Saturday, December 16, 2017

Up Close and Personal

I went out this afternoon intending to finally play with my new camera. The past few days have been super cold and windy and I was afraid the camera might freeze to my hands so I have not done much with it.  Today, the wind died down at least and the models were willing to leave the barn. 

Emma wasn't interested in posing for me.  She is finally starting to talk to me again after the terrible, awful procedure I foisted on her.  She has just begun allowing me to give her some ear rubs and butt scratches, which is generous of her.  She told me not to push my luck with that pesky camera though, so I kept my distance.

Ramsey was willing, but getting a quasi decent picture of a brown donkey in the snow on a grey day was more than we could manage. 

Fortunately, I had one big, nosey volunteer who isn't yet sick of having his picture taken. 

Ben is on some new medication (which I'll tell you about in my next post) and has been having a bit of a tough time adjusting to it.  However, it's been about three weeks now and it is all smoothing out and he is feeling better. 

I guess he decided it was time for an up close and personal exam to prove it. 

Eyes are bright...

Nasal passages are clear.

Nose is very soft and smooshy.

Quite kissable.

Ears are in fine working order.

 Hearing is acute and well tuned.

All-in-all, very huggable and in good shape.


6 comments:

  1. It looks like Ben was very curious about the camera! Love those smushy noses that donkeys and mules have. I watched the mules play and dance the other morning in the cold, it was like watching a ballet.

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  2. That smoothable nose is something else.

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  3. What a sweetheart Ben is & the new camera is working well!

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  4. Nice pics! Tell me something. I have never needed to put rugs on my donkeys here in the Costa Blanca, but we've been down below zero a few times in the past two weeks. If I ever decide to put rugs on them, one thing I wonder about is this: don't they roll over on the ground and ruin them? Or don't they also chew each other's rugs? (I can't even put fly protectors on my donks' faces or Morris simply rips them off and chews them up!)

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    1. A well fitting rug with properly adjusted straps should stay in place even when they lie down and roll. These are turn-out rugs designed to be left on in the bad weather so they are made of tough waterproof, ripstop nylon and can handle some rough treatment.

      As for Morris eating them....I find that they are most apt to play with the rugs when I first put them on for the season. After a while, they lose interest and/or the wearer gets tired of being pulled on and tells the puller to bug off. The only way to know if Morris will get bored with them is to try it and see. You may want to look around for some cheap, used rugs to test it out before investing in good ones. You can even try it with an old blanket just so Morris can get past the fascination.

      If you do find some used rugs, expect heavy interest from the donkeys because they will smell like unknown equines.

      All that said, your healthy, young donkeys should be able to handle an occasional cold night. The temps here are much more brutal for a prolonged time. Ramsey is a wimp about the cold and Ben has some health issues that make being warm important. Emma does fine without even when it was -5F the other night. You are really better off if you can avoid having to use rugs, but if they are cold, they should have them.

      Hope this was helpful to you.

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  5. Oh my, that squishy nose looks SO kissable! (Tina here, still having trouble commenting due to dumping cookies!)

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