One is named Nester; he is in his late 30s and the other is Lydia and she is three. Nester grew up in a petting zoo in Cincinnati and of course Lillie had to get Lydia as a companion. She was a show donkey.

Jackson, Lillies thoroughbred horse, just loves the donkeys. His favorite trick is to hold Nester by the crest of his neck with his teeth. He doesnt hurt Nester and Nester has gotten so that he likes it.

Lillie says the donkeys are easy to care for and they are very neat in their stalls. Their hooves have to be trimmed about every three months. They are fed about a handful of grain every day and are given a little hay. The rest of the time they are turned out with Jackson.

They love being groomed year round and clipped in the spring. The plus with donkeys is that they go after coyotes in the field and also stray dogs who make the mistake of wandering into the field with the horse.

And they come when called! I did see Lydia throw a few bucks in the field, trying to get Nester charged up. It didnt work; he continued eating grass.

Once Nester got our of his field and wandered over to the neighbors. The neighbor, Bob Meeske, was gardening, and felt this hot breath on his neck. Turns out it was Nester getting up close and personal!