Hickory Hill Donkey Farm
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Home Page (continued)
hickoryhilldonkeyfarm@windstream.net -
new email
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We've added a second red herdsire to our crew!
Itsy Bitsy Stars and Stripes
30 1/2" - red
Photo courtesy of Itsy Bitsy
Burro Company
And he's looking to romance a few outside jennys this year!
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The proof is the
babies ................... like father; like son!
 Hickory Hills Zig N. Bock Date of Birth: 11/21/02 Present Height: 28 1/2" |
 Hickory Hills Zig Zag Date of Birth: 04/07/08 Present Height: almost 27 3/4" |
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Late in the evening on March 9, Skittles finally laid down and gave birth to this gorgeous tiny chunk with fantastic square legs and a nice little round rump! I had been 'hawking' her all day from the house, hoping that she would hurry up and deliver this precious bundle before the weather turned bad; we were predicted to have misting rain and 30 degree temperatures by the end of the week! We measured Tillie at 'almost' 19" with some of the thickest, longest newborn 'booties' that I've ever seen on a baby, so we're guessing 18 1/2" might be more accurate! She's a little pistol and was running around the pasture lickity split within the first hour! Poor Skittles has been babysitting Wynona for her friend, Isabelle, but now she really has her hands full trying to keep up with her own little toy! Tillie is out of Merle Haggard and Skittles, and bloodlines of her 'grands' are George Jones and Desperado! She is named for one of Merle's best friends, Floyd Tillman, a Country Music Hall of Fame member who died here in Texas at the age of 88. Merle, Willie Nelson, George Jones and Dolly Parton were featured in duets with Floyd on his final album, aptly titled The Influence! |
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Here's
McCormick Gin - aka 'Mac' (Tangueray
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Tangueray and Isabelle have done it again! Early on the morning of February 27, this little gal decided to make her debut, and we couldn't have been more delighted! She is very wiggly and already knows how to give donkey hugs; she measured 22" with her 'footies' on, but we haven't decided what color she is going to be; we're guessing dark brown! She's really dark on her rear end and legs, and as you can see in her picture, the hair on her shoulders and neck have some brown in it; she also has some good old Texas dirt on her in the picture as I woke her up from a nap to take her picture!
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Some of you remember that last year at the San Antonio Show, we adopted Moose from a local dog rescue group. Well this year, we took him back to see his foster mom, and Sandra had something (or someone) in her pocket for us to see! So, you guessed it, now we have two of Sandra's little success stories! Moose, and this little guy that we call Skeeter. He is five years old and weighs three pounds, and he was turned over to rescue because he didn't like to wear clothes! He 'fits in' perfectly with our crew! He needs to gain some weight, and we are feeding him a special food for a short time, but Louie, the French Bulldog puppy that we adopted last fall from an Oklahoma rescue group loves him; he licks his face to make sure that he didn't leave any crumbs! So if you are ever in need of another pup, get in touch with Sandra at her Hound Haven rescue (Hound.Haven@Gmail.Com); she has lots of beautiful dogs, both large and pocket size, that need a good home and a second chance! |
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Oh my gosh .......... on Tuesday night, February 10, we had a storm come through our part of Texas; it packed lots of thunder and lightning, and high winds that blew a tree over on top of one of our jack's shelters!
It gave me chills to look at it, but we are thankful and feel very blessed that no donkeys were injured!
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An on a sad note, our beloved Miss Impressive lost her foal, a beautiful little black jack; our first baby of the 2009 foaling season! What started out as a textbook delivery turned completely wrong in a matter of seconds. The little guy was lying on his back (legs and tummy facing up) and there was no way to turn him. With the help of our vet, we were able to finally remove the foal without any cutting, and we are very thankful that our jenny was saved, but it's so hard to start the year off with a broken heart!
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Looking Back Over the Year and Smiling!
Our little donkeys worked hard in 2008; they did everything that we asked them to do and more! From Rusty's first show at seven months of age where he got tired and laid down in the arena to yesterday's GCDMA's annual awards banquet, we've had a great time!
