Working on Star......

What a week!

My camera took a shit dump

as you know by my last post.

Will NOT EVER buy another Sanyo product!

So this past weekend we went to 

Best Buy to check them out.

We would of bought one there, but they did not have any in stock.

So I came home and went to Best Buy on line!

Guess what?

They were $20.00 cheaper ON LINE

(Go Figure)

and

FREE SHIPPING!

So it is on its way to me! 

I can't wait to get it and try it out.

Since my last post, 

I discovered that Libby was very tender

on her belly between the front legs,

and on each of her front shoulders.

She is not a biter, but if she was,

I would of had some chunks taken out of my arm.

I figured it was due to the fact when she was running and 

slipped on the grass,

(Movie in my last post).

So today I went out and 

cleaned her feet, and touched her all over.

She was really good in the beginning,

but the more I rubbed her the more she got irritated.

Then all of a sudden, 

rubbing her with my right hand,

my left hand was shocking her!!!!!!

You know those big ass, little shocks you get

walking across the carpet and then you go and touch your computer

and you get a shock and it shorts your whole system down!

Well now I am thinking this was what was happening.

It has been cold and dry here, and the static electricity it pretty bad.

 Star looking cute as ever!

 A friend came over, and he is NEVER interested in my equines.

He is a Harley dude, and hubby's huntin' buddy.

But yesterday he wanted to pet Star.

So I gave him two cookies. One for Star and one for Libby.

At first Star ignored him.

 Star: "You got something yummy?"

 Huntin' buddy: "Yep I do!"

 Of course Libby was on it like stink on shit.

Star figured if he has a cookie he isn't all bad, and allowed a pet.

Immediate friendship was born.

I work with Star every single day.

I can't wait to get home from work, and go out to the pasture.

It calls me.

It is in my dreams.

It is an addiction!

The other day, I thought we would work on desensitizing.

This is when my camera died.

But  I did get this picture with the 'arm extension' leaning up against her.

I don't like using the word: whip.

 Here is Sydney and Sassy. They think Star is someone to play with and Star is not to keen on on that idea. I will have to work on all them, to get them to all get along. That will be later this summer.

 The neighbors chickens are a daily occurrence.

They work really hard getting bugs.

I hope they can keep up with them this summer because as mild of a winter as we have had, they should fatten up real nice.

I am going to work on clicker training Star.

Kris over at The Dancing Donkey

is working with Emma on clicker training.

She recommended a book which I have on order from Amazon

and should be here any day, as well as some clickers.

This afternoon Star and I worked, again, on getting past the gate!

She will not step foot past the gate, to go outside the pasture to go for a walk!

I can not even entice her with a cookie.

Her feet are planted right at the gate line, and no matter what I do, 

she will not budge.

So this afternoon I went to the end of the lead rope and SAT DOWN!

I studied her.

"Star I know I am not asking you correctly."

She stares at me.

I see her trying to communicate. 

Her ears are up.

She is staring a hole in me.

So I THINK!

and think some more.

A light bulb turns on!

She has problems with ALL THE GATES!

Especially the round pen gate.

So we exercise walking thru the round pen gate, and all the other gates that go from pasture side to pasture side.

The round pen gate was the worse.

She got pretty good at going thru the gate so we quit on a good note.

We will work on gates till there are no issues then we will try to go outside, once again.

So I took Libby for a walk. We went down to get the garbage can, 

and I thought she would have another fit, but no, she acted as if I 

did not even have that noise piece of plastic barrel behind me.

All the while, Star is braying and running back and forth, 

just like Poncho did!

So....this brings to mind.......

Another donkey?

So that when I go riding, 

Star isn't beating herself up by missing Libby?

Two Donkeys eat as much as one horse.

Two Doneky's take up the space as ONE horse.

I do think that Star needs a Donkey friend.

Only wished I could borrow one somewhere.......

A very Crappy Camera!

Back in March of 2010 I purchased a 

Sanyo VPC-S1415 pocket camera

for $89.81 at our local Walmart.

