It's All Happening At The Mall ...

Easy Pedigree Charts

Now you can view your donkey's pedigree chart, link to it from your own website and print copies for your customers! All on Longears Mall.

]]> If you haven't visited Longears Mall in a while, you may notice a new addition to our website - The Donkey Tree. The Donkey Tree is a database of donkey pedigree information. It was maintained by Pat Scanlan for many years. In 2007, we worked with Pat to upgrade the Donkey Tree to run on new web-based software on Longears Mall. With that upgrade, you can now view and search the Donkey Tree, and print reports online!

Here is one of the features that I am really excited about. It is now very easy to generate pedigree charts for any of the donkeys in the Donkey Tree. Start by searching for the donkey:

1. Go to http://donkeytree.com

2. Then enter the donkey's name (or part of it's name) in the appropriate search field, and click the Search button.

3. The search will return a list of donkeys that match your search. Click a donkey's name to view that donkey's information.

Now you will see a box on the right side with "Options for Individual".

There are several types of pedigree charts available on the website. To view the first, put your mouse curser over "Charts" under "Options for Individual", and then click on the "Pedigree" option that displays below it. This will take you to a pedigree chart for that donkey. It looks like this:

This chart shows basic information (name, birth date & place, color, height, registration numbers) as well as photos for 4 generations of donkeys in this donkey's pedigree.

Now all you have to do to show your donkey's pedigree from your farm website is to link to the Donkey Tree pedigree chart for your donkey. Then your website visitors can simply click on the link, and see this chart for your donkey!

You may also want to be able to print a nicely formatted pedigree chart to put in your donkey's records or give to a new buyer. Here's how to do that. From your donkey's information screen, put your mouse curser over the "Reports" option under "Options for Individual". When the "Reports" menu drops down, choose one of the two Pedigree options.

Then on the next screen, click the "Download Report" button.

This will generate a PDF file of this donkey's pedigree chart. These pedigree chart reports are formatted for printing.

You will need Adobe Reader to view the PDF files. Adobe Reader comes on most computers, but if you don't have it yet, it can be downloaded for free from http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

So now with these simple steps, you can not only view your donkey's pedigree chart, but can also easily link to it from your own website and print copies for your customers!

If your donkey is not in the Donkey Tree database yet, please submit it's information through the form on our website, so that we can add it.

Kristie Jorgensen
LongearsMall.com

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The Secret Answer to Hoof Soaking Nightmares

Here is a must-have item for your equine medical box!

]]> Davis Boot Horse Hoof Treatment Boots

If you have ever had to soak one of your donkey or mule's hooves in a bucket or pan, you know what a nightmare it can be! If you are lucky enough to get that hoof into the bucket of water without a rodeo, you know it probably won't be more than 3 seconds before that hoof is out of the bucket again or the bucket is tipped over and spilled across the floor. How frustrating!

Several years ago I bought a Davis Boot Horse Hoof Treatment Boot, and I would never again try to treat hoof abscesses or soak a hoof without one of these. I highly recommend them. They are worth every penny of the $30 or so that you will spend on one.

I'd recommend you measure your donkey's hooves before going to buy one, and make sure you get one big enough to fit your donkey's hoof into the top of the boot.

I believe my Davis Boot is a size 2. It fits onto all of my mammoth donkeys' hooves. It has a big enough opening to get their hoof in without too much fuss. The boot fits very loose around their hoof once their hoof is inside.

Once their hoof is inside the boot, simply pull the nylon strap tight around the top. This holds the top shut enough so the boot won't slide off, but make sure it's not so tight it is uncomfortable around their ankle.

Once the boot is on and strap tight, just pour your Epson Salt water or hoof soak into the top of the boot. Your donkey may shake her foot around a few times at first, but will soon figure out that the boot still stays on, and will settle down. This is a good time to feed your donkey while they are standing still for their soak. Stay with your donkey while the boot is on so that you can straighten it if your donkey tries to walk, and the boot turns around crooked.

I don't use the Therapeutic Pads that are advertised with these boots. My boot just has rubber in the bottom. This makes it easy to clean after each use.

Get one of these boots, and next time you have to soak a hoof, you won't have to dread it!

Kristie Jorgensen
LongearsMall.com

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Bishop Mule Days Report

Wow! Like they say, time flies by when you are having fun! If you missed Bishop Mule Days this year, you missed a great show.

]]> The crowds were a bit smaller this year, and there were about 10% less animals competing. But that helped the events move along faster.

And the temperatures were great! It wasn't too cold at night, but also stayed nice and cool during the daytime. Usually it is very hot during the day. It was very windy one or two of the days, and I would have enjoyed those days better without the wind, but the rest of the week was lovely.

The show started off bright and early Tuesday morning with driving classes. My gelding, Andy, competed in Donkey Pleasure Driving and placed 4th. Then in the afternoon they had English and Hunter Hack classes.

