Walter Donkey Goes For A Walk

Our farrier, Julie, is a gifted animal communicator.  But her recent conversation with Walter Donkey has proven so spot on that I am just shaking my head with amazement. It started during her last visit, when I was talking about what kinds of things the equines might enjoy doing that were not invasive or pushy.  I suggested that Walter D has, in the  past, enjoyed his trips around the yard, and that maybe he would like to go for walks. She responded:

"Yes, that is exactly what he wants! He wants to walk down the driveway, and then down the road, to see what is out there that he can't see from the pasture. He knows there is SOMETHING on the other side of the hedgerow, and he wants to see what it is. He feels responsible for the herd (he is the MAN of the barn) and he worries about what is there that he doesn't know about."

Well. That was certainly detailed.

We live on a gravel road, at the dead end, with only one neighbor in a mile, and the road runs parallel to the horse pasture's fence. But the horses cannot see the road because of the trees and shrubs in the hedgerow. I tucked away Julie's message until last week, when the weather and my schedule permitted some special time with Walter.

I put his halter and lead rope on--NOT his favorite thing, but as soon as we were out the door of the barn, he was all bright eyes and perked ears. He was doing the leading, and I was walking by his side. All our walks have been around the house and barn, but this time he made a beeline for the gravel road. He led me straight down the road, head high and ears forward, at a nice clip clop pace, until we arrived at the point where the horse pasture ends. Then he veered over to the left, and stopped. And stood. And listened and looked and smelled and stood and stood. He made NO attempts to graze, he was just totally engrossed in taking in his surroundings.  I was standing with him, being blown away.

After nearly ten minutes of just looking and listening, he was willing to turn around and head back toward home. The entire way, he kept stopping to smell the plants by the roadside--no interest in eating, looked like he was just cataloging them in his donkey memory. When we got back to the barn, he was happy to graze a bit before he returned to the mares.

I imagine that his curiousity about what's on the other side of the hedgerow has been satisfied. I wonder what his next request will be.