Donkeys are gentle animals. Many people think they are silly and stubborn but that is wrong - working with donkeys is all about trust.
On the contrary, donkeys are clever and even cunning. They will try to test you to see what they might get away with ... and once they’ve had their way once, they’ll try again.
So everything depends on you : can they trust you ? and who’s going to prevail over who ?
Children love them, and so do we, so come and have a trot round our village, Sauveterre de Comminges, and the surrounding countryside along its shady paths and woodlands.
If you decide to rent a donkey for the day (or half-day) without a guide, we’ll let you choose between the selection of walks that we have prepared around our village. These walks are particularly suitable for the donkeys and you’ll have a choice of distances and places to go. See more about the selection of walks.
And here are our donkeys :
Shinto is the oldest at 17 (middle-aged donkey). Worldly famous, he has travelled to Santiago de Compostella and back (on foot) with Tim Moore, a British travel writer and humorist, who related their adventures in his book : Travels with a donkey. With the great height of 11 hands at the withers, Shinto is our tallest donkey for the moment (Utopia will grow bigger soon !) Very calm and a bit lazy when climbs get too steep, Shinto is a wise old(ish) donkey.
Utopia is going to be 1 year old. When she got here about 6 months ago, she was nothing but long brown hair. At present she has unfortunately had some "growing" problems which have been giving her a hard time walking - so she’s boarding in St Girons on a farm where she’s treated everday be a horse osteopath (also a vet). Utopia looks a bit like a Poitou donkey with her long hair although we don’t know where she got it from because her two parents both have short hair. Utopia is going to be a big donkey and she’s nearly taller than Shinto already and she hasn’t finished growing yet. We can’t wait to welcome her back to our farm.
Scoub is nearly 3 years old. Small but full of caracter, Scoub is a nosey little donkey. Always pushing the others aside to get the most attention and chewing anything new to see what it is, he loves walking and will trot along in front of you with his ears pricked up. With a cross on his shoulders that means there’s either Provence or Cotentin donkey in him somewhere (we don’t hkno where !), his milk coffee coat become long and blond in the winter. Always ready to go, but still afraid of drains and puddles (you can always get around them !), Scoun is friendly and funny. An excellent donkey for children.
Aladin is Scoub’s dad and is 6 years old. Completely different from Scoub, Aladin is a thoughtful donkey. He seems a bit shy to start with but if he decides to trust you, then you’ll have found a new friend. With his dark chocolate coat, Aladin is a beautiful gentle donkey who thoroughly enjoys walking along our country paths.
