Donkeys

ILuvCowparsely

ILuvCowparsely

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:) so much about our beloved horses
lets see some of your donkeys.

I will start this is Melody bought from Southall Market 1993 . Remembering the horsebox she was tied to long blue one with lots of windows , I saw the same one in Amersham when i was passing. So I am guessing very sure I bought her from Jamie Gray, I know he and his son was at market every week, and seen them recently in a tack shop.

Any way she has a home for life x beach donkey , pampered has rugs including fals and she loves the donkey chaff.

Lets see some more donkeys

here she is when i bought her 1993



in her little Fal bulldog rug

munching in her small paddock she normally wears a muzzle took it off for photo
 
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This is Clint, I got him in 1986 as a companion for my then pony, we took him on from an elderly lady who couldn't cope with him, not illtreated but a bit neglected, he was quite wild and his feet hadn't been trimmed for quite a while. 25 years later he has outlived that pony, and 2 ILPH ponies I ended up getting as companions for the donkey. He now lives happily with my daughters outgrown first pony, he is a bit arthritic now and doesn't have many teeth left but is generally doing well.

This is him after his summer clip

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And all wrapped up for the winter (pink isn't really his colour but it was an emergency purchase when the temperature dropped below - 10:eek:).




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ETS. His rugs a Fal too, must be a donkey thing :)
 
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awwwwwwwwww clint is cute sure Melody would like him

Melody was bought for my first mare who had moon blindness and couldn't see , she followed her round like a guide dog.
Melody has outlived her sadly we guess she is about 22 years old now.
Interesting you clip him , i have to in the end otherwise she never looses her coat, she gets fox mites in late summer so have to clip her out to treat it
 
I don't think his pony friend would be impressed at him having a donkey girlfriend.:p He was supposedly 8 when I got him, so in his 30s now. We've only clipped him for the last 3 or 4 years because he wasn't losing his coat at all and getting far too hot and uncomfy in the hot springs we had, although invariably as soon as he is clipped it goes cold and I have to rug him. He never had a rug in the winter either until about 5 years ago, and then in the cold snap of early 2010 I bought him the Fal.
 
This is Samuel, he is 30, had him for 14 years!

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The rug is a dinky rug specially made for donkeys, but I have actually found foal rugs fit him best!
 
Aw Samuel is cute too, how come all donkeys seem to be oldies.:p Clints medium weight rug is a foal rug, but its a bit short for him. The Fal is I think a 4'3 which I got off ebay, I have used Dinky Rugs for a poultice boot for him when he went through a spell of having one abcess after another, the only other piece of kit he has is a headcollar and that is a normal pony one.
 
kirstyl said:
Hi, I work for EST Leeds, sister charity to the Donkey Sanctuary that provides donkey riding therapy to children with special needs and disabilities. Please like our Facebook page (EST Leeds), there's lots of lovely donkey photos and you can of course come and visit our 22 gorgeous donkeys! http://www.facebook.com/pages/EST-Leeds/213257272034637
Click to expand...

If you ever need to adopt out a retired donkey let me know - would love to have one again :)
 
Don't have any pictures but I do have a funny story about a donkey I used to know called eddy who lived on a hill with my friends loan horse. He got himself in the newspaper for escaping from his field taking himself over a major road and into Booths supermarket and tried to make off with some carrots!:p He was definitely a character and had a penchant for biting bottoms and following you around. Would love a donkey some day :rolleyes:
 
Along with our 5 Shires, we have 2 donkeys. Their names are Dave and Poppy. Dave is approximately 19 and we've had him since 1997. Poppy is 13 and she's been with us since 2000. She was acquired soon after the death of Dave's old buddy, Bebo. They are inseparable, extremely naughty if given half a chance, and are endowed with the most remarkable pair of vocal chords! They used to share the fields with our horses, but that ended 3 years ago. The reason? Donks have an irritating habit of digging holes in which to roll. Despite having their own "dusting" area, the field excavation sites had to stop, not only because I worried about the horses stepping into the holes, but because they were digging up valuable pasture. So, we fenced off an area devoted exclusively to the donkeys, had a lovely field shelter erected, installed their own dust bath, and Bob's your uncle! It was the best decision. While some of the horses would have loved to interact with the donks, the donkeys would have none of it. And, by the way, all the fields are poo-picked daily.

Ideally, donkeys should be fed oat or barley straw, along with their donkey nuts/chaff. Dave has RAO, so soaking straw just doesn't work. Neither of them will touch it. So I soak their haynet for 2 hours before letting them eat it and it works a treat.

It must also be noted that donkeys are, basically, termites on steroids. Poppy is the worst offender. She will chew virtually any kind of wood: painted, stained or otherwise. The fencing in our fields is constructed of pressure-cured creosoted wood (forget tanalised wood...it's salty, so it's like a treat) and has stood the test of time. Their field shelter has had galvanised steel strips applied to all corners and entry way. When they are in for the winter, they have a brick barn which is 30' by 12'. I put wood chip bedding at one end and their hay nets at the other, so that the hay doesn't get mixed with the bedding (dry hay=coughing, heaving). The whole area is swept out 2 times a day to keep the dust down. They have access to a grassy area within our yard, so they can potter around when they are not inside.

While they are, in many ways, much like horses, their blood chemistry is different, as is their temperature. It would be wise to acquire the Donkey Owners' Manual from the Donkey Sanctuary to familiarise yourself with those differences.

I have a nice photo of them, which is now in Photobucket. But, can I get it onto this page?
I must have a mental block when it come to displaying any of my photos. Help!!

I hope the above assists anyone desiring these charismatic, charming, and, sometimes, frustrating, creatures. Several other posters have been spot-on in describing the requirements of donkey ownership. I think there is a wealth of experience here which could be a source of support to any prospective donkey owner.
 
Rutland H20, I agree with everything you say - especially the termite on legs bit!!

After studying the Donkey Sanctuary fact sheets, I follow their lead and leave lots of branches and log from trees like willow and beech (never evergreen) in their field and it seems to help that trait a bit!!
 
Canteron: We have 16 ancient apple trees. Occasionally, when they suffer major damage from heavy winds, we will have several large chunks of trunk cut into manageable logs. Normal people use them in fireplaces and/or woodburners. What do we do, we give them to the donks to keep them entertained and off the wood we prefer to remain unchewed!

Ooooh, I love Melody, Clint and Samuel!!
 
Hellio, these are pictures of my 2 donks, showing them playing and then chillin' out with a friends pony who came to stay for a few weeks!

(I am v new to photobucket, so forgive me if it doesn't work!.

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Ah love donkeys, when I have some land one day I would love to rescue a couple! Do they generally have the same life span of a horse or do they normally live into their 30's? Love all the pics they are all so gorgeous, love the donks!
 
Here's my donkey, Pluto. Only 2 years old so very young compared to the others.
Poitou x so a bit bigger as well.
Bought last year as I hoped to breed a large mule but unfortunately my 3yo ID x filly had to be pts earlier this year. He had a great relationship with her and has not made such a bond with any other since. He does like my little mule, Mellie, but she's not having any of that! :eek:

Donkeys like things to play with!
http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forum[IMG]http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/picture.php?albumid=1075&pictureid=10517

Pluto with the love of his life - RIP Toyah.
s/picture.php?albumid=1075&pictureid=6217[/IMG]
 
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