Here is Little Brother Brewster winning first place in the English Pleasure Mule class.

They also added a new Donkey Hunter Under Saddle class this year, for those who like to ride their donkeys English style.

On Wednesday it was very windy all day. They had jumping classes in the morning, and more driving events in the afternoon. I drove Andy in Donkey Gamblers Choice Driving where he placed 4th again. He was a very good boy, in spite of the wind.

Thursday was still a little windy, though not quite so bad. Thursday they had more driving events, dressage, some trail classes, and some halter classes. I showed my gelding, White Knight, in the Donkey 3yr old & Up halter class. Knight was very well behaved for me, but the judge didn't place us.

Friday was a busy day. There was Reining, Roping, Western Riding, Barrel Racing, Keyhole, Pollbending, and more. They added a new Donkey Reining class this year. That was fun to watch. Maybe next year one of my donkeys will be ready to compete in it. My gelding, White Knight, placed 10th in the Donkey Barrel Race. I rode my other gelding, Andy, in Donkey Western Pleasure, but he didn't place. Little Brother Brewser won first place Western Pleasure Mule, Western Riding Mule, and Western Stakes on Friday. He really did well this year!

I missed most of the events on Saturday.

Sunday was full of fun events - cow working, log skidding, trail, pack team events, and more. I rode Andy in Donkey Trail, where we placed 7th.

Then came the long drive back home.

We sure did enjoy seeing those of you who came by and said Hi! And if you didn't get a chance to come, you'll have to start planning for next year.

For a full report on the placings, visit the Mule Days website at http://muledays.org It looks like they don't have the 2008 results posted quite yet, but I'm sure they will soon.

Kristie Jorgensen
LongearsMall.com

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Bishop Mule Days - May 19, 2008

The time has come! Everyone is rolling in to Bishop, California. People are busy setting up camp, getting their mules and donkeys used to the setting, and preparing for the show to begin.

]]> Bright and early tomorrow morning, the show will begin with driving classes - single mule pleasure driving, ride & drive, and donkey pleasure driving.

If you are coming to Bishop Mule Days this year, stop by and say "Hi!" You'll see our Longears Mall banner in the shaded barns area near the show office. Or look for us in the show ring. I'll be riding OK White Knight and Sagebrush Dazzlin' Daisy, as well as riding & driving Sagebrush Oklahoma Andy this year.

Kristie Jorgensen
LongearsMall.com

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Clipping Your Donkeys - Another Tip

This is the time of year when things are really starting to warm up, and also show season is getting into full swing. You may be thinking about clipping your donkey to make them look better for show or just be cooler during hot days.

]]> I posted a series of articles a few years ago on the steps that I use for clipping donkeys. You can view them by following the links at:

http://longearsmall.com/mt/articles/mall/archives/2005/06/clipping_your_d_8.html

Here's another tip from my clipping experience this year. If you're donkey's fur feels clean and normal, and you know your clipper blades are sharpe, but they just aren't going through the fur, try washing your donkey real well. Then once he is dry, try clipping again. This may make a vast improvement, even though your donkey's fur felt normal.

I had this experience with two of my donkeys this year. I still don't know what they had in their fur, but bathing them made a huge difference it helping the clippers work. Just be sure to let the donkeys dry off well before clipping.

Kristie Jorgensen
LongearsMall.com

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Mule Days Videos by Video Mike

Bishop Mule Days is coming up soon. If you've never been, here's a great preview and a chance to see what all the excitement is about!

]]> Mike Kerson (Video Mike) has done an excellent job capturing the escence of Mule Days in his DVDs of the last 5 Bishop Mule Days. There is so much going on during the week of Mule Days that it would be impossible to fit all of Mule Days onto just one DVD. However, each of Mikes tapes has it's own unique focus.

You will love watching these DVDs and seeing some of the best mules and donkeys in the world competing in many different disciplines - from Gaming to Driving, from Western to Jumping, from Halter to Trail, and a few unusual and surprising events thrown in along the way.

Mike's collection of Bishop Mule Days videos is a must-have for anyone who enjoyes watching longears show off their versitility and skill in the show arena!

Kristie Jorgensen
LongearsMall.com

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Entries Due - Bishop Mule Days

Bishop Mule Days is right around the corner! Just a quick reminder that you better get your entries in.

]]>

The entry deadline is next week - April 15. You can view the show entry premium book online on the Bishop Mule Days website at http://www.muledays.org/

For those of you who show donkeys, you'll be pleased to see Bishop Mule Days has added several new donkey classes this year. I'm excited to see that addition, and can't wait to see how they go!

They have added a Youth Donkey Walk-Jog class, and they also are allowing donkey entries in the Youth Pleasure Driving class again this year.

