Wild Donkeys Weight and Hoof Shape

Donkey Whisperer Farm ®

12 years ago

Friends of the Donkey Whisperer Farm,

The internet is such a wonderful tool, a way for us to learn and share information all over the world. I would like to introduce my new friend Allison Freyer she lives in California close to the Arizona border. Alison has several herds of wild standard size donkeys coming to greet her in her yard each and every night.

Please burn these photos into your memory as the hoof heel should be low and short toes to prevent seedy toe and white line a balanced hoof.

“Domesticated donkeys should not be standing up with high heels like they have high heels on. Yes the heel will be standing taller than a horse but take a look at the photos below and learn from the wild donkey hooves. The weight of the domesticated donkey is imperative to a healthy donkey, NO ribs showing and no fat on the neck.” Melody Johnson, Donkey Whisperer Farm

The fat on the domesticated donkeys neck can sometimes never be removed but the diet and weight can be! We must do our best to never let our beloved domesticated donkeys become obese as obesity in our domesticated donkeys causes laminitis, founder, and hoof problems such as abscesses, white line, and more.

We must learn what the donkey hoof looks like in the wild and be sure our trimmer/farrier is doing the correct job.

Did you know most farrier schools do not teach how to trim a donkey and most trimmers refuse to work on a donkey? We the owners need to get educated to ensure our trimmer is doing the correct balanced trim, low heel and short toes. “We are paying them good money to care for our beloved equine it is time we make sure they are doing the job correctly.”

I am so grateful to Allison for sharing these photos as I know that these photos are going to help so many of us donkey owners be better at the diet and hooves being trimmed. Remember domesticated donkeys should have their hooves trimmed at least every seven weeks in most cases. Only other case would be if they are used on a regular basis as a pack animal moving their hooves over ten to fifteen miles a day.

Resources:

Safer Grass – Test your hay and ensure it is below 10% sugar, Never Feed ALFALFA hay to a donkey or easy keeper horse or mule

Pete Ramey Donkey DVD, diet, hoof care and more

Paradise paddock

Wild donkey photos courtesy of Allison Freyer