At the annual banquet, Ras was named Class Winner - Foals, based on the total number of points she accumulated in halter classes; Gypsy was Class Winner - Yearling Jennys and the old man, Merle, was Class Winner - Five and Older Jacks! They each received a garment bag with the GCDMA logo, and since we don't have nearly enough clothes for three bags, we will be sharing two of those bags with Ras and Gypsy's new owners. We have a deposit on each of them, but the new owners are allowing us to keep them and show them in 2009. Many thanks to John and Janet Stallone and Stephanie Dove; we appreciate you sharing your Hickory Hill girls!
Both Rusty and K.B. each earned an award jacket with the GCDMA logo! Rusty was Reserve Jr. Champion for the 2008 show year, and K.B. was Reserve Champion Jack! Way to go boys!
The memories are
great, and we smiled all the way! Many thanks to our donkeys, to Steve
Wilhelm, Beth Burgess and Kim Stegall who helped us show them when we didn't
have enough hands, to the new owners who let us keep their girls to show and
to all of our friends who encouraged us along the way! Thanks so much!
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We took a vote, and it was 5 to 0 that we wouldn't do anymore November shows; the weather is always cold, but this year, it was so darn windy!
Here are three pictures; not very good at all because it was so cloudy and so early in the morning that the arena was almost too dark to see them! And they all had their ears backed and their bottom lip poked out! They weren't happy campers at all!
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We took Raspberry, Gypsy and Rusty (our three young redheads) to the Fall Show in Corsicana this weekend (November 8 & 9), and they all did a good job for us! It was cold (in the mid-40's, but that's cold to a Texan), and when I took off Ras's blanket, she humped up like a turtle and tucked her tail between her legs; she was not having fun! Usually, she is a bold little girl and really strikes a pose when the judge come by, but not this time; she stood with her ears backed (at me, I'm sure because I was the one that took her blanket off), and her tail clamped tightly between her legs! Because Rusty had a birthday in October, for this show he moved out of the foal class and up to the class of yearling jacks, and Gypsy showed in the yearling jenny class!
Ras placed second in her foal class; Rusty took first place in his yearling jack class, and Gypsy took home the blue first place ribbon in her yearling jenny class; then it was on to Model and Reserve Model Miniature Donkey! All three qualified, so Harv took Rusty, I took Gypsy and we recruited one of the younger exhibitors to take Ras back in for judging!
And are you ready for this ............. Gypsy and I won Reserve Model Miniature Donkey! It was another good day!
Sorry, I don't have many pictures to share, we had three halter classes back-to-back, and they lined up for judging on the opposite side of the arena, so I didn't have enough time to get around the arena and take pictures and then get back in time to hand-off the next donkey and back number! Here is one of each as they walked in to meet the judge, but that's about it; the ones that I tried to take across the arena are way too fuzzy!
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We were in Dallas the first weekend of October for the Texas State Fair, and I'm delighted to say, we came home smiling again! Our little donkeys are young, but they have big hearts, work hard and love to please! Rusty won the foal class and was named NMDA Reserve Jr. Champion; Raspberry came in third in the foal class (many thanks to Kim Stegall for driving over to show Ras for us); Gypsy placed second in the yearling jenny class; Chili won the two year old gelding class, and the old man, Merle placed second in the five and older jack class! Everybody had a good day!
Here's Rusty's "official" photo and a few very informal pics that I took with my camera; unfortunately, I was standing in the warm-up area at the opposite end of the arena!
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 Reserve NMDA Jr. Champion 2008 State Fair of Texas |
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| Until I started posting these pictures, I hadn't realized how much Gypsy and Raspberry look alike, and Chili and Rusty look like clones! They all have the same dad, but different moms! |
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Official Photos from
the 2008 ADMS National Show
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The "redheads" of
Hickory Hill Raspberry, Gypsy and Rusty |
And here's Rusty, 2008 ADMS National Jr. Halter Champion |
Thanks to Steve and Beth for helping us out and thanks also to Sarah Hall's Photography for the fantastic pictures; do you know how hard it must be to get six ears up at the same time? Actually, Kenny, her husband was on the sidelines opening/closing an umbrella; these little country donkeys haven't seen rain in a long time!
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The pictures below aren't very good; classes started at 7:00 a.m. (that's right, 7:00 o'clock in the morning); the sun was sleeping in and it was still somewhat dark, but I just couldn't wait to share the good news about our three young redheads! The one of Rusty is actually in the show ring waiting for the judge to come by, and the ones of the two girls, Gypsy and Raspberry, were taken at home after they had been clipped!
Hickory Hills Rusty
Nail
2008 ADMS National Show
Jr. Grand Champion
1st Place NMDA Foal Class
Conroe, Texas - September 6 and 7, 2008
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Hickory Hills Gypsy Rose |
Hickory Hills Raspberry Sparkle |
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And it gets even better ....................based on the total number of halter points earned by his foals (Rusty, Gypsy and Raspberry), our sorrel herdsire, My World Red Alert, was named Supreme Champion Sire of the 2008 ADMS National Show!
We smiled all the way home! :)
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My World Red Alert 2008 ADMS National Show Supreme Champion Sire Conroe, Texas - September 6 and 7, 2008 |
Many thanks to Eeebray.com for sponsoring the Supreme Champion Sire award!
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Please keep the family of Pat Krombholz, Erin Hill Donkey Stud (Australia), in your thoughts and prayers; I was notified by her son and daughter that Pat passed away last week. Although she and I never met in person, we were good friends through emails. She loved her donkeys and looked forward to having Hickory Hills Zig Zag as her herdsire. Sadly, Pat died before she had the opportunity to meet him; Zig Zag was scheduled for quarantine and shipping in December/January. |
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Weaning Time!
Our first 2008 baby
is six months old and has been weaned! Introducing Hickory Hills Raspberry
Sparkle, and sparkle she does! We think she is a super nice little
sorrel jenny,
************************* "Camp Momo" ........... the first week of July, and all three grandgirls were here! My heart doesn't want to admit it, but they are all growing up! Emily will be a high school senior in the fall; Katie will be a freshman, and Shelby will be in the second grade! Momo's three girls aren't babies anymore! They did a farm photo shoot, and here are some of their favorite pictures!
Cute, cute, cute!
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Picture of the Day - June 8, 2008 - Equusite.com This picture of Silk Stockings (Silkie) and McCormick Gin (Mac) is one of our favorites, so we entered it in a photo contest and with the help of all of our friends and family who voted .......... they won! Many thanks to all who participated on such short notice; it was fun to watch their rating go higher and higher and finally at midnight, they had the winning 9.5! |
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2008 NMDA National Reserve Champion Jack
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Introducing a New Herdsire!
Hickory Hill Donkey Farm is proud to add Country Music's Merle Haggard to our group of herdsires! We feel very fortunate that Simply Sweet Miniatures in Powderly, Texas made it possible for us to purchase him! Thanks so much, John and Wendy!
Merle was born 06/09/01; he's 30" in height and has a deep, dark brown hair coat with a big white star on his forehead. He was on the show circuit in 2002 and did very well; at The Great Celebration in Shelbyville, Tennessee, Since then, he has been out in the pasture romancing jennys! We are going to work with him some and put a little weight on him and see if perhaps we can get him back in the show ring for the 2008 NMDA National Show!
The weather has
been so nasty lately that I haven't been able to take pictures, but Donnie Green,
of Lone Star Miniature Donkeys,
was kind enough to send me this photo of he and Merle at the 2002 Great
Celebration in Shelbyville. Merle won his class and was named Reserved Grand
Champion Jack! What great wins, especially as a yearling!
Our breeding program focuses on four main factors: conformation, disposition, size and color, and Merle certainly "fits" all four! Along with our other six (did I actually say six; oh my goodness) breeding jacks, he will be available for breeding to a few outside jennys in the spring!
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Show Update:
2008 NMDA National Show - April 5 & 6, Waco, Texas
This was a good show for the little Hickory Hill donkeys; they worked hard and did a good job for Pa & Ma! Merle won his "old man" halter class, and then went on to be named 2008 NMDA National Reserve Champion Jack, K.B. placed second in his two year old jack class; Chili placed third in his two year old gelding class and Jus Smokin "danced" his way to sixth place in the yearling jack class!
