Esther and Dave - two donkeys standing in the straw in the donkey barn

04 September 2026

Help us prepare our donkeys for winter

Our name might be Redwings Horse Sanctuary, but we are proud to provide sanctuary to horses, donkeys, mules and hinnies (donkey/horse hybrids) - in fact, we care for almost 90 donkeys here at Redwings, and there are some key differences in their care that we are able to provide, thanks to your support.

Donkeys – our fair-weather friends!

If you have visited Redwings on a rainy day, you may have noticed our donkeys are often hunkered down in their barns or shelters, and the reason for this is simple. Unlike their horse and pony counterparts, donkeys evolved to live in desert-like environments and are much less suited to inclement weather. We accommodate this at Redwings by providing special environments for our donkeys, especially in the winter months. This includes barns or shelters to protect them from the elements (unlike ponies, donkeys are not waterproof!), as well as concrete pads in their fields, or space on a woodchip paddock to give them dry spaces to stand to protect their hooves from the mud.

Donkeys like Dave and Esther (pictured below - icons of the herd at Redwings Caldecott!) spend a lot of the winter snuggled up in their large barn, with deep straw bedding. At Redwings Aylsham we have multiple shelters and extra stables built for our resident donkeys like Wiggins, and the story is the same across all our sites. Each has special accommodation for our donkeys in use year-round, but especially during the winter months.

“The Caldecott donkeys love spending time in the barn in the winter, but this does mean extra work for our team, and additional costs. Daily mucking out and fresh bedding become an essential part of our winter routine. Thanks to your support, your donations = donkey duvet days!”.

Laura

Redwings Caldecott Manager.

£19

could help provide daily fresh and cosy bedding to the Caldecott donkey herd

£27

could help provide three checks for our rescued donkeys this winter, whatever the weather

£30

As we prepare for winter, £30 could help us buy three bottles of specialist hoof care oils to help prevent hoof problems that would otherwise need more intensive treatment

Two donkeys are looking over the wall there are haynets hanging on numbered hooks on the wall

Donate to the appeal

Jeremiah, a brown and white donkey, has his head resting in a cuddle in his groom's arms

Jeremiah loves a cuddle!

Donkey behaviour

Our beloved donkeys can be subject to unfair myths about their behaviour. We’re sure you’ve heard the phrase ‘stubborn as a mule’, but in truth they are not stubborn, merely sensibly cautious! Unlike horses they are not simply flight animals and are much more likely to pause and assess the situation first.

Donkeys and mules are incredibly stoic, and far less demonstrative in their behaviour, making it harder to tell if they’re feeling unwell, in pain or frightened. This is where our team, and their expert knowledge of donkey care and behaviour come in.

“Due to their stoic nature, donkeys can mask that they are under the weather, and often by the time they are showing obvious signs that they are unwell, it’s a veterinary emergency. Our team are so attuned to their individual characters and the most subtle of signs – it can be something as little as them not enjoying their usual scratchy spot. Spotting the earliest signs of illness can mean the difference between a simple treatment or a life-threatening emergency, and that’s why our regular checks of our donkeys and their environment are so important.”
Nicola Berryman, Welfare Vet (and self-confessed donkey fanatic!).

If Wiggins didn't want a cuddle, we'd know something was wrong!

You've got a friend in me...

Companionship is especially crucial to donkeys, and they often form very strong pair bonds. This is why, if any of our donkeys (like Timothy and Cain pictured here!) need to spend time in the Horse (and donkey!) Hospital, they will bring a friend - no matter what stable shuffling we have to do to accommodate them! This helps minimise stress and keeps them happy and on their way to healing.

Timothy and Cain

"Sparkly hoof goo..."

Potentially not a sentence you were expecting to read in this article, but one that highlights just one of the healthcare measures we take for our donkeys. Thrush and seedy toe are hoof conditions commonly seen in donkeys because of the fact their hooves are evolved to live in semi-arid environments, as opposed to damp, distinctly British ones. In addition to picking out their feet daily and regular foot trims, some of our donkeys require extra support to help keep their hooves healthy with specialist hoof care oils –some of which contain sparkly silver!

At Redwings Ada Cole, at least five resident donkeys require this treatment daily during the winter, including Adoption Star Dotty. Dotty was rescued in 2018 with painfully overgrown hooves, that were preventing her being able to walk comfortably. Your support means that her hooves are now always kept in tip-top condition and she will never suffer again.

Applying this oil helps prevent hoof problems that would otherwise need more intensive treatment

Dotty when she was rescued and Dotty now

Four donkeys are stood in the barn on a patch of shavings

You help us provide the perfect home for our donkeys

This winter our donkeys will rely on us to provide warm barns, clean and dry bedding and expert care. Your kindness will help keep them safe, comfortable and healthy through the coldest months of the year.*

Text DONKEY 10 to 70460 to donate £10*

*Your donation will be used where it is needed most in the Sanctuary and will help to fund the ongoing care of all our residents including those you read about here.

**Change the number that follows DONKEY to donate a gift from £1 - £20. Texts will cost the donation amount plus one standard network rate message.

Thank you.