New Mexico Donkey Racers Burro Into the Record Books

The domestic donkey, or burro, (Equus africanus asinus) is descended from the African wild ass, and may be one of the first animals humans ever domesticated. They are great little beasts of burden; tough, hardy, able to eat a wide variety of foods. They can survive in environments that would kill horses, and they are generally regarded as smarter than horses. They can be stubborn, though. Some years ago, I used to hunt elk with a guy named Bill, who kept a burro named Jenny to pack elk quarters out of the mountains, but I remember one day we tried putting a wrapped-up green black bear pelt on her, and once the rodeo was over she flatly refused to move until we removed the bear hide. Bill ended up carrying that pelt out on his own back.

Burros were often used in the American southwest by miners, and because of that, today in Cerrillos, New Mexico, backcountry runners are competing in - you guessed it - burro races.

I bet that's a real kick.

Burro races honor Old West history and hinge on a delicate partnership between runner and beast of burden. Burros, a Spanish-derived word for donkeys and their wild cousins, must carry a saddle, pick, pan and shovel in homage to a bygone era and the mythical sprint by miners to a land claims office with their pack animal.
Some 70 teams tested their skills Saturday in a race winding through the historic, turquoise-mining town of Cerrillos in northern New Mexico. Runners led burros by rope on 6-mile (10-kilometer) and 3-mile (5-kilometer) courses on unpaved roads and single-track desert trails.
More ambitious burro races in Colorado can extend for nearly 30 miles (48 kilometers).

When I was a younger man, I might have been interested in giving this a try, although I probably would have had to mule it over some. I was never a competitive runner, after all, and any victory on my part would have been far from assured.

These races differ from horse races in that the humans aren't riding the burrow, but leading it:

Runners can’t ride the burro but can push, pull and coax the animal as long as they don’t abuse it. Some racers swing a rope in circles — like a lasso — to encourage movement. Others on the trail cry out, “Hup, hup!”

It's unclear if the racers try to spruce up their animals' appearance, by, say, brayding their tails.

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As far as coaxing a donkey, I'm reminded of the story of the guy who answered a farmer's ad for a donkey for sale. "Most biddable donkey in the world," the ad stated, and when the hero of the story showed up at the farm, the seller confirmed: "This donkey will do anything you ask of it. Just let it know what you want it to do, and this donkey will do it."

The deal was quickly concluded, and then the buyer snapped a lead on the beast's halter and tried to lead it away. "Come on, donkey," he said, but the donkey didn't move. He repeated the command two more times, yanked on the rope, but the donkey didn't move. Suddenly, the seller snapped his fingers. "One thing I forgot to tell you." He walked into his barn, and came back with a 6-foot length of 2x4, which he proceeded to smash over the donkey's head. "First," he explained, "You have to get his attention."

That seems to make a good parallel for what the American voters are having to do with a certain political party these days - one that uses as its symbol, of course, the donkey.

The Democrat Party has never been less popular as voters reject its globalist agenda.

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