Is Emmett the New Head Bully?

The last two times we went to feed the donkeys, we have only seen Emmett and his father, Buddy. My unconfirmed guess is now that Holly is within a couple of months of delivering the next foal, she is being kept in the back pasture, which was where she was in November 2020 when we began feeding donkeys and goats.

She and Emmett were still constant companions when we last saw them together in early November. I am not sure how David, the owner, got the two of them separated since when he had tried earlier in the fall, he wondered why Holly kept hanging by the fence to the rear pasture where Emmett was supposed to be quartered. He relented and the two continued to share a close bond.

We had noticed that when we were feeding Holly, Emmett, and Buddy, all three donkeys did not hesitate to shove each other’s noses out of the way. When that became tedious, both Holly and Emmett would chase Buddy at least six feet away.

Now that Holly is no longer part of the daily equation, Emmett has continued to chase his father away. The past two times we were there, he has even kicked out with his hind quarters like Buddy used to do to warn the goats to stay out of the way. I have not been able to capture a picture of that because he does he kicks quickly enough and infrequently enough to make it difficult.

Maybe it is time for David to sell Emmett since he is turning into a real jack ass.