About the Book
A detailed and practical guide to training donkeys-for farmers and homesteaders
So you've gone and done it, you've bought a donkey! You know she can be useful around the farm-that's why you bought her. You know that throughout history, the donkey has been one of our most useful partners in labor: a low-impact power source that also produces fertilizer. But now, as she stands there eating, how do you get any of that dreamed-of usefulness out of her? This book can show you how.
Get Your Ass to Work! is a practical, hands-on guide to training donkeys to work-in harness and packing-to serve the needs of small farmers and homesteaders. It offers a clear and detailed program for each step of training, designed to enable you to bring an untrained donkey into the animal work force within a month or six weeks.
Although there are several books in print of general interest on donkeys and donkey care, none deal satisfactorily with training. Get Your Ass to Work! will help you train your donkey to haul loads on a sled or cart, pull farm equipment, skid logs, and pack firewood, tools, or camping gear while respecting and protecting the health of your animal and keeping you safe. The book outlines how to care for your donkey, including feed, shelter, and basic hoof care. The text is abundantly illustrated by original photographs of donkeys working, with artistic sketches and diagrams to show techniques.
This book will be relevant to the homesteader and small farmer, enjoyable for everyone who enjoys donkeys and mules, and appealing to any animal lover.
Table of Contents:
CONTENTS
PREFACE // vii
FOREWORD // ix
PART 1: TRAINING YOUR DONKEY
CHAPTER 1: “The Nature of the Beast” and its Long History of Varied Usefulness // 5 CHAPTER 2: Kindergarten: First Steps in Training // 18
CHAPTER 3: Elementary School: Further Training for the Job // 34
CHAPTER 4: Equipment: Harness, Collars, etc. // 42
CHAPTER 5: Middle School: More Steps on the Way to Work // 52
CHAPTER 6: Starting to Pull her Weight—and Nipping Problems in the Bud // 68
CHAPTER 7: Teamwork: Looking Forward to Doubling your Strength // 84
CHAPTER 8: Training Journal: A Tale of Triumph and Error // 90
CHAPTER 9: Packing for Amateurs—and a Few Re ections about Animal Power // 108
PART 2: CARING FOR YOUR DONKEY
BARNYARD PALAVER // 116
CHAPTER 10: What to Look for in a Donkey (If You Haven’t Already Bought One) // 120 CHAPTER 11: e Basics: Pasture, Water, and Shelter // 128
CHAPTER 12: Feed, Supplements, and Health Care // 140
CHAPTER 13: The Feet and Hoof Care // 154
CHAPTER 14: Last Thoughts // 167
APPENDIX A. Understanding Bits and Bitting // 175
APPENDIX B. Reading // 189
APPENDIX C. Resources // 199
ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND PRODUCTION TEAM // 204
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS // 206
INDEX // 209
About the Author :
Dick Courteau has 75 years of experience working with and training equines. His earliest memories, from infancy, are seeing teams of horses at work in Minnesota farm country. He has been riding and working horses—and then mules and donkeys—since age 11. He moved West to work on ranches and by his late teens, was breaking horses for a living in Montana. He sought out mentors could among farm and ranch crews, supplemented by wide reading on horsemanship.
After leaving the West, he spent some years in academia, then settled on a homestead in the Ozarks, where he used horses to herd cattle, till a market garden, and skid logs in a small selective harvest. In 1980, he took his wife and three young children on a 700-mile journey Arkansas to Nebraska in a horse-drawn covered wagon.
After years of working with horses, he found himself with a donkey, and has spent 30 years training them for himself and others, and developing ways to work with their distinctive personalities. Dick is eager to share knowledge gained from a lifetime of rigorous labor with equines, combined with lots of “book learnin’” and his youthful access to oral folk wisdom.
Review :
"As the owner of two donkeys, I need a neighbor like Dick Courteau, a wise and compassionate old timer who has spent a lifetime working with equines. Fortunately, reading his book turns out to be the next best thing, since he is a natural born teacher of humans and animals. His love for long-ears is clear on every page, and he reminds us that a well-trained animal is far less likely to suffer neglect. There’s enough about care, feeding and equipment to get the new owner started, and the lively, folksy style of writing will make this book a pleasure to read even for those who enjoy donkeys only vicariously. Great drawings and photos, lots of wisdom, and a suggested reading list."
— Bonnie Jo Campbell, prize-winning author of Once Upon a River and Mother, Tell Your Daughters
"I'm very happy to see this book on the market now. Donkeys are overlooked, and Get Your Ass to Work very sensibly points out all of the great ways that donkeys can contribute on the homestead. All of the training advice is practical and easy to follow, and the book can be used as a single source for beginning teamsters. I hope this book inspires a new generation of donkeys and people working together. Great job, and best of luck!"
—Charlie Tennessen, donkey teamster and contributor to Rural Heritage
"[T]here’s a charm that goes well beyond practical animal husbandry… Even the non-donkey-devotee can see that this is, at its core, a lifework. It’s a book that’s informed by both life experience…and extensive reading on the subject….. It’s a book from someone who’s given more thought to donkeys and their training than most people give to anything at all."
— Arkansas Life Magazine
"There are few books in the world that provide such a comprehensive wealth of useful and detailed information on a topic they may be labeled indispensable reading. Dick Courteau has put together just such a book regarding keeping and training donkeys. It is densely packed with thoughtful, clear and concise instructions, advice, and cautions, combining a plain-spoken wisdom with a plethora of photographs and illustrations. It is a must-have for the donkey owner and would make a useful addition to the library of a mule or horse owner."
—Joe Mischka, Editor & Publisher, Rural Heritage
"With certain rare books character and authenticity emanate off the page almost as something tangible that you can feel the way you can feel hand-worn leather driving lines slide easy over your palms. Such a book is Get your Ass to Work. And as you may guess by the title, this sage tome has a healthy dose of hard-won humor, too. The author has the wizened carved aspect of an old cowboy. And like many a cowboy of old, Dick Courteau is as erudite and knowledgeable about history, literature and philosophy as he is about the ins and outs of training donkeys. One thing is certain though, whether you are a green novice or a veteran teamster, whatever your predilection regards working equines, this book is a font of practical how-to information for raising, training, working and thoroughly caring for all needs of the venerable donkey. Generously illustrated with photos and drawings—this book is also a visual delight."
—Stephen Leslie, author of The New Horse-Powered Farm and Horse-Powered Farming for the 21st Century
