This is an introduction to some of the past shenanigans here at the ranch. It had nothing to do with Reiki and Intuitive work - on the surface. What was not written at the time was the back-and-forth dialog of me asking Reina to trust me and her telling me she was afraid, and not sure whether she really wanted to run off and be a wild donkey again. Reina is a BLM (Bureau of Land Management) donkey who spent the first 8 - 10 years of her life as a free roaming wild-ass burro. She was distrustful, un-handled and very self-protective when she arrived here. Much Reiki energy was used that night to envelop both of us and keep us safe from vehicle accidents, snakes, cactus and unseen-in- the-dark holes and barbed wire fences. The outcome of this near disaster was a strengthened relationship and increased level of trust on both our parts. These often overlooked and underappreciated long eared beings have so much to teach us .

Sept. 14, 2023

I had to take a bit of time to process the latest goings-on here at Rancho Zen Rodeo (Motto: What is the sound of one hoof clopping?) last Saturday night. RZR lived up to its name, and I have learned some lessons, and embarked on a new marathon hiking regimen. It started with a late afternoon of brushing and playing with donkeys prior to their dinner time. Took Gwendolyn out for a walk-about around the 5 acres, then over to the pepper tree in the front yard for a snack before heading back into the pen to work with Reina. It has always been harder to convince Gwennie to go back in than come out, but she's got the routine down and it's not a big deal anymore.

Put the halter on Reina and we worked on walking, turning and whoa/stand. I have been very happy with how she's progressing, she has gotten light and responsive and fun to work with. I had not taken her out into the big world yet, and after a few minutes of perfect work, I thought she was ready for just a short stroll before dinner. I planned about 40 feet out, stand and look around for a few minutes and back into the paddock for dinner.

Going out the gate took a little persuasion, but she was pretty brave and curious and we made it out and then back to the gate calmly. Apparently a giant donkey-eating crocodile took up residence under the threshold of the gate while we were out. She was worried about stepping over it, and I thought "well, Gwendolyn was like this the first few times we did this. I just have to be patient and we will get the job done." After about 15 minutes of advance and retreat I asked Rod (Dear Husband) to slowly walk behind her from about 12 feet back to apply some pressure. That caused her to really get anxious and keep trying to duck hard to the side, so we ditched that idea. I had Rod feed Gwendolyn her dinner to add encouragement for Reina to return to the pen. A few minutes later she was almost in when a truck with a rattling trailer sped clanging down the road and we made a fast retreat to whirl around and face the monster.

Ok, deep breath. Start over. I know that if I lose my cool it will make things way worse. Oh hubris and folly…Reina was a wild burro for almost 10 years before she was captured. She's very sensitive to anger or force, unlike Gwennie, who just wonders who is in trouble, because it couldn't possibly be her.

Keep talking calmly, keep explaining that it's starting to get dark and that the chupacabras will devour us both if we don't go in where it's safe and eat our respective dinners. Slowly, slowly in the deepening dark we work our way back to the gate and get one foot over the threshold when…some motherf*ers in a Razor come screaming yeehaw down our rutted dirt road. (Did I mention we have no streetlights out here to interfere with the incredibly gorgeous night sky star gazing?It gets DARK out here.) Reina blows backwards at a high rate of speed, rips the lead rope out of my hands and bolts down the road away from the vehicle of death into the dust cloud and the gathering dark. Oh fuck.

Fortunately donkey bolts tend to be shorter than horse bolts, they like to conserve energy. At the end of the next block she stopped, reassessed the situation and found some bushes to chew on. I walked toward her slowly, she moved away slowly. She was very skittish and worried, but not completely panicked, yet. I tried slowly walking away from her toward home, she followed slowly, stopping to taste the various desert plant buffet. We got to our driveway when I heard the same assholes in the Razor coming from the other direction. I stood in the middle of the road frantically waving my arms as they slowed a little and drove off the road around me as Reina disappeared into the dark and dust again. Fuck.

To make an already long story just long and but not unending, after 3 hours of trudging through the desert in the dark listening intently for hoofbeats and rattlesnakes, the wayward ass was back in her corral. I got to use my new double-shot glasses. Pain meds are my friend.

Things I learned:

1. Wearing the gloves even though they feel awkward is TOTALLY a good thing.

2. A 6 foot lead rope permanently attached to the rope halter is WAY too short.

3. Do not start training on anything new an hour before dark. You may be out there a while.

4. Building trust and not losing my shit always pays off in the end.

5. Sometimes the end takes a while. 🌵