The weather was beautiful, and Gulf Coast Donkey and Mule Association did a fantastic job of hosting the show for NMDA. Friday nights exhibitor dinner was a lot of fun; they served delicious Texas barbeque and some of the best desserts ever! We had a lot of fun and meet some great new donkey friends!
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo - March 16 - 17
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show will always be a big blur! Two hours after we arrived, Harv had
been kicked by a polo horse, blacked out and was in the hospital; our
weekend changed dramatically! We feel blessed that after four days of
extensive testing for underlying causes, he was given a clean bill of
health, and the intense pain of the injury was ruled the only cause of the
whole ordeal!
We want to take this opportunity to thank those that came to our rescue with their prayers and get-well wishes and offers to help get the trailer and donkeys back home and anything that I might have needed; we have made some fantastic friendships through our donkeys! A special thank you to our friends at Lil Foot Mini Ranch! Kim and Shirley took care of our donkeys like their own; they fed them, tucked them in at night and bathed not only their donkeys, but ours too! Kim showed Jus Smokin and Chili in their halter classes, and Steve Wilhelm showed Norma Jean in hers! Our donkeys definitely missed Harv; actually, they took advantage of his absence and didn't cooperate with Kim and Steve. Norma Jean wouldn't walk or trot, Chili acted like he was asleep, and Jus Smokin leaned on Kim the whole time! In spite of it all, they all brought home ribbons! What the donkeys didn't know was that our son video taped the show, and Harv was able to see it from his hospital room. Needless to say, after we got back to the farm, they each spent time at the "thinking tree!" |
San Antonio Show - February 11
Oh my goodness; how this Texas weather can change! It was 81 degrees on Sunday as we drove over to San Antonio from our farm in Leon County, and it waited to start raining until after the halter classes were completed on Monday! What a huge difference from our January trip to Fort Worth in 20 degree weather!
We took four donkeys with us to SA; Norma Jean, Smokin, Chili and K.B. This was K.B's first show since his allergic reaction to horse flies back in June. We think he still needs to gain a few more pounds, but he placed second in the three/four year old jack class; he will be three years old this summer! Good job K.B and good job to the other three; they all worked hard and brought home ribbons too!
 Norma Jean and Harv are set and waiting for the judge!
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 Here comes Smokin! He better get those feet set before the judge gets there or Harv's going to be mad!  Ears up, Chili .....................The judge is looking your way! |
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January, 2008
We are busy, busy, busy clipping three of our donkeys for the Fort Worth Show; the weather has been nasty and cold so we waited as long as we could to start, hoping the conditions would improve, but not so lucky! We are only taking three (Smokin, Norma Jean and Chili) because after we clip for a show, we have to keep blankets on them 24/7, and that's a huge job; three is plenty in bad weather! No matter how snug we pull the straps (we also pin the two openings with blanket pins) Smokin is always going to get out of his during the night, and the first thing we have to do every morning is go out in his pen, find his blanket and dress the boy again!
Fort Worth Show, January
20
(temperature 20 degrees - brrrrrrrrrrrr!)
We had a great time despite the cold weather! Well, after we are at home in front of the fireplace, we can say that, but actually, it was too cold to smile; your face actually hurt to move! Each donkey had on three blankets and a heat lamp in their stall; they were warm and snuggly. About an hour before show time, we took off their hoods and one layer; they looked at us like we were crazy! In the holding area, we took over another layer, and then a class before their class, we took off the third and final layer; as soon as they left the arena, we bundled them back up again! They were great little troopers, and besides being troopers, they brought home some ribbons, a belt buckle and a halter with leather inlays! Pa and Ma were delighted with their little donkeys! :)
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Norma Jean was cold, and she
wasn't in the mood
to put her ears up! Norma Jean will be two years old in May; she showed in the two year old jenny class and placed second.
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Smokin, standing at the front of
his class!
He is so much like his dad! He likes to have
fun in the arena, and Harv really has to work hard to keep his feet from dancing!
Jus Smokin will be
two years old in July, and he showed in the two year old jack class; he won his class and then went on to be named "Reserve Champion Halter Jack" for the show! |
Here's Chili; first in his class!
.What can I say! He always has his ears up and knows when it's show time!
