A well-trained donkey is a joy to drive, but you need patience and a sense of humour! As Elizabeth Brown explains, donkeys are deep thinkers, quick to learn but quick to get bored.
Training sessions should be regular and short.
Training should be done in stages, each with its own aim. Do not progress to the next stage until the current one is achieved. Some aims may take several sessions. Make sure any equipment used is well fitting and in good order and it’s just as important to wear safety equipment such as a riding hat and gloves as it is with a horse.
Stage one- Ground work in hand. Walking in hand, encouraging the donkey to go forwards and obey vocal commands such as walk on, trot on, whoa.
Stage two- introduce long reins to a well-fitting headcollar. With the help of an assistant at the donkey’s head the donkey learns to obey commands from behind whilst having the reassurance of someone at his head.
You can read the full guide to donkey driving in the March issue of Carriage Driving - on sale from 28th February. To purchase a copy, contact our Subscriptions Team on 01722 716997
www.donkeybreedsociety.co.uk.