Equine Adventures

What a day! When we awoke this morning, the Wrangler and I had no idea that by day's end we'd have Moto's official registration papers from Sweden in hand...and three miniature donkeys on the way.

Our day began benignly enough. I was easing into the day with my morning chai latte when the Wrangler breezed in after his tennis match with the neighbor. "Want to go look at some miniature donkeys at a farm about a half hour away?" he asked.

"Ummm, let me think. YES," I answered immediately. The Wrangler promptly got on the phone to schedule our visit with Dick, the nice man who runs Palomar Vista Farm (a beautiful hobby farm with sweeping views of Palomar Mountain). While the Wrangler was talking miniature donkeys, llamas, and alpacas with Dick, my cell phone rang. Moto's owner was calling to see if she could swing by with his official papers. Again, I answered with an immediate YES.

By noon I had Moto's registration and pedigree from the Swedish Warmblood Association (alas, they are written in Swedish--Moto was born in Sweden in 1996), a small collection of photos documenting Moto's show jumping career, and well wishes from Moto's (now former) owner. It is surely bittersweet, the transferring of a beloved animal to a new, excited owner.

Within an hour the Wrangler and I were shaking hands with Dick at Palomar Vista Farm. The farm's motto says it all: of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt. The three of us sat in wood rocking chairs on the porch of Dick's log cabin. As we gently rocked, we enjoyed a warm breeze, stunning views, and good conversation. (All of the people I've met since moving to the country have such interesting stories and unique ideas.)

We first talked alpacas and llamas. Funny thing--the alpaca and llama business is somewhat of a pyramid scheme. More often than not, you'll start a herd and subsequently discover that there's no market for the fiber. The only way to make money is to find other people to start herds. I had suspected as much. When researching alpacas and llamas it seemed a little odd to me that so many farms offered free seminars on getting started in the business. Dick also noted that alpacas are like sheep--they are scared of people and will run from you. Llamas, on the other hand, are a bit more social. But for people who want extremely affectionate pets, miniature donkeys are the best.

Dick unabashedly loves his little herd of miniature donkeys--six jennys and three jacks. As soon as we entered the gate, the donkeys came strolling over to welcome us. The Wrangler and I found ourselves swarmed by friendly donkeys jockeying each other for the prime petting position. It was pretty much love at first sight.

We spent two hours at the farm, and time seemed to fly by. As we made our way back down the dirt road, we had plans to buy a pregnant jenny (the gestation period is 365 to 375 days!) and a former petting zoo jack. Note that it was just yesterday that the Wrangler brought up the idea of acquiring a donkey or two. Apparently, unlike me, he does not let grass grow under his feet for two years when he gets an idea.

Four equines in one day!