Chili (Red Hot Chili
Pepper) will be three years old the end of October,
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 Pearl and Stella "on alert!" |
We get asked all the time if miniatures make good guard donkeys, and I always say "no, they aren't big enough," but I guess I'm going to have to change my answer now; they sure can point out a trespassing grandgirl in a hurry! |
 Who's that digging holes on our sand pile? |
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Buckskin Joe |
The new year started off
with the Gulf Coast Donkey and Mule Association's annual awards meeting, and
what a great time we had! Lots of good food and fellowship, but
the most exciting part was when they announced that Buckskin Joe had won the
2007 Reserve Champion Halter Gelding award, and that both Buckskin
(three/four year old gelding) and Chili (two year old gelding) were class
champions of their respective halter classes! I just have to show you
my new belt buckle; yes, the box actually did have my name on it instead of
Harv's! I was so proud of all three of my boys ........... Harv, Buckskin and Chili! |
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Dragging your little
ass! (Chapter 2)
Here's one of my favorites; Harv
and Jus Smokin leaving the arena at Fort Worth
to collect their ribbon and halter awards for Reserve Model Jack. Harv
is two-stepping and
Smokin isn't ready to leave; he's still having fun!
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Chapter
1: Like
father; like son! Here's Harv "dragging his little ass, Smoke" several
years back after finishing a lead-line obstacle class. It's almost
spooky how much Smoke and Smokin's personalities are alike!
Smoke was so much fun to haul and show! He loved meeting people and introducing them to the wonderful world of miniature donkeys! Of course, now he is content to stay home and romance the jennys, but I still miss him traveling with us! He was a fantastic PR donkey! |
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Can you believe it!
This is the second year in a row that we've had snow
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Guess what else we brought home from the San Antonio Show ..............................
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A precious bundle of love! This little guy is a rescue pup; he has been under the watchful eye of Sandra and Mike Harrington of Hound Haven, a rescue group in San Antonio. Sandra has recovered from foot surgery and will be going back to work, so she needed someone who could feed this little bugger at least every four hours, day and night! How could we say "no" to this little face! Before he was rescued, he had a very rough start; he is now 14 weeks old and weighs just over a pound! We are hoping that his health improves, and he grows into a healthy little boy! Thanks to Sandra and Mike and to the staff at Deason Animal Hospital in Floresville, Texas for your dedication in helping this little guy get back to good health! |
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| Grandgirl Update: Shelby recently spent a weekend with us and had a great time "helping" Popo. She drives the golf cart while he feeds the donkeys. Here she is resting on a bale of hay! Don't you just love those bright green farm boots? When her daddy asked if she had a license to drive the golf cart, she quickly said, "yes, Popo said I could!" Some girls learn fast! |
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Last Year's Memories ...............
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I love this picture!
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January, 2008
We are a bit late with our wishes as we had a lightening strike over the holidays that put our computer down, but we still wanted to take a minute to wish you good health and lots of fun with friends and family (and donkeys, of course) in 2008!
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December, 2007
This picture of “the boys” makes a great Christmas card,
Wishing you a holiday season filled with happiness and good health as you celebrate with family and friends! Harvey and JoAnn Jordan *************************
Christmas, 2007, "Santa" had Dazee's face put on a farm flag, and now it proudly waves in the wind just below the flags of the U.S.A. and Texas!
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Show Update: I just have to share this with you .............. can you see the smile on my face! We went to our last donkey show for the 2007 show season in Bryan/College Station on Saturday, November 17; I like to call this a "fun" show as it is put on by the college Horseman Club, and it's the last show of the season, and everyone just seems to have a good time!
We took Smokin to show in the yearling class, and we started off with a bang! Smokin won his class of yearling jacks, jennys and geldings! Then it was time for Norma Jean, and before I handed her off to Harv, I whispered in her ear that this was the last show and the last time that she would have to walk and trot for the judge in 2007! She put on her show face, and off she went! She walked; she trotted, and she won her class! Yiphee! We were delighted that she walked and trotted; the blue ribbon was a plus!
Then it was time for Buckskin Joe and Chili; they were in the same class as all geldings over the age of one year were in "the" gelding class! Harv had Buckskin, and Chili, bless his heart, I was showing him ................. Chili placed second in the class, and Harv and Buckskin placed third! I really think Harv and Buckskin felt sorry for poor Chili and let us beat them!
