“I say to people, unless you’re buying from a respected breeder you have to know what your bloodlines are, you have to do your research” – Andy Hearn
For Drouin South couple Andy and Peter Hearn, great things come in small packages. In fact, for them, they come in miniature packages of under 36 inches, packages that have hearts of gold and a temperament to match as RUSSELL BENNETT discovered.
Andy and Peter Hearn have bred miniature donkeys for well over a decade and their motto at their Drouin South stud Poplar Grove is a simple one: ‘Boutique breeding at its best’.
Their stunning 10-acre farm is their own slice of heaven and a true haven for their animals which are quiet, affectionate, intelligent and easily-trained.
Their imported Jacks are national show-winners and most of their herd is imported directly from the United States.
Andy and Peter source the best, most proven bloodlines available anywhere in the world and their animals are known for their incredible temperament.
All their breeding and show stock are registered with The American Donkey and Mule Society (ADMS).
Their donkeys are handled and cared for daily and their foals are friendly, well-mannered and loving.
They come vaccinated, micro-chipped and registered, and with a new lead rope and halter.
Andy and Peter are committed to improve the Mediterranean Miniature Donkey breed and have a clear vision for the breed in Australia and their own personal stud plan incorporating that vision.
Andy and Peter formerly bred horses before Andy’s life-long love of donkeys ultimately took the pair down a different path.
“With horses the service fees would cost $2000, the vet fees $2000 and a foal would be worth less than $2000,” Andy said.
“I also used to get hurt a lot. I got bucked off, I’ve got hoof prints on me and all sorts of things, and Pete doesn’t really like horses anyway.
“I’ve loved donkeys since I was a little kid – I’ve always loved them.
“So I thought we’d go that way but one lesson I’ve learned is that if you’re going to do something, do it properly.
“There wasn’t what I wanted in Australia and at that time (over a decade ago) there wasn’t a lot of understanding in genetics.
“It took years to find the donkeys we wanted but we made friends with some great people along the way.”
Andy and Peter would save as much money as possible to buy their animals – often selling things to realise their dream.
“It costs a lot to import a donkey – the higher expense being the quarantine and flight and that’s before you even look at the purchase price.
“It’s mega bucks to import one, so you want to try and get it right.”
Peter explained just how he and Andy first went to pick up their imports.
“They were flown in from the United States and you’d actually take your float out on the tarmac and drive to where the planes are,” he said.
“You can’t do it anymore, but there’d be a line of us all going in together and there’d be all these big racehorse rigs going in because they’d all come in on the same flight.”
The horses’ heads would stick out of their transport boxes – a stark contrast to the donkeys who’d be seemingly hidden until they popped their heads out when the shipping crate door opens.
Kisses – one of Andy and Peter’s original imports – is just 28 inches in height.
When they moved to Drouin South, the couple essentially made the move from horses to donkeys.
“We built the arena and stables and so on when we came here,” Andy said.
“We swapped over to the donkeys because you don’t get hurt, their feet are really small.
“They’re just gorgeous – they’re more like a dog to train than a horse.
“They’ve got a memory of 25 years so be nice because they’ll remember it.
“People who are new into donkeys will often ring up and say ‘have you got the stubborn ones?’.
“There’s no such thing as a stubborn donkey. They’re really smart – they’re like a Rhodesian ridgeback versus a German sheppard.
“With a shep, which we’ve got, we’ll throw the ball for an hour and it’ll love it.
“A Rhodesian will do it twice and then bring the ball back and look at you like you’re an idiot because she’s done it already. It’s exactly the same thing with the donkeys.”
As Andy explained, donkeys are browsers and grazers.
“They come from the desert or a mountain,” she said.
“A horse’s survival instinct is flight and fright. If it’s scared it’ll run.
“A donkey is from the mountains or the desert. Where’s he going to run? He won’t run anywhere because he can’t. There’s nowhere to go.
“He’ll stop, turn around, look, assess and figure out the smartest or best way for him to survive. They’re very different in that respect.”
By nature, a donkey is much more analytical than instinctive.
“Everyone asks how long they live for,” Andy said.
“The oldest donkey on record was a rescue donkey in England. She’d been beaten and had a hard life – she was more a standard donkey – and she died at 75 years old. In a normal life you’d expect at least 35 to 45 years for a donkey.
“They were used in the mines because they can do it – go into horrible, dark places and put up with a lot more.
“The bad side to that is that if a donkey is looking sick, it is sick. You have to act because they’re so stoic they’ll hold it in for ages before they show any signs.”
Andy and Peter try not to have more than 20 donkeys at their property at any one time.
“We don’t have more than we can love or handle,” Andy said.
“I’m a full-time mum to the donkeys and I have been for 15 years.
“You’ve still got to pat them all every day – you want to pat them and cuddle them. Pete does their feet and I hold them and talk to them.
“We’re boutique. I don’t want to have hundreds or thousands because we’re not a pet factory.
“We could pump them out and sell them – we have more inquiries than we could ever fulfil but it’s not at all what it’s about.”
Andy and Peter are both particularly fussy on the new homes for their animals, and with reason.
“I sell to other studs but I’m quite fussy as to what studs I’ll sell to now,” Andy said.
“I’d usually prefer to help people who’re starting up because they only have a few and I like them to be looked after the way we look after ours.
“They need a friend so you want them to go to a home with two (donkeys), preferably even the same height – just so they can preen each other.
“They do buddy-up. Horses buddy-up but donkeys remember for 25 years and they really do bond. They form relationships with their owners, and each other.”
Andy and Peter warn those who are looking for a donkey to beware who they buy from.
“There are a lot of people out there making a quick buck because the animals are in vogue – they’re the flavour of the past couple of years,” Andy said.
“We don’t sell out geldings cheap. We sell them pretty much on average, but they’re a different calibre of gelding than the ones picked out from the wild that some people are running off as being miniatures when they’re going to grow 38 inches high and you don’t know how old they are.
“I say to people, unless you’re buying from a respected breeder you have to know what your bloodlines are, you have to do your research.
“Temperament and bloodlines are really important.
“Pet-wise – you just want something that’s sound.
“Look for confirmation and health, and if it was an older donkey I’d get a vet check.
“They should be micro-chipped and fully vaccinated, too.”
