DOUGLAS COUNTY • Out in the meadows of Lincoln Mountain Open Space, it’s quiet, save the sound of resident crickets.

But if you wait, you’ll hear it. It’s not the rumbling of a stampede or the thundering of a herd, but more like the gentle tapping of a trot.

“Hee yah!” “C’mon!” “Let’s go!”

Runners start to jog single file down the dirt path, rope in hand and donkey attached. Some runners are leading enthusiastic burros, eager to stretch their legs, feel the wind in their mane and kick up dust. Others plead with their companions, “Come on, please!” as they become distracted by a particularly tasty-looking patch of grass.

Eventually, runner and donkey alike get warmed up and find their pace. The chunkier little ones settle in on more of a trot, while larger critters really start to pick up speed.

Meet Amber Wann, known in the Colorado burro scene as the “donkey matchmaker.” Wann is the founder of ReDONKulous Ranch Sanctuary and Rescue, a nonprofit based in Douglas County that works to rehabilitate rescued donkeys by pairing them with runners to train for races.

“We’ve found it to be very beneficial in the lives of donkeys,” Wann said. “We’re really giving these donkeys a productive life, and I think they’re happy, and I think they’re staying healthy as a result.”

Wann has been rescuing donkeys with her family since 2011, working with the Equine Rescue Network to save the critters from kill pens and owners who can no longer care for them. The organization has also worked with the Bureau of Land Management to take in wild burros to domesticate them.

Under the care of Wann, the donkeys live an active lifestyle, getting out to run weekly (and sometimes more) alongside human counterparts. The donkeys train throughout the year by completing hikes around the state — three have even summited Pikes Peak.

“A lot of people will think of Eeyore, a donkey that’s seemingly depressed and has this sad life,” Wann said. “We like to think of our donkeys of being pretty active and super fit. We’re trying to keep them healthy and moving in the right direction for their joints and for their mental health.”

During the summer months, the burros participate in pack races around Colorado. Human runners can sign up to “rent” a donkey, paying a fee that helps cover transportation and care expenses for the nonprofit. Then, after completing a questionnaire that comes out near the start of the year, Wann pairs up runners and burros to train and race — hence, her nickname “donkey matchmaker.”

When looking to match runners and burros, Wann not only factors in speed, but also weighs comfortability with equine and general nature. Some donkeys must run side-by-side with a friend, while others prefer to do their own thing.

“It is an art to kind of read that donkey. There’s a misconception that running with a donkey could be like running with a dog, and you’re just gonna grab a lead rope and you’re just gonna go out for a jog, and they’re just gonna run along with you. There are a few donkeys in the realm that can do that, but it’s very rare,” she said. “They’re just all different.”

That’s also why Wann prefers runners train with their donkeys ahead of race day, to really get a hold on compatibility. One term she’s coined: “being burro brave.”

“Training is different than racing, but it’ll definitely give them a little opportunity to try what I call being burro brave, so that they can be a little braver on Saturday and feel like they’ve they’ve got some tools in their toolbox,” she said.

Currently, the rescue has just under two dozen donkeys in their care, but Wann’s pool of donkeys also includes her father’s herd and a handful of other farms.

Recently, the rescue obtained several mini donkeys from a farm in Berthoud that closed down. While small in stature, they’re round in shape — and Wann is working hard to get them back to a healthy size.

“We’ve got some little chubby ones in here, but they’re in the process of losing weight and staying in shape,” Wann said.

Wann also encourages runners who have their own burros to bring them to runs so that they can get in some activity, too.

“We hear it often: ‘Well, she’s overweight, she’s really overweight or whatever,’ And I say, ‘Well, then that’s even more reason,’” Wann said. “Donkeys can get pretty low as far as like just being stuck in a pen and waiting for human interaction.”

These burros aren’t just experienced trail runners, they’re also class-act bartenders. To help support her nonprofit work, Wann operates Rocky Mountain Beverage Burro, which offers burros-for-hire for special events like weddings. As Wann put it, “Our for-profit helps our nonprofit.”

For events, the burros wear light baskets on each side, and are walked around to meet people and offer photo ops. Last year, the donkeys worked more than 100 weddings.

“I love seeing my donkeys out there, being with people,” she said.

While the reaction to the “beverage burros” is usually positive, sometimes people voice concern for the donkeys. To that, Wann points to their body language — calm, low ears, not pinned back in nervousness — as well as the creature’s need for enrichment.

“They’re social, emotional animals. I really talk about that connection that donkeys really like, because they should be sadder for the donkeys that are stuck in a pen — maybe they don’t get to graze out on pasture, run around, or really just get to open up their legs and their body,” Wann said.

The animals crave human interaction — a fact that became apparent when sitting in on a training run. Whether aching for a nice ear scratch or sniffing hands in search of a secret carrot, the burros were not afraid to get up-close and personal (respectfully, though).

Trail runner Kevin Marshall started running with the rescue’s burros this summer in preparation for his first pack burro race in Victor on Sept. 7. This will be his second training paired with Dominic, a medium-sized brown donkey.

While Marshall has been trail running for about 10 years now, he thought: Why not add a burro partner into the mix?

“It’s been really fun, it’s been an interesting way to switch it up,” he said. “It’s a big deal in the summer, and its kind of my new activity.”

It took Marshall some time to get comfortable with running with donkeys, but he was inspired to learn after finding out that pack burro racing was Colorado’s official summer heritage sport.

Pack burro racing formally began as a challenge in 1949 with a $500 prize to anyone who could race with a donkey from Leadville to Fairplay. The sport pays homage to the history of the animals in the West, who were instrumental to Colorado’s early mining days.

Legends of the sport’s origins vary depending on who you ask. The broad folklore points to the idea that if two miners were panning in the same area and struck gold, they would have to race to town to stake their claim at the assayer’s office. While they didn’t ride the donkeys, Wann said, the animals were equipped with a sawbuck pack saddle that carried the miner’s provisions.

“They built this state, so we definitely honor them in that regard, and how they were a companion for the miners,” Wann said.

That companionship is still true today. Judi Manutes has been running with the burros for seven years now, completing her first race in 2017 — a race in which she came in dead last, but earned her most prized title.

“My favorite trophy of all of my running trophies is ‘Last A‘,” she joked. “It’s on my mantle still.”

Manutes practices with different donkeys, running where she’s needed. At this practice, she was partnered up with Katy, one of the chubby mini donkeys recently rescued from Berthoud.

“It was hard to get her going, she didn’t want to move, but Amber stayed with us and once she started to go, she was fine,” Manutes said. “She was willing to go at my pace, which was wonderful. It was really, really nice. She’s a sweetheart.”

Manutes, who brought a big bag of carrots to feed the animals, loves the donkeys. It’s what keeps her coming back again and again.

“They’re so loving, they’re so sweet, they’re so caring — and they put up with me,” she said. “I just love being around them. It’s a very healthy addiction to have.”

And that’s what Wann likes to see: how people are drawn to the gentle critters.

“It is a therapy for a lot of people,” Wann said. “The donkeys have just touched their lives, and they can feel that when they hike on the trail.”

Eventually, Wann hopes to expand the nonprofit’s services to start working with veterans and special-needs individuals. She’s seen the therapeutic benefits firsthand with her son, who has epilepsy.

“It’s rewarding all the way around, just to see the connections being made,” Wann said. “It’s been healthy for the donkeys, healthy for people, and I just love it. It just makes me happy.”