It's a girl! Pictured below is Dot, our 13.2 hh (54 inches at the withers) riding jenny and her filly, Cleopatra, at sunrise just a few hours after her birth on July 30, 2007.

Pictured above to the right is the proud father, Sweetwater Wishbone, a registered gaited Mammoth jack. He WAs athletic, works cattle in extremely rough country and drives single. Wishbone is is a little over 14 hh (56 1/2 inches at the withers). Nowadays (2023) Wishbone is mostly retired, just carrying people on easy trail rides.

Below, Charli, who is Cleopatra's cousin and also half sister (same father), immediately agreed to be her babysitter. On the right, Dot is with her first baby, who was born in the fall of 2005.

Right away Dot introduced Cleopatra to Baxter, one of our guardian dogs, and let her newborn know that our dogs are their friends and protectors.

 

Above -- donkeys at the gallop!

Below, Bill Mills, the man who raised and trained Dot, Frosty and their foals, shows off Dot's smooth running walk. He estimates that between him and the saddle she's carrying 300 lbs, yet she whizzes along.

A horse weight tape pegs Dot at about 750 lbs. Her condition is lean, with no extra fat but good muscle. According to some sources, a donkey should carry only a third or less of its body weight, presuming it is lean and athletic. In Dot's case, this would mean no more than 250 lbs. So although she is moving out energetically in this photo, it would be unsafe for her to carry this much for long.

 

© 2023 Carolyn M. Bertin. All rights reserved.