BRAY Club

Phase one of our CMYC Vet Clinic is complete! With the help of so many volunteers and sponsors we’ve got our exam room and large animal clinic up and running for all your plush pet vet needs. Thank you to our large animal clinic sponsor, Urban Veterinary Services as well as our pet sponsors, Paws and Tails Pet Store Nicole Millis Nikki the Queen Bee and a huge thanks to Tracy Haifley for making the exhibit come to life.

We still have a very special phase two surprise from our premier sponsor, Foothills Animal Hospital scheduled to arrive the first week of May, along with our additional learning materials, so Yuma parents, make sure you come back to visit again next month!

⌛️ Better late than never! ⌛️

We finally got our asses together with results for the 2026 BRAY Apache Junction B***o Derby and Prospector Playday!

Without further ado, your results are as follows:

🥇Team Alice with Gretchen S - 1'1'40"
🥈Team Ethel May with Adam B - 1'1'45"
🥉Team Trey with TIna G - 1'23'15"
4th Team Justice with Rachel G - 1'23'36"
5th Team Liberty with Summer M - 1'23'38"
6th Team Stormy with Robin K - 1'27'21"
7th Team Ernie with Shawnalea - 1'27'37"
8th Team Daffodil with Kara O - 1'29'07"
9th Team Cannoli with Marta S - 1'29'12"
🏳️🫏 Last Ass: Team Christina with Richard O - Over 2 hours on course
Team Herra with Stephany G - DNF

🏆 Golden Ass was Ray, who jumped in to run, drive, and donkey wrangle his way into saving the day after some competitor struggles on course.

Thank you to our competitors and their wonderful long ears. Thank you to Apache Junction Parks & Recreation for graciously hosting us once again, thank you to Alyssa at Desert Donkey Experiences for organizing most of the event and doing all the local advertising, and as always, thank you to Teresa Marie Photography for the fantastic photos! If you see any that catch your fancy, be sure to reach out to her about purchasing a print.

We look forward to seeing everyone again next year!

“An old cowboy said….”

Listening to advice that came to be from fourth-hand information concocted by those with an eighth grade education, making due with what was readily and cheaply available on the ranch in 1963 is generally no longer considered best practices (would *you* take health and safety advice from a cigarette ad, as claims were commonly made at the time?). This article is a quick and easy guide to some things that may have once been considered settled “cowboy wisdom” but have since been dispelled by actual science and data. With the exception of feeding alfalfa— donkeys generally shouldn’t eat that— the rest of the info is transferrable between species.

And please: don’t use leg wraps as fashion accessories, especially if they don’t fit correctly or if you’re not knowledgeable in how to put them on. You’re almost certainly doing damage to your animal’s sensitive leg tissues.

5 Horse-Care Myths Veterinarians Want You to Stop Following From wound care to alfalfa to cooling out, vets debunk the top horse-care myths and share safer, smarter ways to manage your horse.