For adult contestants, they have added a Miniature Donkey Halter class, Mini Donkey Driving (singles & teams), Donkey Reining, and Donkey Hunter Under Saddle. I'm particularly excited to see how the last two turn out! That should be fun!

If you've never been to Bishop Mule Days before, you have to come sometime! It is quite an experience, and something I look forward to each year. In the meantime, you can read our news update articles from last year's show:

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8

Kristie Jorgensen
LongearsMall.com

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Foaling Kit Tips - Navel Dipping

This is the time of year when lots of new baby mules and donkeys are arriving.

]]> While you are waiting for yours to be born, here's a little trick that my vet taught me last summer when my baby Maggie was born. You know the plastic tubes/covers that disposable syringes (without the needle) come in?

I don't remember what size the syringe was, but the tube was about 3" long and maybe 3/4" across in the narrower part. If you don't already have a few in your equine medical kit, I'm sure you can get them from your vet.

Remove the syringe and use one of these tubes for doing your navel dips. Store the dip solution (I used Nolvasan) in a different container, and use fresh solution each time you dip. Fill the tube with solution, and then dip the baby's navel in it. The tube is the perfect size, and was much easier than trying to use a small cup. Simply cradle baby in your arms, and raise the tube up under the baby's belly until the navel is completely submersed in the dip solution. You can use the same tube for each dipping for that particular foal, but be sure to use a new dip tube for each foal.

If you've run across any great foaling tips or tricks, we'd love to hear about them! Just send us an email

Kristie Jorgensen
LongearsMall.com

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Donkey Tree Grand Opening

Have you noticed a new addition to Longears Mall?

]]> The request went out early this year for someone to carry on Pat Scanlan's Donkey Tree. We accepted the challenge, and have been working closely with Pat since February to convert and upgrade his Donkey Tree pedigree database. We owe a debt of gratitude to Pat for his dedication and many years of research working on the Donkey Tree, and his continued input into the project. We look forward to continuing the Donkey Tree project for many years to come.

We are excited to announce the grand opening of the new Donkey Tree website at LongearsMall.com. Now you can research donkeys and their pedigrees online using our search and reporting features. Enjoy!

If you have information about a donkey that is not listed yet, or have corrections on a donkey that is already in the Donkey Tree, please email them to us at donkeytree@longearsmall.com

The new Donkey Tree system also has a place to store photos of each donkey, so if you have good photos of any of the donkeys listed, we would love to add them. Please understand that it may take me a few days to add new information as I have to manually enter and approve each change.

Kristie Jorgensen
LongearsMall.com

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Product Review - Fly Predators

I think every one of us who has mules and donkeys probably has been aggravated with flies constantly swarming around our barns in the summer time.

]]> My barn is no exception. I've tried many kinds of flytraps, fly spray, fly masks, and still the flies congregate in seemingly overwhelming numbers around my barns.

So this year I decided to try something different. I ordered fly predators for the whole season from Spalding Labs. Fly predators are tiny bugs that lay their eggs in the fly larva. The predator eggs hatch and the predator larva kill the fly larva, thus reducing the fly population.

I started releasing fly predators around April or so of this year, and have seen a noticeable reduction in the number of flies around my barns this summer! Where there used to be hoards of flies jostling around in the few shaded spots they could find, now there are a much smaller number. The flies are not completely gone yet, but are much fewer in numbers than past years. It makes for a much more comfortable summer for my donkeys and me!

I highly recommend using fly predators to help reduce flies around your barns! Here are a few sources that I found were they can be ordered:

Spalding Laboratories

Buglogical Control Systems

SmartPak Equine

Kristie Jorgensen
LongearsMall.com

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Montana Mule Days - Part 3

Here are some more photos that I got on Saturday and Sunday.

]]> Here are some of the fancy teams and driving donkeys that went past our camp as they were getting ready for their big events.

Saturday night after it got dark the Ch'Ears donkey group had a light parade again. I took my jennets Lily and Star in the light parade. They proudly wore brightly colored glowing chains that I got from the dollar store.

I also used this as an opportunity to teach Star how to pony along beside Lily. Both girls did great, and by the end of the parade Star had learned to walk right along beside Lily and not try to pull ahead or lag behind.

Saturday night it rained quite a bit, and things were a bit muddy Sunday morning. Here are a few photos that I got of the kids doing Junior Mule Team Gamblers Choice Obstacle Driving on Sunday morning.

It was raining off and on all day Sunday, so we decided to end on a good note, scratch our last few classes, and pack up & head home early.

We had a wonderful time at the show, and hope to see more of you there next year!

Kristie Jorgensen
LongearsMall.com

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Montana Mule Days - Part 2

Montana Mule Days is a busy show with over 130 classes in 3 days. Here are some more of the other events we enjoyed on Friday.

