No Quarter

And they don't even let you "work up to it". We're beginners. We can't just buy the land and then instantly have all the livestock and all the produce necessary to qualify. Nope, from what I understand (and that's not saying much), if you don't qualify the first time you file the paperwork, you lose your exemption for five years. Then you can reapply. They said they're sending an inspector some time next month and as it stands right now, we don't qualify.

We were able to put Kip back in the barn tonight without much fuss. I coaxed him out of the pasture with some sweet feed and he came along fine. I asked Tom to come help because I couldn't carry the feed bucket and lead Kip at the same time. Tom wanted to lead Kip, so I walked along, carrying the bucket and giving instructions to him. I'm sure it was annoying to have me telling him, "Say, 'walk'; walk for a little while, then stop and say, 'whoa'; walk on his left side and lead with your right hand; don't let him lag behind; hold the rope closer to his chin; don't give him so much room to dance around...Ooops, ouch I bet that hurt." Well, if he had listened to me, he wouldn't have gotten kicked with Kip's back foot. How does a donkey kick you with his back foot while you're leading him? You let the rope dangle and let the donkey dance around with a yard of rope between you. That's how.

My philosophy is that every outing is an opportunity for training. Teach him to walk when I say "walk" and to stop when I say "whoa" and he must walk where I want him to at the pace I want to go. Obviously, I think my method is better than being dragged and kicked.