willing to step up the pressure until there is some sort of try, and then quit. Then repeat. Donkeys seem pretty skilled at tuning out nagging, so if we go around begging and hoping, instead of clearly stating, the donkey might just choose non-participation.
Be prepared to work on the skills regularly!
The whole crew!
What a fun day!
Photo credits: Me, Katy L., Roger K.
Enjoyed reading about your clinic for donkeys! Is the clinic more than one session? Do you end up “training” the owners too so they can do the exercises at home with their animal to reinforce your training?
This clinic was one session and it was primarily for the owners.