]]> Halter classes finished up the morning. I showed my yearling jennet, Sagebrush Rooster's Star, in the Mammoth Jennet Halter class. We had never even practiced the halter pattern with her at home, so she was a bit distracted and wiggly, but I was very proud of her confidently leaving her other buddies and going happily with me in the show ring for her first time!

After Star's halter class, I took her back to her pen, and then got my camera to take photos of some of the other halter classes. Here are the gelding and jack halter classes.

Mammoth Gelding Halter

Championship Gelding Halter

Mammoth Jack Halter

Miniature and Standard Jack Halter

Championship Donkey Halter

Friday afternoon I rode my gelding, Sagebrush Oklahoma Andy, in the Donkey Western Pleasure class. This was his first time doing a walk/trot/canter Western Pleasure class. He's only been in western pleasure one time before, and that time was Green Western Pleasure, and they didn't ask us to canter in that one. I was concerned before his Western Pleasure class that he wouldn't want to canter long enough for me, but I still wanted to do it for his experience. We got into the arena with 7 other donkeys, and Andy performed beautifully for me. He picked up each gait when I asked for it, and held the canter until I asked him to come back down. Good boy! And we took 1st place!

I also rode my jennet, Sagebrush Desert Delight (aka Lily), in the Donkey Flag Race where she did a flawless run and placed 1st.

Later in the afternoon they had Keyhole, along with a number of other classes. Here are a couple photos that I got of the Junior Donkey Keyhole. This young man was quite busy all weekend showing mules and donkeys in a lot of classes! And he did quite well too.

Then we stopped for a quick dinner break, then headed back to the arena for one of my favorite events at Montana Mule Days - Log Pulling! There were 13 donkeys in the Single Donkey Log Pulling and 4 teams in the Donkey Team Log Pulling. That was quite impressive! I did Single Log Pulling with both Andy and Lily. Both did well. Andy placed 4th, and Lily didn't place. With so many donkeys, we had some stiff competition.

I also drove Andy and Lily together in the Donkey Team Log Pulling. They placed 3rd out of 4 teams.

Here are a few photos graciously provided by Laurie Morgan. The first is of Lily doing Single Donkey Log Pulling. The others are of my team.

Next article I'll have more photos from the show!

Kristie Jorgensen
LongearsMall.com

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Montana Mule Days - Part 1

I had a wonderful time at Montana Mule Days this year, and was quite excited to see the large number of donkeys competing this year!

]]> This summer has been a bit busy, so it has taken me a few weeks to get them ready, but I thought you would enjoy a few photos from the show. So here it goes!

Friday morning started off bright and early with Showmanship classes on one half of the arena and Trail in the other half. Here are some photos from both of those.

Youth Showmanship

Junior Showmanship

Adult Showmanship

Donkey and Mule Trail

In my next article I share photos from a few more of the Friday events.

Kristie Jorgensen
LongearsMall.com

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On Assignment at Bishop Mule Days - Part 8

May 28, 2007 - Farewell 'til next year!

]]> What a great show! We had a wonderful time, and hope you'll join us at Bishop Mule Days next summer! But now it's time to pack up and head home.

Complete show results should be up at the Bishop Mule Days website soon. Congratulations to all the winners and everyone who brought their mules & donkeys to make this show a great success!

Next comes Montana Mule Days! Come back to read my reports from Montana Mule Days soon!

Kristie Jorgensen
LongearsMall.com

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On Assignment at Bishop Mule Days - Part 7

May 27, 2007 - Afternoon

]]> Things got a little hectic this summer, and I haven't written any new articles in a while. Now that I have some more time to write again, I wanted to finish my Bishop Mule Days series! In my last article I wrote about the Sunday morning events. Here are some good photos from Sunday afternoon's events.

Someone brought a mare with twin baby mules to show off. Here they are waiting to go into the arena for their minute in the spotlight.

I found a good place to sit at the top of the stands where I could watch both the main arena and the two east arenas. They had jumping in the main arena.

Mule Trail was going in one of the east arenas.

Donkey Trail was going in the other east arena. The first photo is JoDe Collins on Double C Redman. The second is Curtus Imrie on Musai.

Later in the afternoon we had Youth Costume Class in the main arena. The theme for this year was "your favorite superhero." Some of the kids got quite creative!

Next came one of the pack team events. In this one they had to load up and pack out a variety of odd shaped objects like pipe, deck chairs, sheets of plywood, plastic barrels, etc. The packers have to make sure everything is tied down good. They then race around the back track, and back into the arena. When they come back in everything still has to be on their back team - it can't be dragging or lost somewhere around the track. It's quite an event to watch!

Then they had Mule Keyhole Finals. Here is one of the mules in that event.

Another exciting event to watch was the Mule Chariot Races. Some of those teams can really run! It's quite the experience to hear the heavy weight teams storming down the track!

What a busy, but fun filled day to end the show!

Kristie Jorgensen
LongearsMall.com

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