Burros: versatile, gentle, playful

By Marty Metzger
Correspondent

The word "burro" invokes a mental picture of a grisly, old prospector leading a shaggy beast to his mining claim. The little creature is weighted down with clanking tools and foodstuffs.

In reality, burro and donkey are the same species and far more versatile than only a beast of burden.

To be certain, legendary miners of old did depend on their burros to tote heavy, cumbersome equipment. But they also counted on them as loyal friends. Prospectors often spent many months at a time away from civilization and human contact. When their donkeys were their only companions, the fuzzy equines didn't disappoint.

Burros, a Spanish word for donkeys, are gregarious, highly social animals. Their intelligence and common-sense approach to problem solving made it possible for prospectors and others to quite easily capture wild ones. In a matter of hours, they could teach them to lead and then carry loads.

Pat Block, owner of Rock Ridge Ranch in Loveland, has raised and trained donkeys since 1978. Her first one, Cactus, was more than 45 years old when it died in 2005. The geriatric creature was famous and perhaps a bit infamous.

"Everybody knew him," Block said, and added with a chuckle, "He'd dumped about everybody there was!"

But Cactus had so endeared himself to Block that, in 1990, she bought her property and began acquiring herd mates for him.

Block quickly realized that most of her new animals had behavior issues caused by their previous owners' treatment. She wanted to produce good, usable, friendly donkeys and, to that end, bought a spotted standard jack. She stood him at stud to jennets (female donkeys) and also bred and trained babies at her ranch.

That first jack bred only jennets, not mares to produce mules. Block said most jacks will breed only one species or the other, not both, although there are exceptions.

Jennets have a wide gestation range, anywhere between nine and 14 months. The average is 375 days compared with 11 months (or 340 days) for horses.

"Donkeys are slow at everything," Block joked.

Then recalling the Christmas carol line, she said, "Donkeys don't dash through the snow!" Their pace is a few strides slower.

But slow doesn't mean boring or dim-witted. Domesticated donkeys can usually be trained to lead in mere hours, confirmed Block. Even one with a dominant nature will cooperate once it realizes it won't be harmed.

Lauren Tipton, owner of Ahimsa Ranch Animal Rescue, has rescued 12 burros in the past two years. Some weren't halter broke but calmed down quickly.

"Donkeys love to wrestle together, play tug of war (with objects), and play with toys," Tipton said. They play all day long and one, Murphy, exacts mock revenge against horses that refuse to play with him. Tipton has many hours of burro-play video.

Three young jacks are pastured with a few old, gelded horses. One of the geriatric geldings, Stanley, is at least 25 years old and partially blind. Gradually, even he has been lured into his second colthood by the lighthearted shenanigans. Stanley now cavorts and plays like a 2-year-old.

Block prefers donkeys to horses. "They're more my speed," she said. "They're very gentle, social animals. They're like dogs. They come when called, like to be petted and take things in stride. When scared, a donkey will stand there and try to figure it out. That's why some people think they're stubborn. They're really just trying to figure it out."

Of course, no one's perfect. Donkeys have some traits that might not appeal to everyone. Tipton has found that if a burro gets angry, that's it for the day. Just start fresh tomorrow. Also, they are lightning fast at kicking, usually without warning.

People have exploited, neglected, overindulged and abused many donkeys, resulting in obesity, bad hooves or mental and physical problems. These donkeys often turn up at auctions, fated to be sold for slaughter. Some burros have even been used as living targets for roping practice and thereby sustain serious injuries.

When fairly and properly trained, a burro's doglike disposition makes it a versatile, delightful pet, even for children.

Burros' many types and sizes offer something for everyone. Miniatures are less than 36 inches tall; standards grow to 48 inches; large standards grow to 54 inches for females and 56 inches for males; mammoths exceed 56 inches.

Coat types range from short and slick to long and shaggy and everything in between.

Donkeys can carry more weight for their size than can a horse, and more live weight than dead. It's not unheard of for a donkey to carry a load equivalent to its own weight for short distances, although that is inadvisable.

Burros are low-maintenance critters. Hooves need trimming once or twice a year, depending on the ground where they are stabled or pastured. Grass hay, never alfalfa, should meet most nutritional requirements and can be supplemented with no more than a handful of grain. Pregnant jennets or heavily worked animals will, of course, have additional needs.

Both Block and Tipton recommend donkeys be used as pets and companion animals for horses. Block also uses hers for riding, driving and packing. Due to their playful nature, Tipton tries to adopt hers out in pairs since some horses refuse to join in the fun.

Donkeys can be pastured with other species like goats and serve as flock guardians against coyotes. They are also valuable to halter break young horse foals.

Block has 12 head of donkeys, from weanlings to adults. Her current breeding jack, 6-year-old Khaki, is half Baudet du Poitou, a rare French breed that sports very long, shaggy hair. Poitous have good bones and cross well on mares to produce draft mules. Khaki is a black mammoth with white points.

Tipton summed up her affection for all things burro: "They're great for stress relief because they make you laugh a lot. I think everybody needs two or three or four or five donkeys!"

Anyone interested in adding a burro to their family has many options. Locally, a person can call Block at 663-6624 or Tipton at 214-5201. Bureau of Land Management adoptions can be made several days each month, year round, in Cañon City. Prices begin at $125. More information is available online at www.wildhorseandburro.blm.gov/index.php or by calling 719-269-8539 to request an application to adopt.