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  • From: "Lynda" <lurine AT softcom.net>
  • To: <homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] Beer for my Horses
  • Date: Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:22:55 -0800

When we lived down in Wine Country, we had a horse, a burro and a Jeruselum ass that would split the smaller pasture (20 acres) between them. Kinda worked the field in triangle formation. The two donkeys were mean little critters when it came to wandering dogs but that old Quarter Horse mare was downright evil! <g> We came out one morning to screaming. Couldn't figure out what the heck it was. Pentequa and Thomasina were standing by the gate giving me the "not me mom" looks, so I went looking for Spook. Sure enough, she had something literally treed. A HOG! The poor pig was about half-way up one of the many forked trees by the creek. Everytime the poor thing tried to get down to run home, she'd nail it again.

When dogs would hit the pature, the mares would form a circle and the sheep and goats would haul hiney and stand in the middle and the donkeys would go to work. If there were a lot of dogs, then Spook and Bug (little mustang mare) would join the dog hunt.

Always amazed me at the owners of the dogs AND the hog who got upset because their wandering critters would getting picked to pieces! Oh well! I mean, the donkeys and the horses were kind enough to allow the owners to fetch their wandering muts if they wanted to. <g>

Lynda
----- Original Message ----- From: "SJC" <indexer AT localnet.com>

Ah, but only initially....almost no vet bills, hoof bills, and much
easier keep than a horse....

In all the years I had Herman (14, I think) I had zip in the way of
non-elective expenses, and was able to easily feed him from what we grew
right here (10 A of marginal Maine, part of which is coppiced).
Elective expenses amounted to some tack, but even that was cheaper, as I
managed, with some patience, to buy it pretty cheap after somebody got
some tack for his horses that was "not right". Since I grew up around
mules, I recognized it and took my chance and so ended up paying a total
of $27 for half a wagon load of messed up mule tack, but I have an old
industrial sewing machine just for such stressful moments... :)

Boy, James, you are right about the attack tendencies of the donkey/mule
bunch. Herm was death on coyotes, made quick work of one (gory
business, that) and got another a couple of days later (I didn't see
that, happened at night) and they went so far away after the second one
that we didn't even hear them around here until he'd been gone for 2
years! Took good care of "his" goats, loved humans after he was
introduced but before that not much on them either. Nothing else went
anywhere near him, either, except for one of my dogs, which seemed to be
his 'bud' and would walk right under him when he was up to to barn. The
other dogs would head for the house as soon as he came to the barn and I
never saw them venture to the field when he was there. Even the cats
(especially the cats, now that I think of it) didn't stick around where
he was. Amazing how fast he was, fascinating to watch, really, for a
critter that seemed to take time to "consider" everything else he did,
including eat, he'd go into "instant mode" at the sight of any
intruder. Crows used to tease him sometimes, funny to watch.

My first lesson on The Territorial Mule happened at the age of seven.
I'd always been around mules, but at home. Visiting some friends, we
thought to take a shortcut from the house to the river, which happened
to be through a field where their mules were at the moment. One arrived
by my side as soon as we were over the fence, picked me up by the right
shoulder and flung me back over the fence. For 40 years I still had the
tooth marks on my shoulder, front and back, but they have mostly
disappeared now.....the lesson, however, left a permanent mark, as well
it should.

Susan Jane, in Maine
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