Then it was time for Model/Reserve Model Donkey; we had three of the ten donkeys that qualified to compete in this class. A good friend of ours, Teri Maxwell, volunteered (well, o.k. she couldn't resist my begging) to show Chili; I took Norma Jean (what was I thinking) and Harv took Smokin!
Are you sitting down? Norma Jean and I won Reserve Model Donkey! I didn't realize it when they called our back number as I was so intent in keeping her ears up and her feet/legs square! We didn't move a muscle until they called out her name, and then I about fainted! I'm not kidding, my legs wouldn't move! So cheers for Norma Jean; she made me look like I knew what I was doing! :)
Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures to share with you as I was in the show ring, but I can tell you one thing ................... we were all smiling!
As soon as we got home, we emailed Mic and Rusty Cotten to let them know the good news; I promised to mail them Norma Jean's plaque and ribbon, but first I wanted to sleep with it safely under my pillow! Mic and Rusty purchased Norma Jean when she was just a fuzzy baby and have graciously left her with us at Hickory Hill so we can show her!
Here's a couple of pictures from November's first donkey show; it was held in Corsicana, November 3 & 4! It was hot and dusty, but when it was time to show, "Pa & Ma's" little longears did a super job! They never disappoint me! They put their game face on and do it!
October, 2007
Our weather has been fantastic; fall is definitely in the air! Mornings are a brisk 65 - 70 degrees, and during the day, the temperature only reaches the high 80s or low 90s!
We had a baby due October 1; Shelby our youngest granddaughter was here over the weekend of the 5th and 6th to see a new baby donkey, but the mother jenny waited until later in the week to deliver our little red surprise! About 1:00 a.m. on the morning of the 11th (Thursday), Hickory Hills Rusty Nail made his grand debut, and he was well worth the wait; he is outstanding!
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************************* July, 2007 ............... Hello to everyone! It has been so busy around the donkey farm for the last several months that I didn’t realize how really long it has been since I had sat down and updated our website until I received several emails from some of you asking if we were alright and if we still had "donkey fever!" I’m glad to say “yes” to both; we’ve just been up to our chins in things to do around the farm and with our donkey club. The Weather! We had snow on Easter morning; can you believe! The donkeys couldn’t; they were wide-eyed! And then a couple of weeks later, we had a hail storm! The little boys in the weanling pasture didn’t like the noise that the hail made on the roof of their barn and couldn’t decide whether they wanted to stay inside or stand under a tree and chance a few knots on the head! These great little creatures are so funny!
The Grandgirls!
Here's three of the youngsters that we are showing this year! Smokin' and Norma Jean are yearlings; Norma is a May 2006 foal, and Smokin' was born in July, 2006. He placed third in the NMDA June show in Corsicana in a full class of good-looking yearling jacks, and Norma Jean won her class of yearling jennys her first time in the show ring! Chili is showing as a two-year old gelding this year, and doing fantastic ........................ always in the ribbons and most of the time at the head of the line!
More Show News! This show season, although very successful and a ton of fun, was “different!” Most of you remember Shirley Temple, she was a Tangueray/Callie Jo baby raised right here at Hickory Hill and never went in the show ring that she didn’t walk out with a ribbon! Her “favorite” ribbon colors were blue and red, and she had a great collection! John and Wendy Kelley purchased Shirley along with her best buddy, Veronica, but I have to tell you ……………… I still miss that girl; especially when it’s show time! And then there’s Smoke, my Christmas present four years old! We showed him three years, and this year Harv talked me into leaving him at home romancing the jennys while we hauled some of the younger donkeys! Reluctantly, I agreed, but every show I've kick myself, especially the larger livestock/rodeo-type shows where there are so many folks that have never met a miniature donkey! Smoke loves people, and in turn, people love him; he is truly an ambassador for the breed, and next year at the three big Texas livestock shows (Fort Worth, San Antonio and Houston), Smoke will be there ………………… working the crowd and spreading the word of miniature donkeys! He and I will both be smiling! Norma Jean made her debut at the April show and won the yearling jenny class! Mic and Rusty (new “parents”) were there to see her for the first time since they fell in love with her when she was only two months old! She had really changed; she wasn’t that cute little fuzzy baby that they had purchased; she was a beautiful young lady! We are looking for good things to happen with this girl in the show ring! You should have seen the big smile on Mic’s face when Norma Jean and Harv presented her with that big blue ribbon! And speaking of good things ……………………. Chili (Red Hot Chili Pepper) has been our “ace in the hole” this year! Chili has been outstanding in the show ring; he looks good, and he stands like a pro while he waits for the judge to come by! We showed him as a jack foal last year, and he did very well! He is herdsire quality, and we hesitated to geld him, but we have his daddy, and we needed to add a young gelding to our show string. I have always said that it takes a good jack to make an outstanding gelding, and Chili proves just that!
