It was a hard day for Rocky, and I was responsible. Initially, we planned to keep Rocky and the donkeys separate for week, but we needed to save money so we scrapped the plan to divide the pasture in half. It seemed foolish to spend a couple of thousand dollars on a fence for one week. When we let the donkeys in with Rocky Sunday, they all sniffed one another and Rocky went about his business in his affable way. He rarely causes trouble, just wanders his path to and from the barn to the outer pasture.
This morning I let the donkeys in with the sheep so Rocky and they could see and smell one another without being together. I opened up the gates this afternoon so all of the animals could graze where they wished and get used to each other. This afternoon Ben told me when I came back from an errand that Simon has charged into Rocky and kicked and bit him. I went out looking for Rocky and found him in a corner of the pasture, disoriented, very agitated and circling and circling in the rain. I put the donkeys back in the sheep pasture and went out to get him into the pole barn. He backed away from me, almost in a panic. I can only imagine what it must have been like for a blind creature to be blindsided by a charging donkey. Simon was simply doing his job – protecting himself and Lulu and Fanny from a strange creature.
It took me an hour to coax Rocky back into the barn and calm him down. I called Maria and she came right over, and we got Rocky into his stall and she talked to him and brushed him and calmed him further. I can see how much he loves her and trusts her. I let the donkeys back into the main pasture, but Rocky is separated by a gate. He was looking out at them and they at him. We found a good-sized bite or kick wound on his neck, he must have been caught by surprise.
It isn’t easy for the donkeys either. They are intense and protective animals, in a strange place with a strange animal. Got to give everyone time. The sheep, on the other hand, could care less where they are, as long as they have hay and shelter and water.
They will be kept separate for a week or so. They will work it out, as they always do. This is just what happened to Simon when he was first introduced to Lulu and Fanny. They kicked and bit him repeatedly. It is what equines do, but Rocky needs a bit more protection that most equines, so they’ll be apart for a day. Tough day for Rocky, big transition. I need to be more thoughtful about it.