Horseless

Tessa went to the trainers this morning and and along the way, we dropped Gabe off at Riding Buddy's place, she wanted to borrow him for a while.  Suddenly, it's just me, Tanner and the donkeys.  Tanner thinks this is a step in the right direction, he will be disappointed when he realizes it is only temporary. 

I have to admit that there are some real advantages to having fewer creatures wanting their fair share of attention.  Without the horses here to get upset I did something I have been wanting to do for a while:  I took Emma and Ramsey for a walk in the woods.  I led Emma and let Ramsey run loose with us.  It was the first time he has ever been outside of the fence let alone out in the woods.  He thought it was the absolute best, most wonderful game we could have dreamed up.  A whole new world filled with wonders opened up before him.

Walking with donkeys is a lot of fun.  They are so eager to explore and see new things, taking them out is much more like walking with dogs than being out with a horse.  He and Emma both had a great time.  (And no, I don't have any photos this time, I had my hands full with two young donkeys in the woods.  Maybe next time.)

I take tanner out walking every day, but as he ages we have had to cut back quite a lot.  He has always had some problems with his joints, and I monitor his activities carefully.  I don't stop him from doing any of the things that he loves so much such as basketball and Frisbee, but I do limit the intensity and duration.  After all, he is just as happy if I throw his Frisbee ten feet as he would be if I threw it eighty feet.  We used to hike 5-6 miles a day, now we do 1-2 and we avoid steep hills all together.  He has been getting joint supplements since he was 8 months old and had to have surgery on his shoulder.  Recently, I have started giving him an Aspirin each morning.  It all helps, but there is no denying that he is slowing down some.   He will be ten years old next month, and the only flaw that dogs have is that they do not live long enough. 

I think it is time that these young, energetic donkeys start taking up some of the slack.  I am hoping that this will just be the start of our Donkey Trekking adventures.