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Many years later, Amanda had an idea that just felt right, and she proposed it to her mother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019d be neat to go check out some little donkeys,\u201d she said. \u201cMom, they would be perfect because you can\u2019t ride those and get hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brenda agreed to check them out, and they drove to a farm in Lewisburg, returning home with two yearling female mini donkeys \u2014 one gray and one red. From there, the herd grew out of a constantly expanding wish list the women shared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWell, I want a black one,\u201d one of them would say. \u201cWell, I was thinking about a spotted one,\u201d Amanda said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They now have nearly 45 donkeys, including 18 jennets bred to foal next year. The ranch currently has a wait list of hopeful buyers from all over \u2014 even as far away as Australia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Donkey breeds come in three very different sizes: miniatures, standards (which work alongside cattle), and mammoths, which stand nearly as tall as a horse. Amanda and Brenda keep a pair of mammoth twins on the property beside the herds of minis. Each mini donkey sold carries a piece of the ranch with it for life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEvery animal that leaves my place is named so that the very first part of its name starts with A&B Minis,\u201d she said. \u201cSo if the new owner wants to name one Scarlet, her name would be A&B Minis Scarlet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n New owners can choose the final name, but the ranch\u2019s mark remains permanent. Amanda says this is common practice among ranch owners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Amanda and Brenda are careful about who they allow to buy the minis, and they remain loyal to their buyers. Every contract includes a promise that if an owner ever falls on hard times, they can call on Amanda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ve had people do that,\u201d Amanda said. \u201cThey\u2019ve run into health issues or unexpected situations, and I\u2019ve taken the donkeys back and resold them for the owners. I just want to make sure they always go to a good home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Amanda also has a rule that no mini donkey leaves the ranch alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAn only donkey is a lonely donkey \u2014 that\u2019s what we\u2019ve always been told,\u201d Amanda said. \u201cYou never put a donkey by itself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Amanda and Brenda give the donkeys their shots and other treatments themselves, only using outside help for veterinary emergencies and the farrier. Amanda and her husband, John, also own a heating and air conditioning business in Tullahoma, Amanda Services Inc. The couple has six sons and one daughter. The youngest, Eva, has never met a donkey she didn\u2019t love. Amanda has learned to warn her in advance if new foals are already spoken for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen we have one born, I\u2019ll look at her and say, \u2018Don\u2019t get attached,\u2019\u201d Amanda said. \u201cAnd she\u2019ll say, \u2018Mom, it\u2019s too late. I\u2019ve already seen her. I\u2019m already attached!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A few of the babies have, in fact, become her own pets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe has picked out a couple that I haven\u2019t sold purely because she begged to have them,\u201d Amanda said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her daughter loves them so much that she once climbed into the feed trough and asked her mother to pour the feed in around her so the foals would eat right beside her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Amanda understands the feeling. She often walks out to the fields alone to sit on a bucket and pet the donkeys after a long day. Her husband used to tease that the donkeys were her therapy, but she says he wasn\u2019t wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey are so loving, and it\u2019s just disarming. Really, if you\u2019ve had a stressful day, they\u2019re there just to love you,\u201d Amanda said. \u201cThey\u2019re gentle creatures, and it\u2019s relaxing to sit with them. So on tough nights, I\u2019ll tell my husband, \u2018I\u2019m going to the fields to pet my babies.\u2019\u201d GN<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Just 12 miles down the road from Tullahoma is a ranch you may not have noticed before \u2014 A&B Mini Ranch, home to more than 40 adorable mini donkeys in Estill Springs. If you take a drive by the ranch, you might spot a herd grazing in the sun, enjoying the countryside while also hoping […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":25715,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6,5,73],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25713","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature","category-stories","category-tullahoma"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/tullahoma\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/11\/4-4-1024x683.jpg\")
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