Training a prego mare and training a donkey jack?

[wendyluvsminis]

Is it ok to start a pregnant mare in the fall, when they are due in the spring? And has anyone had luck in driving a mare with a foal?

Also, I have a yearling Jack who is very sweet and quiet. I would like to have him drive for my donkey-crazy hubbie. He will start breeding next year. Making mules. If I do alot of ground work and ground driving in the next year, will it be alot harder than training a mini-horse. What do you have to do differantly. I normally do the ground work myself, and then send them to a trainer for hitching, but my trainer has never taken a donkey and is concerned.

Thanks so much!

 

[RhineStone]

I don't see a problem with doing the ground work, but I would be skeptical about putting a pregnant mare to a cart. And I haven't had much experience with mares and foals, but the one I did have wasn't thrilled about working and leaving her "needy" (read "desperate for attention") baby in the stall while she worked. One holler from the foal and we were done working. When I am training a horse, I need their entire attention. We won't get very far if they are distracted, and a rightfully so with a baby on the ground. I have a friend that has raised and shown big horses for years and says that, "either they are a show/performance horse, or a broodmare. You can't do both effectively at the same time." I suppose if you were just dinking around with it, you might accomplish something, but if you are really serious, you either have to train or breed, but not both.

Myrna (who has absolutely no long-ears training experience. I have heard they are "different" than horses.)

 

[wendyluvsminis]

I don't see a problem with doing the ground work, but I would be skeptical about putting a pregnant mare to a cart. And I haven't had much experience with mares and foals, but the one I did have wasn't thrilled about working and leaving her "needy" (read "desperate for attention") baby in the stall while she worked. One holler from the foal and we were done working. When I am training a horse, I need their entire attention. We won't get very far if they are distracted, and a rightfully so with a baby on the ground. I have a friend that has raised and shown big horses for years and says that, "either they are a show/performance horse, or a broodmare. You can't do both effectively at the same time." I suppose if you were just dinking around with it, you might accomplish something, but if you are really serious, you either have to train or breed, but not both.

Myrna (who has absolutely no long-ears training experience. I have heard they are "different" than horses.)

Thank you so much! The mare in question, Blu Dream, has had 4 weeks with a trainer and is driving very well. We are careful not to get her over-heated or tired. I had started her and had her ground driving well before she left. She is very quiet--we don't know if this is partially because she is in foal. She will come home in 2 weeks--after a couple "trail drives" in a State Park. Her baby is due in April. So I won't drive her again until weaning in September. I won't breed her again, probably for years, as I would like to show her and hopefully have her as half of a team (with her daughter!). Thanks for all your good advice!