Facilitators

This is Charlie he is a quarter horse gelding that we have had for over 7 years now. I will have to check his papers for his age but he is definitely an older teenager. He is generally a pretty mellow fellow, but follows the lead mare and does not like to be the boss of anyone really. He sometimes jumps at strange things, but settles down quickly. He is our go to horse for a lot of things. He also loves long brushing sessions with special attention to itchy spots. His favourite snack(s) is apples, carrots, green grass and grain – let’s face it he likes to eat.

Ethel was donated to us about 2 years ago now. She is a standard size donkey. Her and her buddy Cheeka came as a pair, had been friends for a long time and the owner did not want to separate them. Ethel is a protective soul and worries a lot about her friend when she decides to escape the pasture to get to greener grass. She is not a fan of dogs (or coyotes) and has a special alert brae that is something else, and the canines must watch out for her hooves – she will stomp them if they are not looking. Ethel pretty much does what she wants, she will eat with the lead mare and ignore the signs that she is not welcome, to which the lead mare will usually give up and let her eat where she wants. The pony on the other hand will put a run on the donkey(s) which is odd! We are not sure how old Ms. Ethel is, but we are happy to have her as part of the heard.

Cheeka is a miniature donkey and came to us almost 2 years ago with her friend Ethel. We got a surprise with Cheeka in May of 2015 (election day in Alberta) and she gave birth to a baby donkey – miniXstandard. The lady who donated the donkeys to us had no idea she was pregnant, and neither did we until we figured she just was not getting pleasantly plump over the winter – she had an extra heart beat we detected and awaited the special surprise. We named the baby Nita and she stayed with us for awhile until it she found a new home not far away. Cheeka was smaller than her baby when Nita left! Cheeka is an easy going laid back lady, and she pretty much does what she wants. Often we will find her snacking on grass on the wrong side of the fence, or in our backyard, but she always kindly puts herself back in the pasture every evening.

We bought Sparky a few years ago as a christmas present for our son. Like his name he is full of life and business. Sparky is a typical pony, good with kiddos (when he wants to be) and other times pretty stubborn. He thinks he is a lot bigger than he is! We are not sure how old Sparky is, but he doesn’t act his age that is for sure. He also likes to boss the donkeys around whenever he can. Sparky also is a fan of any type treat and grass that you are willing to share with him. He’s a pretty cool dude.

Our lead mare, Cash, apparently is anti-picture, the only ones I can find so far are of her butt facing me, or maybe sharing a bite of hay with the donkey. I will upload a better picture soon. She is the boss! She pushes everyone around, unless the donkey’s stubborn her out. She is very smart, but sensitive to things around her and defiantly aware of peoples intentions. She takes a time to build trust with someone, but when she trusts you she is you buddy. She will let you know if you are not in a good place, or if you are being discrepant in any way. We have had Cash for about 9 years.