2003

Bought our first mini donkeys, bred jennets SWR Dolly and Gardner's Rhonda

Started visiting farms(even went to Nebraska), purchasing jennets and learning about miniature donkeys

Bought our first jack, Safari Country King Ebony, to start breeding.

2004

Attended lots of shows and talked with exhibitors about showing

Waiting on our first foals to be born, finally, in the summer 3 jack foals born within 30 days of each other. Smooth easy births and so much fun.

2005

Decided “we want to show”

I surprised Jim with The Red Gates Stetson and Sterling, half brothers and just exactly what we were looking for. Practiced, got help clipping, ordered beautiful show halters from Showgirls, filled out our entry and off to the first show we went. Jim liked showing, thought it was fun and I was scared to death. So we came up with a plan that Jim would show and I would do the grunt work to get us ready to go into the arena. I did show one more time at the TX State Fair in Best Matched Pair and we won a blue ribbon. The donkeys that won, our first blue ribbon were Wee Friends Farm All Shook Up and Lazarus. I did better the second time but realized it was not for me

We went to a driving clinic because I thought that looked like fun. Again Jim enjoyed driving and I did not.

We needed a trailer with living quarter to do all this showing, so Jim found one in North Florida and we drove from Texas to pick it up.

That fall Jim's young teen age granddaughter, Tiffany, came to live with us and decides she wants to show. So that added another person to our show family and our living quarter trailer. Tiffany realizes she needs one of her friends to keep her company and help her, so Tenisha came with us to the shows. It was work, a good time together and the start of us promoting youth in the show ring. Tiffany and Tenisha showed Stetson and Sterling, while Jim showed Shook. We won every color ribbon and enjoyed the show season.

In August our first jennet foal was born so we named her Lil Graceland Lisa Marie. Finally, a girl.

2006

Still showing, having cute babies and breeding. The babies are my favorite part of mini donkeys

Several more girl foals born this year and boys. We always seemed to be outnumbered by boys. We love them all just the same. One of the boys born this year Lil Graceland Fun In Acapulco, aka Lil A

Decided to do an outside breeding to have a My World Red Alert baby. Took Cobra's Nina Bonita to Flynn TX to spend some time with Red Alert. (Hoping for a great looking girl)

2007

I started to really like red donkeys and decided it was time to search for a red herdsire. I liked Quarter Moon Ticker Tape, so decided I needed one of his sons and ended up with two. Quarter Moon Red Light would be gelded and become Tiffany's new show donkey. They did so good in the show ring, she trained him herself. Quarter Moon Gold Coast (a little doll) would eventually be our main herdsire.

It is a BOY!!! Lil Graceland Speedway is born in September, Dam Cobra's Nina Bonita and Sire My World Red Alert. He is so small 20”. OH NO! He is not red, but nice color like Nina.

We buy Li'l Angels Miss Diane to be our next jennet show donkey. Her first show, on her first birthday and she wins a blue ribbon at State Fair of TX.

Tiffany and QM Red Light win Reserve Champion Youth SDMS Show
We are doing parades and petting zoo at local Festivals

Outside breeding HHAA Whoopie and Sunset Acres Rowdy Yates

2008
Whoopie has a black boy King Creole

SDMS Texas Shoot Out The Red Gates Stetson wins Gelding Halter Class 5 years and older

Lil Graceland Speedway wins Reserve Champion Halter at SDMS Fall Show in Belton

State Fair of Texas, Jim and The Red Gates Stetson win a belt buckle for NMDA High Point Green Adult, really proud of these accomplishments!

Our friend in Oklahoma lends us a jennet to breed to Speedway

Tiffany and QM Red Light wins Reserve Champion High Point Youth at SDMS Show

2009

Still showing, breeding and having those cute babies

QM Gold Coast first foal is born July 20, 2009 Lil Graceland Gold Record and he is red. It was love at first site. Big plans for this little boy.

State Fair of Texas Tiffany and QM Red Light wins a belt buckle for NMDA High Point Youth at State Fair of TX.

