Arwen is on the left
Both of these donkeys came to me caked in mud, looking in need of a good grooming and bath. Thankfully, one of the first nights they were all together we had a rainstorm and they effectively got soaked and washed clean of most of the mud. Momma, Saffron, appeared pretty good, if shy. I've been working on just being present and occasionally brushing her. I honestly don't expect to make much progress with Momma, she seems very set in her ways, but she does lead decently well. I just want her to know I'm not something to be scared of.
Arwen I see as more of a clean slate. She's been somewhat handled but is just as shy as Momma, despite what her previous owners claimed. She is a little more social, but takes her cues from Saffron and will run away from me more often than not. She shields herself behind Saffron a lot and I suspect that she was never properly weaned. Or else they're just SUPER herd bound.
While training wise she's a cleaner slate, coat wise she is a MESS. Her whole coat is a mat of fur that's dreadlocked itself into a solid piece. Even her soft white belly fur is super dreadlocked. It makes her look terrible and it makes it really hard for me to evaluate her health and weight. My original thought was to clip her but given her handling, I didn't think a buzzing thing would go over well.
Instead, I found sheep shears at my local TSC. The first session I had both donkeys in one stall that had tie rings. Mom was tied up and given hay and Arwen was opposite her. It worked -okay- and I was able to get most of the matted stuff off her back, as you can see in the below picture.
After that session, however, she was very hesitant to let me near her. I had scuffed her a bit and was truly remorseful but it's slow going with them and they remember....I'd also gotten kicked for my effort. No bruise, but I wasn't eager to repeat the experience. I wanted the next session to be shorter and more positive, less progress, maybe on the coat, but more trust.
This time, since I had cross tie rings finally installed, I brought her into the grooming stall. I figured out a new method for getting the worst of the matting on her side belly and alternated with brushes if her little tail started to swish madly (her warning sign).
I gave myself a time limit of 20 minutes (I had to leave anyway to pick up Kaylee from gymnastics camp) and did what I could in that time. I talked to her the whole time and I didn't get kicked, but one side of her belly looks significantly better! I can't wait to uncover the rest of her. She's really sweet and seems to get along well with Gwyn.
That matted coat is about an inch thick. Poor thing never got groomed or even properly shed out, I think. Her undercoat is beautiful black and shiny.
