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The Story of California Breakfast Burritos

aaroncapper

The distinct bray of a donkey, their long ears, soft muzzle, kind eyes, and their insatiable affection always bring a smile. We sometimes apologize to the neighbors for all the donkey sounds in the neighborhood, but universally they say they like it. Unlike barking dogs at midnight or the crowing rooster at 3am, burro sounds anytime can put joy in your heart. When treated right, they crave human contact, follow like a puppy, and give wonderful hugs. Donkeys are known for their therapeutic interactions with people. They are soothing to our souls, great friends and smart listeners. So smart that you might think you hear them giving you advice!  


Let’s get one thing straight right away.; burro is the Spanish word for donkey, which is the same animal as an ass. Wild donkeys roaming in the desert are often called burros, probably because they were introduced to the desert Southwest by the Spaniards through Mexico, however, all three words have identical meaning. The jokes write themselves, but ass is a completely proper way to refer to these amazing animals. A burro's reputation as a stubborn animal is not correct. Unlike a horse or mule, a burro must trust you and know something is safe before they will proceed. Burros can see far distances and have radar like ears that allow them to constantly monitor their surroundings. Sometimes you just have to give them a moment to figure out what is going on around them. Perfect the relationship, and you will have a friend for life.


How did this all start you ask? From humble beginnings training and running with our own burros, California Breakfast Burritos was what we called our weekend outings running and hiking with a few friends, our donkeys, and then a stop to share a lunch or breakfast. We tell folks “we run with the donkeys and eat the loser”, obviously that is a joke, but it starts conversations. Formally incorporated as a charitable non-profit in 2020, our mission is to foster the sport of pack burro racing; to train, care for, and adopt wild and domestic burros; and to educate the public in the care, use, training and welfare of burros. We host regular events to hike, run, pack, train & learn about burros introducing many new people to these amazing animals each year. Events also include visits to assisted living facilities, trail work with pack burros for the Bureau of Land Management, parades, and hosting the return of pack burro racing to California. Our annual Run With The Burros has runners and burros covering distances of 10, 17.5, and 26.2 miles through the canyons of the Eastern Sierra Nevada. California Breakfast Burritos also re-trains and re-homes about a dozen burros each year.



BLM burro Bracelet Margarita doing trail work with Rosie Burdette, Karin Usko, and Roger Pio
BLM burro Bracelet Margarita doing trail work with Rosie Burdette, Karin Usko, and Roger Pio

Visiting an elderly person who requested to see a mini donkey. Karin Usko and Rita
Visiting an elderly person who requested to see a mini donkey. Karin Usko and Rita

Maureen Moran visiting High Desert Haven with Bracelet
Maureen Moran visiting High Desert Haven with Bracelet

Roger Pio and BLM burro Asstrid on a Trail-work Tuesday
Roger Pio and BLM burro Asstrid on a Trail-work Tuesday

Our personal adventures into burros and pack burro racing began with two friends Bill and Megan. Yes it is all their fault. Karin grew up in El Salvador with mules, but that is another story…. We both had a background in horses, mules, ultramarathons, and a few endurance rides. Bill Dickey, a humble 80+year running legend, visits Ridgecrest California often and has run just about any race anywhere. Each year since the 1980’s he goes to Leadville Colorado for the 100 mile run, now mostly as a supporter, but is well known in town as he spends a few weeks acclimating to the elevation. Since 1949, Leadville has hosted a 25 mile pack burro race starting in town at 10,000 feet and climbing to 13,000 ft Mosquito pass. In mining tradition, competitors carry a pack, pan, pick and shovel on their burro and run along with a 15-foot lead rope. Bill sits with a cooler of beer at Mosquito pass watching the burro races every year. He sent newspapers and told us it was the perfect sport for us as we had mules and like running trails. Nope, we didn’t think we needed burros.


Friend and instigator number two was Megan Zehendner. For several years, Megan and her husband organized a local Man vs Horse race with distances between 10 and 50-miles where runners compete directly with riders for time and prizes. We rode the first one and ran the next few years, Karin won buckles each way, riding her mule one year and then running on foot the next to claim first female overall in the marathon - yes she ran on foot and beat some horses. The fastest runners went to the Long Beach Marathon instead, but missed a beautiful event. Megan also started working at the local BLM Wild Horse & Burro Corrals managing the adoptions. She pushed hard for us to get burros. “Anyone can train a wild burro” she said, and Karin took the bait. In 2016, we brought home Matilde, an ugly 10-year old jenny and Telma, a yearling with more promise. Karin enrolled in the Trainer Incentive Program and started a whole series of new prospects finding them new homes after basic gentling and training to be handled, brushed, haltered, loaded in a trailer, leading, and cleaning feet. Matilde is now placed in a new home, with another burro, as weed & fire control on 5 acres in the mountains, and Telma stayed with us. Everyone with an empty backyard was told “You need a donkey, I can help. You just don’t know yet that you need one, but you do”. That story hasn’t stopped.


