I’ve begun halter training Simon. It is my intention to walk him around the farm, around town, maybe get him to a reading one day in a trailer. I’ve done this a couple of times before. You have to get him used to having it on his nose – put it on, ask him to do little, reward him extravagantly. The first lesson was today, and I was pleased. I can be overhead in the video imagining him going to Harvard.

It is similiar to good dog training. Be clear. Be positive. Be patient. Donkeys are not easy. They are smart because they have lots of predators in their history and they often had few wide open spaces in which to run or hide. So they are wily, stubborn and strong-willed. But Simon and I are on the same page, and I expect to be strolling around the farm with him next week.

Come and see: