A miniature donkey from Montana has become a celebrity in Central Oregon.
Cimarron Kid was relocated to Crook County in 2000, from Bart and Marion Barton’s donkey farm, Barton’s Brayin’ Assets. He found his Oregon home with their daughter, Kim Griffin, who also owns a variety of animals including a mustang, chickens and goats.
The name of her goat herd is Grizzly Mountain Goats, and she is part of Central Oregon Goat Association (COGA). Kid immediately fit in with her farm animals.
“They raised and showed miniature donkeys,” Griffin said describing her father and step-mother’s farm. “They had multiple donkeys that would pull different types of wagons. They got Kid when he was just a little guy from Ohio.”
Kid was used for breeding with the Barton’s Jennies, resulting in many beautiful, miniature donkeys. The Barton’s had a miniature Meadow Brook Cart built for Kid to be used in competitions.
“One time, my dad thought, ‘I am going to take a picture of Marion and her turn-of-the-century clothing that would fit that cart,”’ Griffin explained. The photo was sent into Driving Digest for a competition. That was in 2000 before Griffin acquired Kid.
“They won and it was on the front cover, with all those fancy horses that pull wagons and carriages. That was kind of funny, because he is a spotted donkey, he is not gray — he is white with gray spots,” said Griffin.
Kid also went with the Bartons to visit nursing homes, participated in parades and was part of a live nativity scene in Montana.
Eventually, the Bartons were looking for different breeding stock. Griffin loved Kid and offered to make a trade. She traded three goats and a wooden spool for Kid and his cart.
Griffin says Kid took care of her goats in the field, but he soon became a star in the yearly Nativity scene at Christmas in the Pines in Prineville, as well as slide shows in local churches. Once again, Kid became the center of attention, and he would soon find an audience on Facebook.
Griffin wanted a picture of her two grandkids with Kid, so a photographer came out and took pictures, which evolved into a book. She says Kid loves children and lots of attention. If she is late with his food, he makes sure the entire neighborhood knows.
“My dad used to say that he had a broken honker.”
“As she was taking the pictures and started sending them to me after she got them all together, I started putting them on Facebook,” said Griffin. “Then we had a following of people watching the Christmas story unfold with all these pictures as they were coming. It was so cool!”
Kid has been doing the nativity scene for 12 years.
“We have people who come to the live nativity just to see him, and he is 33 years old. He is in really good shape,” Griffin says.
It’s clear Kid is still, and always will be, a star wherever he goes.
This article appears in Central Oregon Pets Spring 2026.
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