Keysoe Mimi

Mimi has gone, and I can't believe how much I miss her.

Mimi was a special donkey for us, right from the time of her conception. She was bred from a little Australian jenny 'Bush Echoes Misty' and the imported English jack 'Novington Benjamin', she was the first foal we had from Benjamin.

Though it was thirty years ago, I remember well the night Mimi was born. We were going out to the cinema to see 'Ride A Wild Pony' but it was a stormy night, and Misty was overdue. The birth didn't look particularly imminent, but we decided to put Misty in the stable, just in case. Imagine our excitement when we came home and found a little pink jenny foal already up and suckling.

As Mimi grew up, it was obvious that she had an exceptional temperament, very kind and gentle, and very sensible, but still a very willing donkey. In due course, I trained her for riding and driving and she became my special donkey. I used her all the time for trail riding and driving, took her to many of our local donkey club activities, and showed her. She did very well at Bendigo Show, winning almost every class she entered, and I was very proud of her as I drove her out to the Grand Parade where she trotted two laps of the arena without flagging.

During her life, Mimi had six foals, and when I bred English/Irish donkeys, Mimi's name appeared on many of my donkey's pedigrees. Now I only have one of her descendants, my young mule 'Murphy's Law' is her great-grandson.

As time passed, Mimi's role in my life changed, she became a safe mount and caretaker for my son Zac. He rode her for many years, and I always knew he was safe with Mimi, although by this time she was aging so he didn't always get to go as fast as he wanted to.

In the last few years, Mimi went deaf, and I had to make sure I always approached her slowly and where she would see me, as she had never heard me. She also had very few teeth left so I had to buy special food for her. I also kept her rugged every winter as this helped to keep some weight on her.

As she went deaf, and began to look increasingly old and frail, I retired her from all work, so my younger son, who is a keen donkey rider, only ever got to ride Mimi bareback in the paddock. How I wish I still had Mimi for him, as I struggle to find a donkey that will give him a safe, enjoyable ride, and also respond to his riding rather than just carrying him as a passenger.

Mimi seemed to get through this last winter OK, in spite of the fact that it has been very dry, and we have very little grass. However, one morning I could see Mimi wasn't well, the Vet diagnosed Colic, and as it seemed to be mild case, we treated her. Colic is something that strikes fear into the heart of all Equine owners, as it is so often fatal, sadly Mimi did not respond to treatment and died just a few weeks short of her thirtieth birthday.

She is now buried in my paddock, next to my mother's much-loved mule, 'Pepita'. Mimi's death has left a huge gap in my life but we had a lot of fun together, and I have many happy memories of her life with me.