Bella, being the heard animal that all horses are, was getting lonely after being the sole equine resident of Respite Farm.
We set out to find her some companionship and decided on getting a miniature donkey or two instead of another horse.
We were fortunate to find Carole and Mike Pivarnik of Tulip Hill Farm and their brood of minis. In addition to raising mini donkeys, both Carole and Mike are artists; Carole being a painter and author and Mike being a turned-wood artist.
After being introduced to the herd of cute-as-a-button donkeys, we chose Chrysanthemum (Chrissy) and Dandelion (Dandy) as being the perfect friends for Bella as well as being the perfect donkeys in their own right.
Chrissy is about ten years old, 30″ tall and wise as can be. Dandy is four months old, 23″ tall and seems to be growing taller and more independent every day.
Dandy still follows Chrissy around obediently, but not always as closly as when they first arrived. She has taken a liking to Bella as well as vice-versa.
Chrissy is very protective of Dandy (who she adopted after Carole and Mike spent endless nights and days bottle feeding her) and is not all that happy when Bella goes in for a sniff or nuzzle. Chrissy is actually able to keep Bella at a distance when she feels it necessary. In fact, she even “pursuaded” Bella away from Bella’s feed bowl one night so she could savor the leftovers. If you knew Bella’s attachment to food, this was no small feat although Chrissy accomplished it by merely turning her back to Bella as a hint that she might be inclined to kick.
As equines develop a pecking order, it is clear that Chrissy rules the pasture. Not in a mean way at all, but it’s clear by watching all three that Chrissy is “in charge”.
Here is a short video of their introduction to Respite Farm pasture grass.
