donkeys gone wild

Yesterday afternoon I was in the small barnyard giving the Big Bay a bath. I had the barn doors closed so the donkeys and Salina were in the barn aisle with access to one stall and the big barnyard, which is their usual hang-out at that time of day during this time of year.

Cody and the pony were in the bare paddock, with access to their stalls and the back field. The sun was shining, the afternoon was quiet, and all was peaceful. I scrubbed the Big Bay with a soapy sponge, thinking how nice it was to be out there with all the animals surrounding me. What a peaceful scene! Everyone was right where they were supposed to be. Or so I thought.

My daughter came out from the house and then she came running through the barn exclaiming, "Redford just galloped out of the barn with a lead rope in his mouth!"

I laughed and told her to go get a picture. A few minutes later she came back. "The donkeys are gone!"

I had just finished rinsing Keil Bay, so I scraped him down and went to help her find them. Salina was walking around the big barnyard calling madly to her donkey boys. They weren't answering.

My daughter had gone down through the gate to the front, thinking they might have gone through the stile.

I walked to the arena, and as I looked for them, noticed the gate to the labyrinth path was open. Husband must have left it when he took wheelbarrows down!

I called to my daughter and we went down the path. Along the way we found the green lead rope, stretched out at full length as though Redford had dropped it in full gallop and it had fallen as he ran.

We went all the way down, and there in the midst of the extravagantly green and tall grass that is now taking over the labyrinth area, were two donkeys. Those long ears were the first thing I saw.

They both looked at me, alert, and for a split-second I thought they might run to get away - but they didn't. Rafer started walking toward me, and Redford followed. I gave them a rub and directed Rafer to head back up the path.

"Your mama is calling," I told him. "Head back to the barn."

He did, but Redford decided he wasn't done exploring. Daughter had to head him off and get him back on the path. Then Rafer helped out and herded Redford up the hill, keeping him on the straight and narrow.

They started running.

Up top, when they saw Salina waiting, they slowed to a walk and got in a proper donkey line. You have never seen anything so cute. Rafer Johnson in front, followed by Redford, a slow walk like two kids who got caught in the cookie jar, walking toward the mama who was going to give them a lecture. Ears were sideways, heads hung just a little. Of course Salina was so glad to see them no lecture happened, at least not that I could hear!

By the time we got back, Keil Bay had rolled, Cody was hanging his head over the gate asking for his own bath, and the pony was standing at the paddock fence looking totally disgusted. You could see exactly what he was thinking. "If that had been ME, I'd be walking around on a lead line right now, yielding this way and that. Those donkeys get away with EVERYthing!"