The purpose was to be able to put it in my pocket and

carry it around to take pictures.

On the bike.

Riding Libby.

or just because.....

I have had issues with it off and on since i got it.

Mostly it would just freeze up, and I would have to 

open the battery case and restart it.

Usually I have missed that

"Kodak Moment" by then.

 

Mine is the Pink one.

 I thought it would of lasted more than just a year and a half.

I will NEVER EVER own another SANYO PRODUCT!
Especially after some of the reviews of various Sanyo products I have read on line!
OUCH!

Click here to read some reviews!

I am going to send it back to the company,

IF

I can find an address to send it to!

With a nasty nice little letter of what I think of their product.

Anyway, onto a more delightful subject.

"STAR".

Yes, this little Donkey has hooked me big!

 

 We have been working on desensitizing.

She is afraid of EVERYTHING!

It isn't just being cautious she literally will tense up.

I don't think she has been exposed to very much in her life, which is where this will change.

I plan to take her everywhere that I take Libby, and we have a long road ahead of us.

Everyday, I go to work, and rush right home to run out and play

Donkey games.

(I am open to any ideas on some new games by the way.)

She greets me with her honking....

 You can't see much here, but you sure can hear her!

Music to my ears!

I can now walk up to her, face to face, most of the time, but I can always catch her.

Sometimes I have to wait for her to decide it is a good idea.

She was terrified of my whip, (arm extension) at first.

But now, she will stand and let me rub it all over her, and I use it to guide us on our little pasture walks.

She puts her cute little nose in the halter!

Yesterday we picked up all 4 feet, and cleaned them!

I brushed her thoroughly.  ALL OVER and UNDER!

Of course this goes without saying, that each of these sessions

costs me a pocket full of cookies. 

(Nicker treats)

So, I thought maybe we would go for a walk outside of the pasture.

You know, get a change of scenery....

Star would have NOTHING to do with crossing that gate line!

I am sure that if the gate ever got left open, she will not leave the pasture!

I have kept the "L" part of my pasture fenced off for the past month.

So the other day, I thought I would open it up.

It is the first time Star has been in this part of the pasture.

And as you watch the video,

You will see, 

Libby sees it open...

But she knows it HAS BEEN CLOSED UP!

Last minute thoughts in her head! 

(I apologize for my yelling and the quality of the video. This is also the first time, the dogs, girls have pretty much met Star and her them. Sydney was not being very nice!)

So, now I am on the hunt for a pocket camera

to take lots of pictures of Star and Libby,

and of our Motorcycle rides.

And if you are looking for me, 

check the pasture!

Most days everyday I am out there playing or just hanging with my best friends:

Libby and Star.

(And in case you are wondering, the above photo and video's were taken with 

the "crappy camera" hence the picture and sound quality.)

What the HAY?

This years hay that is in my barn, is TERRIBLE!

It seems that every year, 

the hay I get is worse and worse!

I do not feed alfalfa.

This hay came out of Touchet Washington.

It is full of weeds.

The pale bales are suppose to be sun bleached

but they are more weeds than anything.

And the green bales are on the moldy side.

(I got two ton of 'bleached' hay, and one ton of good green hay)

So feeding is wasting alot of hay.

This last bale of hay,

has the weeds that grow rampant in my pasture.

And I PAID for this crap!

 The photo below is all weeds from the morning feed.

The only good part was:

Libby and Star did not eat the weeds,

and it did have some alfalfa in it.

The bale before this last one,

gave Star and Libby the scoots.

So I fed that to the neighbors cows.

A Whole Freekin Bale!

And when I did that,

BOY OH BOY!

Star charged the fence,

and Libby bucked and rared!

Neither one liked that the "neighbors" were eating their food!

(And of course I did not have my camera to photograph the incident.)

I now have a shadow when I feed.

Star was totally scared of my wheelbarrow when I would go out to feed.

So I let her get closer to it,

Then I let her eat from it.

Now she follows me around.

