Available Equines

You can check out our current Guide for New Donkey Owners with some useful information about basic donkey care here. An electronic copy of the official Donkey Care Handbook from the Donkey Sanctuary of England can be viewed here, and a current generic version of our adoption agreement, foster application, and adoption application, respectively, can be viewed or filled out below. When you are ready to apply, please fill out and submit the appropriate forms. For adoption, please read up on our adoption policies and requirements here.

(Please note: Adoption or foster applications do not constitute any commitment or contract; they're simply for our information and a first step in our adoption or foster process!)

Here is our generic adoption agreement. This is the kind of agreement that you sign when you adopt an animal from us. Please DO NOT send this in lieu of an adoption application; this is FOR VIEWING ONLY!

ADOPTION AGREEMENT GENERIC
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DONKEYS/MULES CURRENTLY AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION OR FOSTERING SPRING 2026

PECOS BILL

This big, beautiful john mule is 21 years old, about 15 hh tall at the withers, and has seen it all. He was a pack mule and a riding mule, and he has been ridden in parades. He will not pack dead animals, though. Pecos came to us in June 2025 as an owner surrender from Alamogordo.

Despite his age, Pecos Bill still has a lot of life in him. He has a lot of energy and needs good fencing, preferably pipe fencing! He stands quietly for saddling and bridling, stands still for mounting and dismounting, walks with “walk” command and slight nudging w/heel. He turns easily with reining, stops with “ho” and pulling back on reins. He will back up, but just a couple steps at a time. (When he first came to us, he tried walking right over a person to get through a gate.) No bucking, no kicking, but he does seem to have some separation anxiety, doesn’t like to be too far from his pasture buddies, and sometimes bolts when being walked on the lead line, especially when he is being taken away from his herd. We're looking for a sensitive, understanding home for this guy, he deserves it! He needs someone who will set clear boundaries in a friendly, but determined manner and have the right kind of set-up for him.

Pecos Bill has his own custom made saddle. He is fully vaccinated, recently had a dental and Coggins test, and is up to date with trimming and deworming. He is a happy, friendly guy and wants a person to love him. He gets along with every equine (although some are afraid of him at first). Pecos Bill's adoption fee is $1,500, which includes the saddle. (Or, if you have your own saddle that would fit him, we can adjust the fee accordingly.) Please fill out an adoption application if you're interested in adopting Pecos Bill. We can also do a 2-week foster situation as a trial period to see if Pecos Bill is your guy!

CHLOE & ABIGAIL

Chloe was one of the donkeys we rescued from Texas in 2012 and placed in a cattle donkey adoption program that we had for about 5 years with a large ranch in Quemado. It likely saved her life. She entered out actual training program in 2014, when the cattle ranch decided that she and some others were not really effective guardians for the calves. After some training, she was adopted out to a home in Madrid, where she kept another jennet named Abigail company, who has been her best friend ever since. The two girls came (back) to us in 2023 when their former owner/adopter was moving to a nursing home. Since then, the two have undergone more ground training and left for an adoption in Santa Fe for two years, from which they returned again for no fault of their own. The two are still bonded, and we would like to have the two girls go together again, although Chloe has made some new friends here as well.

Chloe is rather small for a standard donkey (though not as small as a mini). She stands well for the farrier and you can pick up her feet. She halters and leads fairly well at this time. Loading onto a trailer still needs a little bit work. Chloe has moderate signs of Cushing's and insulin resistance, although her blood work was undetermined. Her weight needs to be watched, and she does best on barley and a little bit of grass hay. Her hooves need regular trimming, as the front hooves are both a bit clubfooted, but as long as they're kept trimmed she has no mobility issues whatsoever. She is very cute.

Abigail, who is a bit larger than Chloe, needs some more ground training. She is still working on some lingering trust issues and takes a bit longer to warm up to new people. She lets those whom she trusts halter and lead her, but she currently still needs sedation for hoof trims. The two girls also need some more practice with trailer loading. They do have made a lot of progress with leading and recently participated in our annual Lazy Sunday Donkey Hike, which was the first time for them to be out on a trail. They are currently at our trainer's in Cerrillos for a month to undergo some more ground training, including trailer loading and becoming more confident with strangers.

Chloe and Abigail are both around 16 years old. Abigail loves to go and might be a possible candidate for pack burro racing. Chloe has club feet, which need more frequent trimming, and probably would not like to race. However, both of them would definitely enjoy some regular walking and hiking with their people and could be trained to carry light packs. They could possibly be trained to pull a cart if you have the knowledge.

Chloe and Abigail both have some metabolic issues (insulin resistance, and moderate Cushing's/PPID in Chloe's case, and Abigail will be tested for metabolic issues as well before she leaves to a new home). They're not currently on medication but their weight needs to be carefully monitored. They do best on a mix of barley straw and grass hay, and they should not get any alfalfa or grain. Their adoption fee (once both are ready in terms of training) is $1,500 as a pair. The fee also includes recent vet check, dentals, hoof trims, all necessary blood work including Coggins, and updated vaccinations/ worming. Please fill out an electronic adoption application (above) if you're interested in adopting Chloe and Abigail!