Dear Longear Friends:

With all of the things happening around us, we listen to the news, read papers, look at headlines on our computers, hear what our friends are talking about, and so often it all seems negative.

Life is a fragile balance-how lucky we are to be a part of it. Even with natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, wildfires, blizzards and everything else Nature can throw at us, humans manage to survive. More importantly, we take moments even in the worst times to cherish the little things. Foals will be born, flowers will bloom, birds will flit past. 

Our lives are affected by everything happening around the world. We are a vastly interconnected society, not as it was 200 years ago, when communication was by letter post. Think of wagons carrying goods, the rider on horseback (some on muleback), taking missives from families across wilderness. That wilderness has grown to be huge cities.  Though rural areas remain, they are nothing compared to the past of the United States.  The USA has a rich history in equine trade, from the introduction of mules and mustangs, to the creation of a number of equine breeds.

A hundred years ago, the telephone was being used to share news coast to coast. Trains transported goods where mule trains and wagons once rolled. Mule breeding wasn't necessary, and horses as a means of daily transport disappeared: a downturn in the equine community. 

The equine market fluctuates. It has this year as it has in times past, and will again in the future. The price of horses/donkeys/mules (cattle, llama, etc., etc.) will rise and fall as the economy changes. When gas and hay prices rise, horse prices fall. Those prices may have risen, but most of us didn't get a raise in pay to account for it. In the end, something has to cut back. 

We find so many stories of people doing without in order that their animals will be fed.  None of us wants to give up a riding mule, a cherished pet, or any animals we made a promise to of a lifelong home. As long as we can keep that promise to them of a GOOD home, then we'll do all in our power to keep them fed and sheltered. There are rescues that are full up, but there are good rescues and bad ones. If you are taking in animals (or breeding!), make sure you have room to care for them. Is the market good in your area? Think about it before you turn the jack out this spring. If you still have over half your foal crop from last year (or the year before!), you might reconsider breeding this year.   

Most people take joy in the birth of a foal. What color will it be? Filly or colt? Will it take after the dam or the sire? For mule owners, seeing those long ears unfold and listening to the mare whicker to that long-eared creature beside her is priceless. Donkey babies seem to be all huge eyes and ears at birth, and there is truly something magical in seeing that baby come into the world. You want to think that he or she will have a loving home all his life, to live in green pastures, to have friendly people around. It's horrid to reflect on the fact that this might not be the case.  

The internet has become standard for news sharing over the past decades. You can find just about anything from anywhere in the world. That is, of course, if you use caution with search engines and keep your software up to date. Never open emails when you do not know the sender, and be cautious when clicking on ANY links, especially from people you do not know.

You can buy an animal by finding an ad online, arrange for shipment, and have an animal show up at your door. We have become a society that is split along many lines - those who still prefer hard-copy of their books and papers, and those who love their screen and keyboard. Whichever you are, whichever ways the headlines affect you, make sure you do your research when you are planning ahead for those four-hooved wonders that will grace your pasture. The economy will affect not only your future, but theirs. To what extent is up to you. Whether it is buying, breeding, training or selling, we wish everyone luck with their animals.  

Take a moment to step outside, look at the sky, listening to the sounds (be they birds chirruping or thunder rolling), and think about mules, donkeys, and the world 200 years ago. Where would we be if it weren't for the efforts of a man named George Washington and his love for the mule?   

Have a better spring,

Leah Patton,  

Office manager, ADMS

The Am. Donkey & Mule Soc. PO Box 1210, Lewisville TX 75067 (972) 219-0781. Newsletter: the BRAYER magazine, 112 pgs 6X/yr, $23 US, $30 Canada, $45 overseas. We now accept Paypal, Visa/MC (+$1 courtesy fee appreciated). Reg info, forms, fees on our website at www.lovelongears.com.