Working at a rescue ranch is kind of a mixed bag. On one hand, it gives people a chance to interact with horses who might not otherwise be able to, say because they live in an urban area and don't have access to enough land. But on the other hand there are some sad stories of abuse. I had never been around horses before, so when I first started visiting the ranch (Walkin N Circles Ranch), I found them very intimidating. They are big and they move fast. So what is a newbie to do? I decided to spend time with this disabled donkey named Zeke.

Zeke was a sweet little guy who had a hard life. I really don't know too many details, but my understanding was some people got the idea they'd like a donkey but didn't really know what they were getting into. Apparently when they got him they ended up just neglecting him, leaving him shut up alone and never giving him basic care. Equines need lots of special treatment like having their hooves trimmed on a regular basis. This was never done for Zeke, so his hoofs grew out like giant cork screws. He was unable to walk around and this caused him a major disability that would eventually take his life prematurely.

This is quite a shame because Zeke was a very sweet animal with quite a personality. In my early days of getting acquainted with equines, having grown up in pure urban suburbia, I found Zeke a pleasure to be around. I couldn't do much with him but enjoyed visiting with him, feeding him treats, and grooming him.

I didn't know it at first, but Zeke would draw me to my first horse. This flashy half-Arabian gelding named Goose ended up at the ranch. Apparently his owner had MS and couldn't ride him anymore, so she donated him to the ranch in hopes they would find him a good home. I started seeing Goose when I would go to visit Zeke, Goose was always there hanging around Zeke and following him everywhere.

After awhile it almost seemed like Goose had some kind of crush on Zeke! He was always there with Zeke, and would sit there and watch Zeke eat when we brought Zeke grain in the evenings! Zeke was a spunky little donkey despite his disabilities and seemed to find Goose annoying. One day he even gave Goose a nice kick with his hind legs! What a shock that was, to see this little disabled donkey kick this big, Arabian gelding! The more Zeke kicked, the more Goose loved being around him! Ah the ways of love.

I found out that Goose didn't even belong in this paddock. They kept putting Goose where he belonged, but nobody was sure how he ended up with Zeke time and again. One day I found out the answer.

It was a hot Sunday afternoon in late July and I came out of the barn after the night feeding (which I participate in). I was drinking some water and in the corner of my eye noticed a horse sticking his head in between the electric wires. It was Goose! He put his head through the wires, then his left front foot, carefully sneaked his right front foot through, and then BAM! he crossed through the fence! He sneaked through like he was some kind of Navy seal or something!

This was all very amusing and I really began to enjoy Goose and his nutty personality after this. A family was planning on adopting him, and one day the mom was leading Goose through the barn. We stopped and talked with her and she was explaining how they really liked Goose and Arabs, but that Goose made them uncomfortable while riding. I was looking at Goose and he had the saddest look in his eyes and his head was sunk way down low. It was pretty clear he wasn't comfortable with the situation!

In the end she decided not to adopt Goose, and I went ahead and did it myself.

Sadly, Zeke succumbed to secondary health problems from his mistreatment and had to be put down. A very sad way for a life to end, but I will always remember those summer days with two equines.

I have images of Zeke on some of my cafe press gifts, and $2 from every sale is donated to the rescue ranch:

Click to view Zeke the Donkey Items on Cafe Press.

Click and scroll down to view horse lover t-shirts and mugs featuring Goose.