Cotswold Lavender Rose & her mother
Cotswold Minnie Moppet
About our present donkeys
Cotswold Lavender Rose and Cotswold Minnie Moppet are English/Irish donkeys bred by Diana & John Humphries at Cotswold Stud Lavender Rose's sire was Berrabri Danny and her dam is Cotswold Mini Moppet. Lavender Rose is Reg. JY07/1825/2 D&MSNZ and was foaled November 28, 2007. Cotswold Mini Moppet is by Taranganba McGinty and her dam was Chrispin Grove Little Crissy. Minnie Moppet's is Reg. JY00/1454/3 and she was foaled on September 21, 2000
An amazing coincidence: Rose was born on November 28, the day before my sister Ruth's anniversary (November 29) and delivered by Diana on May 28, the day before my Mother's anniversary (May 29).
December 20, 2011. This photo is of the donkeys down at the Sound Shell on Caroline Bay. The organiser of ‘Christmas on The Bay’ rang and asked if I would take a donkey down as the children from Bluestone School were to sing Little Donkey for an item and she thought it would be nice to have a donkey present for the performance. Of course I couldn't take Moppet without Rose and we took them down there for a familiarisation session and then walked them out onto the beach so that was most enjoyable. Then I thought about the little girl who rode Moppet at the Mackenzie Show and so we ended up with her riding Moppet dressed as ‘Mary’ and Nick leading Moppet dressed as ‘Joseph’ with me following behind leading Rose in her Bitless bridle. On the evening it went perfectly with the announcer talking about donkeys after the singing and inviting the children to go to the adjoining green to pet the donkeys and receive a story. The story is a mythological one about St. Francis called The Donkey of God. It was written a long time ago by a Catholic Lawyer in the USA for his grandchildren. I had formatted the story into a booklet and the BNZ (sponsors for the event) printed out copies to hand out. We were soon surrounded by children and again the donkeys behaved wonderfully well.
September 2010. Grandchildren came to stay after the Christchurch 7.1M earthquake. Because the quake was shallow it caused a lot of damage and the aftershocks went on and on. The two boys enjoyed daily rides and even the youngest, who was nearly a year old, had a sit when his mother bought him down. Rose was too young but did give each boy a little ride. Donkey bones need time to harden and mature so the Society frowns on them being ridden before they are at least four years old.
We went to Waimate show in November 2010 and Rose was Champion Breed Donkey but it was a nasty cold wet day so we didn't take any photos. I was glad I had two covers for each donkey. Rose was slightly lame after slipping in the float. Moppet got a 2nd in the Performance classes - she wasn't entered in the breed classes as she has done her bit when young and did very well.
Cover photos. May and June 2010. You have to be prepared for wet weather! Rose had her photo published in the Saddlery Warehouse Summer Catalogue wearing her Shires cover. She won a $20 voucher. Both Minnie Moppet (right) and Lavender Rose have several covers each for various times of year and weather. Even though they have a shelter shed to go into, they still need covering in wet weather. This is because donkeys are not designed for the wet. The are desert animals and do not have the oils that horses have in their coats which enables them to repel water.
Sometimes we pick up rubbish thoughtless people throw onto the grass verges. Mary Moir took this photo as she happened along when we were on our way home
I am sure that the donkeys prefer a walk in the country with a stop on a nice patch of Prairie grass or flowering thistles, than attending A&P shows.
Cotswold Minnie Moppet's arrival, September 30, 2009
Rose was a big two year old and had not seen her little mother since she was weaned at a few months old. This touching photo was taken at their first meeting since. We went up to collect Cotswold Minnie Moppet (left) and it was obvious that they remembered each other. Since then they have become inseparable. People often think that Rose is the mother because she has grown much bigger than her mother.
We made the effort to attend the Mackenzie Royal at Easter, 2010. Lavender Rose was Champion Breed Donkey & Champion Performance Donkey so won the Supreme Award and the coveted Tartan Sash.
