TOBY
Donkey gelding
Age: c. 21
Arrival: 2011
Current status: Sanctuary; in training
RECENT SPONSORS:
ASSIGNED VOLUNTEERS:
History: Like Sundance, Toby's intake dates back to about a year before we were even incorporated as a NM charity. Toby was rescued along with 23 other donkeys from Southwest Livestock Auction, the notorious sale barn in Los Lunas. No one knows where he came from or how he landed there, but many in his herd were in poor shape, both physically and behaviorally. Toby was one of those who could not be touched, and for a long time he would threaten to 'kick to kill' if anyone tried to touch his rear. He was gelded at intake, and because of his untamed condition, we strongly suspect that - just like Sundance - he had been castrated by force and without sedation just as young calves are at traditional cattle ranches. Over time, Toby has made progress with gentling and came close to being adopted a few times, but the trauma he has been carrying around continues to come through every now and then, and we did not consider it safe to let him go to a domestic situation. Toby has been happy in our care and we no longer attempt to find a home for him. He has shown us that he is happiest at the rescue.
Personality: Even though he is a gelding, Toby is dominant and often acts like an intact jack when he is with other donkeys, and he can be aggressive animals that seem vulnerable or timid. This is why he is in a herd of mostly larger, physically stronger equines, whom he cannot dominate. He loves jennets and also mares (one time he jumped a fence at a foster home to get to a mare on the other side), and he recently insisted on adding his old flame Sheila to his little herd. His acquaintance with Sheila dates back to his time at the sale barn, and the two have seen each other on and off for almost 15 years now. However, he currently has to share Sheila with Tigger, who - being a hinny, a cross between donkey and horse where the dam is a jennet - claims Sheila as her stepmother. When Toby is not preoccupied with food, Sheila or any other jennets currently in heat, he loves wrestling with Jackson, the other donkey gelding in his herd, especially early in the morning and toward the end of the day.
Diet: Despite Toby's age, over 20 at this point, he does well on a diet of bermuda grass hay and barley straw. His mixed herd consisting of a mule, a hinny, and three donkeys has a salt block and occasionally gets a tub of Equilix minerals. Sponsor Toby here!