Donkeys for Sale!
March, 2007 - Wow! .......... this year is flying by, and spring weather can't get here soon enough for us! January was a tough month at Hickory Hill! We went from cheers to tears in just a few days! We slept in the barn with a newborn foal and his mom three days, and we still lost the little guy! We found him on Sunday morning all wet and cold; mom was standing nearby. As we watched, we saw a shallow breath and immediately grabbed him up and ran to the barn; mom was running right behind us! John and Wendy were here picking up their donkeys, and they helped us dry him off and stabilize him; thank goodness for good friends when you have an emergency! The vet said that since he was too weak to nurse, we needed to milk mom and feed him with a syringe. When he got a bit stronger, he tried nursing, but just didn't have the strength to get enough milk, so we continued to feed him along with his nursing. By Tuesday, he was up on his feet and following mom around a small pasture. Although we were in constant communication with our vet, and he said that we were doing everything right, by Wednesday we just didn't feel like he was making progress, so off we went to the clinic. He was on his feet and never stopped nursing, but early Thursday morning, we got the call that he had given up and lost the fight to survive! Our hearts were crushed; it's so hard to lose one at foaling, but when you nurture one for four days and think that you are winning the battle and then lose, it's devastating! Mid-January, our weather was horrific; we had snow and ice for three or four days in a row and during this time, our water lines to the pastures froze solid, and we hauled water from the house in five-gallon containers back to the donkeys! They appreciated the "room service" but they were also really glad to see the ice melt and the sun come out! These little Texas donkeys aren't use to this super cold weather! And neither are Harv and I; we were all miserable! During all of the cold weather, our truck was in the shop with an electronic problem, and we just never "got it together" enough to get our donkeys ready for the Fort Worth Show. We looked at each other Friday night, and said "let's stay home!" Now that's the best idea that we've had in a long time! We stayed home by the fire and watched movies; the donkeys were tucked in their barns nice and warm, and we were all happy! Two weeks later, we were trimming for the show in San Antonio! It was cool and misting rain, but the show was a huge success for Hickory Hill! The boys were terrific and brought home a third place, two first places, and Buckskin Joe was named Grand Champion Gelding! We were thrilled!
Today, it's beautiful weather outside, 68 degrees and sunshine, and we're busy clipping for the show in Houston next weekend. We will be taking Buckskin (they only have one gelding class so Chili is younger and staying home), K.B.(this will be his first show since Shelbyville in July; he has been romancing two jennys, and we sure uncovered a lot of nicks and scrapes) and a pretty little gal named Norma Jean! She has been doing really well "in school" with Harv, and he's ready to make her debut! She is a full sister to Junipero Gin, a little black jack that did very well for us two years ago and now stands as herdsire at Mic and Rusty's place in Longview! Cross your fingers; we think she is fantastic! I hope the judge does! :) ************************* We finished out the 2006 foaling season on a high (very high) note! Hannabel and Tangueray are the proud parents of a beautiful little girl! She was born about 11:30 p.m. on December 29; had she waited two more days, we were going to name her Eve (New Year's Eve), but she just couldn't wait to make her grand entrance, so we named her for our oldest granddaughter! |
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Introducing Emily Anne, |
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I just couldn't resist sharing this picture of little Bity Bug; he wanted no part of the Santa hat and hid behind the golf cart while we were taking Christmas pictures! |
The picture that we selected to put on our Christmas message this year is a photo of Shelby, our youngest grandgirl, and Ghost Buster (Boo) who was born on Halloween! |
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What's Happening at Hickory Hill ................