Tiffany is doing great at shows, wins First Place in Youth Showmanship

Coasters first jennet foal Lil Graceland Unchained Melody is born

Jim elected to SDMS Board of Directors


2010
Tiffany leaves our farm and showing donkeys to go live with her mother

Winning every color ribbon

Melody starts showing in halter classes

Jim's mule Big Boss Man is born in May

Jim taking an interest in riding

Jim hurts his shoulder and needs surgery, show season ends early

Mattie Lou and Speedway have a jennet foal Sweet Caroline 19" at birth, so tiny and cute

2011
Jim appointed Vice President of SDMS

A big show year after stopping early in 2010

NMDA National Show in Waco Gold Record wins 5th Place in Halter

Texas Shoot Out cancelled but making plans for a great show in 2012

Caroline attends her first show, all the show halters are to small to fit her tiny head

Attend SDMS 5th Annual Longears Festival (so much fun)

OK State Fair King Creole and Pink Cadillac win First Place in their individual Halter classes

Still having babies, not buying ... trying to downsize our herd we have to many donkeys. 

2011 show season comes to an end in Belton
King Creole wins 3rd in Halter and 2nd in Green Trail Class
3rd in Green Pleasure Driving and 3rd in Green Reinsmanship
Pink Cadillac wins 1st Place in Halter
Sweet Caroline wins 3rd in Halter Yearling Class

Lil Graceland Platinum's Legacy and Lil Graceland Speedway have a jennet foal Sweet Leilani 19" at birth another cute and tiny girl


2012
First foal 2012  Lil Graceland Miss Clawdy and Lil Graceland Fun In Acapulco have a spotted jack  named Heart Break Hotel. Heartbreaker has a heart shaped spot on his neck.  He is a keeper. We have wanted a great looking spotted jack for years. 

Much needed rain and a mild winter, so far. 

Second foal, another spotted jack 19.5", named Follow That Dream
 Dam is If I Can Dream and Sire is Lil Graceland Speedway.

First show of 2012 show season, Jim and King Creole win High Point Miniature Donkey Green at Ft Worth Stock Show. Beautiful belt buckle!

St. Paddy's Drive Fest in Navasota at Good Hands Training Center. A fun day of driving. Six longears competing, Jim and Creole take home a 3rd place and a 4th place. All ribbons were green. 

Our youngest sire Lil Graceland Gold Record, first foal born, a light red jack. 
Name will be Lil Graceland Hit Record. 

Spring and more rain. We are not complaining.

SDMS Spring Show "Come and Take It"
King Creole wins Reserve High Point Green Miniature Donkey

Fourth Speedway jennet foal born at Ventana Ranch in OK

Two more Gold Record foals. 
Record Label a red jack 
Record Deal a gray nlp jennet (yay!! a girl)

Jim's mule, Boss, is in training at KS Show Mules in Glen Rose TX

Baled 600 plus square bales. This hay will really help us. So thankful.

Had a great time at the Rose Rock Festival in Noble OK. 
Great time, good donkey friends and promoting the miniature donkey

Whoopie Goldberg had a jack foal Soldier Boy
Fun In Acapulco is the sire

Texas Shoot Out 2012
Great show and so proud ... ribbons in all colors. 
Sweet Angeline in her first show second place in Yearling Jennets at Halter

My Way and Heartbreaker did a good job in  pre green trail

King Greole won Reserve Green Miniature Donkey for The Texas Hold 'Em Series    Combining the points from FWSSR and TSO


Took King Creole for training weekend at AssN9 Ranch in Shawnee OK ... so much fun working on show skills with instructor Sandi Costa
I went for a drive (yes, in the cart) with Stetson. My first time driving and I enjoyed it. People keep trying to talk me into being an exhibitor at shows. "People, I DO NOT WANT TO SHOW"


Lil Gracland Love Me Tender had a boy born on the 4th of July
Lil Graceland An American Trilogy
Sire is Lil Graceland Speedway

Cutting more hay  

Traveled to Deepwater Missouri for a Fish Fry and donkey fun at Kurt and Vicki Sherman's farm. Saw their breeding jack and loved him. They generously allowed us to bring My World Bubba home to Lil Graceland to breed 6 jennets over the next year. My World breeding is one of our favorites, so thrilled to have Bubba for a year.


Attended Ozark Empire Fair in Springfield, MO. Large classes with no divisions. King Creole placed 5th in Pleasure Driving with 16 in the class. This was not Creole's best show, we think he was tired from the long drive and missing his friends. We have some things we need to work on before the next show.

August 3, 2012 Nina Bonita had a tiny 17" red jennet. This was during the Summer Olympics so we strayed from the Elvis names and we are naming her Katie Bell after the USA diver. QM Gold Coast is Katie's sire.



Jim and Rhonda Tippie
7981 FM 697 
Whitewright,TX 75491
903-271-1379
lilgraceland@yahoo.com