Mammoth Jackstock

[Scout]

Goin to look at some mammoth jackstock donkeys here in a couple weeks! I've trained horses and even a few mules, and I've always wanted a donkey but I aint never trained one... So how much does it actually differ? I'm gonna get a weanlin and train him to ride. I know that they mature slower than horses, so I couldn't be on his back for at least 3-4 years, and that most horse-break methods will ruin him, ya gotta outsmart him more like, and that they're hard to fit a saddle to. I was just wonderin if anyone had broke one to ride and any tips would be very helpful. Also, I have a few sheep and some free range chickens (no dogs though, caint stand em lol) and I've heard that some donks can be kinda honery with smaller stock, which I figured gettin a weanlin might help a little, but what's the chances he'll stomp my other animals, and how do I keep him from it without pennin them up?

 

[1sherman]

Hello. I have owned total of 6 mammoth jackstock...2 jacks and 4 jennys....One of my jacks would kill anything that came into his territory and the other was mello as can be. Donkeys are very prone to stomping small critters...dogs, cats, sheep, ducks and chickens and anything else. They will either stomp it or act like they don't care and when close enough, grab it by the neck and shake it till its dead. I just lost a sheep to a jenny I have had for 10 years raised her out of my jack. Don't know why she all of a sudden did it in but she did. The donkeys graze with the sheep, goats and cattle and this is my first incident in many years. I don't know if you can actually break them of that urge when they are young or not. Seems some don't care and some do..... Had a jenny many many years ago (she died of old age) that stomped 19 chickens to death in about 30 minutes. Just bam bam bam....too late when I discoverd the murder......
I would try to reward the jack when he is around the animals and does not take any action. Reward goes much farther with donkeys than punishment. Not sure you would trust him for quite some time....always be careful. Are you going to keep him a jack or geld him. Difference us like night and day.

They are wonderful animals and A LOT SMARTER THAN ANYTHING ELSE WITH FOUR LEGS. You will find out they can outsmart the best of us. I learned from an old lady that with her husband raised mules out of her donkey for the Army WWII...She taught me a lot and all of it was RIGHT ON....

I now have 1old draft mule, 2 mini mules and 8 donkeys (2 are mammoth the others BLM) lots of sheep, goats and cows.

wandabean in southern california

Keep in touch..GOOD LUCK

 

[Scout]

Thanks for answerin! LOL Oh I'm definately geldin him, it aint even an option, I spent quite a bit of time around studs and I've had enuff of that for a while . Sounds funny I know, but my ultimate goal is to be able to ride him to Montana and stuff like that one of these days... Always been a dream of mine, since I was a young kid. Most everyone just laughs and shakes there heads, except for a few folks, they still think I'm crazy but they know its best just to set back and watch LOL. So he's gotta be VERY well trained and 150% bomb-proof, and I've heard its much differant trainin donkeys than horses, and that there good at holdin grudges sometimes, so I'm tryin to figure out how to go about trainin one without givin him a reason to freak out later...

 

[1sherman]

Glad to hear he will be having brain surgery....First donkeys don't freak out.....they don't run off and most don't buck...THEY JUST STOP AND DO NOT MOVE UNTILL THEY FEEL THE NEED TO....I have a couple of books stashed away...one is the Definative Donkey
I thinks it was written by Betsey Hutchins from the American Donkey and Mule Assoc. She is very knowledgeable about donkeys and training....Would try to get her book and I will see who is in charge of ADMS now days. I know of a few more books but will have to jar my memory for their names. An old mule skinner friend of mine once told me.....NEVER NEVER punish a mule or donkey when you are on the ground only do so when on their back....The can hold a grudge for a very long time. I raised many mule babies and had one at 24hours old run up to me, turn and fire with both feet in my chest. Needless to say I caught her and pounded the **** out of her....BAD MISTAKE....As a two year old...sweet as she could be....hoho....she cornered me in the pasture, kicked me to the ground....I was out for quite sometime...daylight when I hit the ground...dark when I came to...she was just standing there looking at me....sort of saying....We're even now....needless to say she became a pack string mule in the High Sierras.....anyway my point be very sparse with the punishment and lots and lots of rewards.....Donkeys will walk thru fire for you if they trust you....BUT YOU HAVE TO EARN THEIR TRUST YOU CAN'T DEMAND IT....Also they have to sort of know why you are wanting them to do something. Example...had a mammoth jenny 16.2 hands...wanted to show her...she would not trot for me in a halter class...she would just stand there like what is the point of trotting when I can just walk. One day a judge who had seen my problem had many shows SUGGESTED I ACT LIKE I WAS RUNNING AWAY AND LEAVING HER THERE ALONE. Boy did she do a beautiful trot at the end of that lead line.....

Any way gotto go do chores but I will get back to you with books to read and perhaps a person or two to call....Just remember use
YOUR GOOD JUDGEMENT AND EXPERIENCE AND DON'T LISTEN TO EVERYONG THAT HAS A BETTER WAY...DONKEYS ARE NOT LIKE ANYTHING ELSE AND NO TWO ARE ALIKE IN LOOKS OR DISPOSITION........

Will get back to you soon.....wandabean

 

[Scout]

Hey thanks! So if one kicks or bites ya, ya caint do nothin... Do ya just walk away and ignore em for a while when they try that or what do you recomend?

I'll look into gettin that book for sure!