2010 season we took her to Winchester (right) for the Temuka/Geraldine A&P Show where she was 2nd in Best Presented and won Jenny 4 years and under.
April 5, 2009. Palm Sunday Church visit. As Nick said, Lavender-Rose was fantastic and played to her audience. It was a lovely solid Church with all the old wooden fittings but quite a narrow isle. They had a band and piano which was near the isle near the back which didn't faze her as she walked sedately past. She delicately sniffed a little girl sitting where the Vicar was reading a donkey story to the children and the people all chuckled. I was sitting down on the carpet and had the rope lose when I took that photo of her. Nick took all the others.
When we walked out she wasn't fazed by the waving branches and we followed the man with the guitar and everyone else was behind Rose. Afterwards some children from the Samoan Community came to see her and three little girls were fascinated with her.
Photo on left: Geraldine/Temuka Show on March 7, 2009 Rose was 1st in the Foal or Yearling, 2nd Best Presented and Reserve Champion Donkey.
Photo on right: Mayfield Show on March 14, 2009 Rose was 2nd in the Foal or Yearling class, 2nd in the Youngstock Pattern and 3rd in the Weaving. The Youngstock Pattern is where you have to walk through two cones facing the judge and complete a circle to the left in a anti-clockwise direction. When you return to the cones you have to break into a trot and continue trotting in a circle but this time to the right in a clockwise direction. It is quite hard when the donkey is on the inside of the person leading. I had been practicing and had almost given up on this but just on the day before the event Rose started to do it nicely. The winner gave a polished performance halting squarely between the cones at the finish.
Donkey & Mule Society South Island Show 15 February, 2009. She has lost her winter coat and is now sleek apart from the hair on her tum. Rose was 4th Yearling, 3rd Bending and made a brave effort in the obstacle class. All classes were well filled and this show is a credit to the organisers. It is a fun picnic day out with the serious business in the judging at a show where the competition is steep.
I thoroughly enjoyed watching all the other competitors and their animals, talked to people and took photos.
When the performance classes came around Rosie was entered in the bending race and in the in hand obstacle course. They had three sets of bending poles and nine donkeys entered so it was run in three timed heats. I was very surprised to hear after all the heats were run, that Rosie had got third. The obstacle course was interesting. By that time I was out of oomph and we progressed slowly, me going over the first brightly coloured pole where Rosie stopped, then just when I was thinking this was it, she did an almighty jump and then went nicely over the second pole. A lot of donkeys balked at the black plastic ground sheet. Rosie lost precious time as she was not sure either, but eventually went over it, stepping high. There were cones to weave through next and I don't think we were very quick there. We were not placed but it was worthwhile for the doing of it. That is what it is all about really; Taking part. I think donkeys, having an intelligent mind, like to be doing things. Rosie said hello and sniffed noses with a few donkeys and without exception they were all kind to her. With horses you have to be careful with introductions and stand back a bit. They are likely to make alarming noises and throw front feet suddenly up in the air or turn to kick if they feel threatened. My nerves don't like that. Donkeys are calming and reassuring. I'm so glad to have a donkey.
Waimate show 22 November, 2008 in the grand parade after winning the foal or yearling class and a 2nd in the novice donkey any age. She looked gorgeous in her fluffy foal coat and every winter she looks delightfully fluffy as English/Irish donkeys mostly do.
The day before her first show she was thoroughly groomed. The temperature is too unreliable down here to consider washing her. She looked Cute in her new white cotton cover which arrived just in time to make sure we didn't have to repeat the process in the early hours on the day of the show. We were delighted that she got a prize, but that was not the main reason we took her. The important thing was to take her out and accustom her to crowds and what have you.
She was not at all keen on the idea of the float and in spite of her size put up quite an effort not to go on when the time came to bring her home. Floating lessons coming up.
Shortly after she arrived on November 28, 2008 we had a snow storm.
I had to sit to do her hooves while my back was bad.
Above: Moppet and Rose when she was a foal on the hill at Cotswold Stud, Motukarara, Christchurch.
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