Enjoy the video:

Me and My Shadow.....

Star thinks lead ropes come with Nickers!

 

Today the sun shined bright!

So I rushed home from work,

(like I do every day, lately)

Throw on my jeans and T-shirt and my warm coat,

and race out to the pasture to spend time with Star and Libby.

I really wanted to put the saddle on Libby and ride,

but I know that Star needs to understand that 

this is now her home,

and I am her new mommy!

So I gave Libby a dose of wormer,

Threw them a bit of hay,

Star is getting use to being in separate pastures now at the noon time snack.

After I grab a bit of lunch,

I go out to 'play'!

Since Star is so paranoid of the lead rope

I hung it off the side of her feeder when I fed them lunch.

She managed to move it off and finish her lunch.

I could not take pictures of course

but I managed to walk up face to face to pet her.

Gave her a 'nicker' treat.

I got the lead rope around her neck.

Gave her another nicker treat.

She tried to take off, but I held her back.

I moved the rope all over her,

around her neck,

Gave her a nicker treat.

Let the rope fall over her face.

Gave her a nicker treat.

Then I took the rope away.

Gave her a nicker treat.

(See a pattern here?)

She resigned herself to letting the lead rope go all over her.

I got her halter out.

She PUT HER NOSE IN IT!

I took it off.

She stood still.

I put it back on.

She stood still.

It was such a good session today!

I went thru a pocket full of nicker treats, 

but I think she is getting the idea, 

that the lead rope is not that bad.

And it comes with NICKERS!

While I had the halter on her, we did some leading.

I even got the brush and brushed her.

Then I picked up each little hoof.

She was an angel about the whole thing.

(I need to be able to get her ready for my farrier on Jan 24th!)

After our session,

I take my bucket and 

I go sit in the pasture.

Libby is busy cleaning up every last bit of lunch,

and Star moves in close to me.

She gets so close that she is almost standing over the top of me.

It was so warm in the sun.

Libby came over and got jealous,

Star moved away, but came back to me,

as Libby's threats go unheeded.

I told Star, that I could just take a snooze out there in the pasture.

She was always on alert though.

Star making her way around Libby.

 Star: "Who's the Ass here?"

 "What ARE you doing sitting there?"

Me: "Waiting for you to play with your toys. I set them up special for you."

Star: " But I don't want toys to play with."

 "I want to hang out with you."

 "Your feet smell funny."

 "Ok. Fine! I will let you get your kisses!"

At one point she is smelling my hair, and coat.

She gets her nose about my shoulder and gives me a good nod.

It was gentle, and I felt like she was saying: "Don't be a bump on a log. PET ME!"

 This was a Kodak moment! The shadow shot! Libby behind me, and Star in front.

 The nose that is so soft and I love to kiss

 She let me put my sunglasses on her!

She is so mellow!

I am awed by that.

 Gotta love the ears!

 Her cute little feet!

Yes, they need trimming, but I think they will be OK for the next month.

I got to thinking though,

I have to introduce her to hubby!

I don't want her chasing him around the pasture this summer!

Working with Star....

For some reason Star is totally scared to death uncomfortable 

if you have a

halter or a lead rope in your hands 

when you go visit with her.

So a friend came over to help me work with her on this.

 You can NOT, approach Star from the front.

 Has to be from the side.

 Once you touch her, she melts in your hands.

 She loves to be petted and rubbed all over.

But hide that dang lead rope!

 Snuck it around her.

She did not bolt.

Rubbed her with it.

She stood very nice.

AND was very cautious about it.

 Took it off and showed it to her.

 She allowed it to be put on again.

 I even was able to do this with Star.

 Took it off and she was allowed to walked away.

 Then for being such a good girl, I was giving her cookies.

And hanging off my wrist was her halter.

She ate a few, and then before I knew it,

She took the halter off my wrist!

 She was so cute!

 Then dropped.

 Star came over to me.....

 "Did I do good mom?"

"Yes Star, You were very good!"

"I WUV YOU!"