We were super busy this fall with four shows in October/November, and I can't say enough about how proud our little "pa and ma" donkeys are doing in the show ring! What a great group that we hauled this year; Harv and I were dragging, but the donkeys did a super job! Thanks to Smoke, Shirley, Veronica, Glory, Concho, Buckskin, Storm, Chili and K.B. for a great year!
We have been busy, busy, busy weaning babies and giving annual vaccinations! The weather has been perfect, and we have been able to spend lots of time outside.
Many thanks to all of you for your friendship, and to those who have fallen in love with our donkeys and just couldn't resist taking a couple home with you, we want you to know how much we appreciate your business! This year, most of the donkeys that we sold have stayed right here in Texas, but we also sent two yearling jennys to Maryland and two bred jennys to South Carolina; it's always double hard to let them leave and travel so far away from their Texas roots, but these four little gals are in wonderful new homes, plus I get regular updates from their new families!
2006 is quickly coming to a close, and it has been a terrific year in the wonderful world of miniature donkeys! We look forward to many more; thanks to all!
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We hope you enjoy looking back over the year with us!
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 Chili with his eye on the judge!
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 Smoke says "not me, Boss!" |
These two pictures are from
the State Fair |
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 Veronica really makes Harv work to keep her ears up! |
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 Storm and Buckskin compete for Grand and Reserve Champion Gelding! |
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Six donkeys
went to the SDMS show in Corsicana, and they all brought home a ribbon!
Aren't they little troopers! They make us so proud!
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 Shirley is busy digging a hole while she stands in the sun to dry from her bath!
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Getting
ready
Buckskin waits patiently while Harv shines his little ass for the last time! |
She makes Harv work
really hard when they are in the show ring
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These
pictures are from the show in College Station; the last show of the |
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 You go, Smoke! |
Smoke is working hard on some "new tricks," and to our great surprise, the "fat boy" can jump! His first attempt, he clipped his heels on the bar, but the second time, he cleared it with a smile on his face! He is like the little engine that could! |
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 The new pup Thanks to Kelly for making this adoption possible! |
 Shelby after dance recital Cute, cute, cute; what else would you expect a grandmother to say! |
 My retirement cake I don't miss the alarm clock, but I worked with a bunch of great folks! |
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We haven't
let her know yet,
but she has some big shoes to fill! She has two full Hickory Hill
siblings, Junipero Gin (standing as herdsire at Cotten's Half Ass Ranch in
Longview) and Norma Jean (bred to Country Music's Merle Haggard and also
making her home with Mic and Rusty in Longview), and they both did really
well in the show ring for us! Harv's looking for a repeat performance
from Wynona!
These
are the gals who know everything that goes on around the farm! They
live in the front pasture, can see our house from their barn and can see the
vehicles that come up our drive! From left to right, that's Sweet
Charlie, Debutante, Pixie and Sweet Pea; the middle two are full sisters and
the two on the ends are mother (on the left) and daughter (on the right).
As you can imagine, they are extremely social and love to entertain!
They are usually Ziggy's girls, but this fall, we bred them to a fantastic
little 29 3/4" gray jack in hopes of still getting spotted babies!
Our last 2008 show
was the Texas A&M Show in Bryan, Texas on November; yes, that's right,
the weekend before Thanksgiving, and it was cold and windy! Actually,
I should have said "just plain miserable!" We only took the three
young redheads (Rusty, Ras and Gypsy), and we didn't clip them, but I still
felt so badly for them when we got them out of the trailer and took off
their blankets! Their ears went straight back on their heads, and
their tails were immediately tucked tightly between their back legs as if to
say "are you crazy?" Poor little Ras, she is the youngest and the
smallest, and she looked so pitiful that I immediately put her blanket back
over her like a shawl until right before the show actually started, and as
soon as each of them had finished up their class, they trotted straight to
me to get back in their blanket! Unfortunately about the time they
warmed up, it was time for the championship classes, and again off came the
blankets!