Soon, we trekked off to Colorado to see what the pack burro races were all about. We had done our homework and talked with many of the burro racing community. Experienced burros can be rented from Amber Wann and a few others if you have the right abilities running and with animals. Normally, training runs with her burros are required, but I had enough experience to meet my race companion, Beethoven, on Friday and run 15-miles Sunday in Fairplay Colorado. I was not told until afterwards, that Beethoven was a “slow” donkey who finished last the year before. After weighing in our 35 pounds of gear, we schmoozed while waiting for the start and he let out an enormous bray. More than seventy burro/human teams lined up for both the 15-mile and 29-mile distances and with a shotgun blast raced down the main street grasping halters and lead ropes, dragged by our burros far faster than normal human pace. Being my first event, I had lined up far back in the pack, but burros love to run and chase, and one by one, we passed many of the others. Beethoven could have run much faster, but even pulled along with with the rope carefully around my hip, I was at my limit. Surprisingly, we even placed 7th winning me a little prize money, enough to pay my entry and give the customary half to the donkey’s owner. I was hooked, running the long distance at Leadville the next week and returning each year with our own burros. No prizes, but it is always a blessing to be outdoors doing something we enjoy with our animals.

John Auborn happy Beethoven at Fairplay Colorado
John Auborn happy Beethoven at Fairplay Colorado

Run with the Burros is born After a weekend in 2019 at a pack burro race in Superior Arizona, Karin and Megan Zehendner decided they missed our Inyokern California Man vs Horse race. That race had a good run, was popular in the running community, but never drew enough horses to keep it challenging. Megan wanted her husband Jason to be able to run his course as he had always been too busy as race director, and Karin wanted a burro race. Burro races are a long tradition in the mining community. Locally, Randsburg, Lone Pine, Death Valley, Ballarat, and Beatty have had burro races as far back as 1897. Some were just for spectacle with pancakes & prospectors in Death Valley and some arduous like the 3-day 42-mile races from Apple Valley to Big Bear.


Unlike the Colorado races, we had no town mining festival to sponsor prizes but knew we could add more participants with trail runners. About one hundred entries would break even covering permit fees, insurance, shirts, equipment rentals, and prizes. Not everyone can own or borrow burro, so we allowed anyone to compete. Run, hike, crawl, with or without a burro. This event would offer an introductory experience and we hope it is the first of many new pack burro races in California.


We were all-in. Preparation were made, permits organized, a thousand phone calls, sponsorships, borrowed equipment, 50 volunteers, and a new event was born. It was all ready for April 18th 2020. Then suddenly a month away, COVID shut down everything everywhere. Fortunately, pack burro racing is an outdoor sport with natural spacing and we planned no crowded main street through town, just a remote desert canyon. We postponed the event for six months and took the only date available 19 October. No one from the County could tell me any exact rules as it changed almost weekly, but BLM just needed a COVID mitigation plan. With masks at the start, warnings to stay home if sick, sanitizer, spacing, and no shared food the event went off without any problems. We had about 150 entries and 125 racers at the star with and without burros. Importantly, the event and shirt sales throughout the year raised $5000 for the Forever Home Donkey Rescue and Sanctuary in Benson, Arizona.


Start of Run With The Burros October 2020


At the start and finish of the event we had a big corral for everyone to leave the animal while watching the rest of the event, eat or hang out. You can do that with donkeys, no drama, no fight, no vet bill! They are socially correct and even around food there is nothing but a few gestures and kicks, but nothing serious really. They are peaceful animals and generally rather leave than fight.


For special occasions and dates we visit the residents at the High Desert Haven, assisted living facility in Ridgecrest. They love having the donkeys over, talking about them and pet them. Donkeys make people smile, especially during Covid it was important to us to bring happiness to the residents who couldn't really have visits, but donkeys are safe and we kept our distance. It probably made us happier than the residents to be able to be part of it.


CBB gentles wild burros and rehabilitates others, training them to trust humans and in basic handing. We connect burros with people, playing matchmaker to place burros in the appropriate new homes. Some are horse companions, some pack in the mountains or guard livestock, others are racing prospects, but all have the right new owners somewhere waiting to be discovered. We train the public through visits, hikes, and running events to these special animals, teaching them how burros think and their magic properties.


Teaching burro owners is just as important, or more, than teaching the donkeys. Individual training consultations are provided to solve problems with shy animals in existing homes, or basic boot camps hosted for new burro owners. Focused on understanding the behavior and thinking like a burro, Karin has helped many succeed and forge new relationships. Sometimes the burros and owner are not the right match, then we assist in swapping animals and fining donkey and human the right partner.


This is not a business. California Breakfast Burritos is a non-profit charity. Donations are accepted to help with expenses, but 100% goes to the burros. No one is paid and everyone volunteers their time. If you are interested in burros or a fun equine adventure, please check out California Breakfast Burritos and our pack burro race Run With The Burros each April in Inyokern, California.


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