Chris and I recently had the pleasure of joining Matt and Leigh Scribner of Once Wild Ranch in Cool, California for one of their “Cool Burro Buddies” walks. The Scribners, who are well known for their success with riding once wild mustangs in the most prestigious endurance races in the U.S. have recently taken on burros. They are gentling wild burros from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and getting them adopted to forever homes. Walking with the burros helps the burros to trust people, and is a pretty easy way to fall in love with one.
Every Sunday, Leigh and Matt load up 8-12 recently gentled burros, and meet at a trail head near their home, to walk with old and new friends. Some people bring their own burros, others borrow a burro for the day from Matt and Leigh, and off they go on the trail. The day we went there were about 20 people on the walk, with at least 15 burros. We had some interesting conversations, enjoyed the beautiful scenery, and totally bonded with our burro for the day, Angus!
Angus and MCR co-founder Ellie Phipps Price.
Angus is a 15-year old jack gelding from the Seven Troughs Herd Management Area in Nevada. He was sprung from the Bureau of Land Management corrals outside of Reno, Nevada along with three other burros that Montgomery Creek Ranch purchased during an online sale auction. Angus had only been halter trained for about a month and on this walk, was even carrying a pack-saddle for the first time with ease.
We began our trek down a beautiful country road and then into a forest, eventually onto a single track trail through the trees. Walking with a burro is not like walking with a dog, or even a horse. It’s very relaxing, like traveling along with a steady, willing and even comforting partner.
You have probably heard the saying, “Stubborn as a mule/donkey”. This idiom likely came to be because burros have a strong sense of self-preservation and rarely participate in activities that are not in their best interest or that they feel may put them in danger. Knowing this, I was grateful that Angus seemed to be enjoying his time with me as much as I was with him. If I slowed down, he slowed down. If I sped up, he was right there with me.
Eventually, we came to a creek. Some of the burros were a little worried about crossing the water, others just walked through no big deal. I crossed the water ahead of Angus, and he planted his feet and pulled back against me. I gently tugged on the lead, and then gave him some slack. He thought about it for a moment and then jumped the creek to be by my side again.
We had built up enough trust to take a leap over water!
It was one of the most memorable hikes I’ve ever taken. There’s something about burros. They are truly dear and special.
