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[Clansgian AT wmconnect.com]

> Peles in another lover lump?

Peles was six months old when we got him, so he didn't come with training.  
He was primarily acquired as an attack donkey.  Dogs and coyotes were 
beginning 
to be a problem.  He mainly stays in a fenced in area of pature and woods 
that's about seven acres and within that domain, not even a grasshopper can 
intrude that he doesn't challenge it.  Even my own dogs won't go in there any 
more. 
 Yet he is very protective of the goats, chickens, and children.  As soon as 
we got him, the coyote and dog damage abruptly stopped.  We've been visited 
by 
a bold bobcat who comes very close to the house and stalks chickens who stray 
out of Peles' domain.  It will strictly NOT go into the donkey area.  (Some 
salt in a shotgun shell has in the end proved to be a good persuader 
altogether!).  

We don't do ornamnents.  If he was not earning his way, he'd be out of here.  
Heck, if *I* wasn't earning my way, I'd probably be out of here.  The riding 
and packing are side uses of the donkey.  That is, if you are going to have 
one doing guard duty, might as well knock some other use out of him.  

It's that the training and the development of tack is coming slowly.  A 
girdle with rings at the top serves to balance two sacks of leaf mold from 
the 
woods to the garden, but I haven't added the britchen and shoulder strap to 
allow 
heavier loads.

I don't ride him as my weight is at his limit for a rider.  But the children 
and Herself ride him without a saddle or pad.   I don't know how instructive 
that is, Herself also rides the enormous Belgian the same way.

The potential value of a donkey as a draft animal is emphasized by my 
mountain terrain.  There are a score of paddocks and niches here that are 
good for 
hay or some crop or the other but are only a score or a dozen feet on the 
side.  
The big guy can't even stand there, much less turn around.  I believe it was 
Roy mentioned a field that was not impressively wide but a mile long.  This 
used to be common when the main power on farms was oxen.  They are very 
efficient at pulling but awkward to turn around.  Your best advantage is 
long, 
straight runs with them.  A donkey can turn around easily because of its 
small size 
and its agility which is greater than that of a even a horse.

Donkeys are also easier keepers than horses.  In the aftermath of this past 
year's drought we had to supplement the horse with beet pulp and some 
purchased 
hay (which is the pits!).  During the same time the donkey was getting fat 
from moss and lichens and ferns, which the horse will not eat.

I read a story not long ago as to how they were beating the country side in 
Mexico to locate all the 'viejos' who knew how to train and work donkeys in 
the 
face of high fuel prices.  And Mexico has one of the world's largest deposits 
of oil!     </HTML>