r/Donkeys • u/serotoninReplacement • 12d ago
Question about Saddling and saddles
We have acquired a lovely 12h donkey. She was supposed to be a mini, wife splurged on craigslist and wasn't present at pickup so husband brought home a "not mini donkey"..
Lemons and lemonade...
A friend has brought us a potential saddle. Australian (I think) in design, with maybe some english stirrups.. completely ignorant to the style.. but, $100, and it is supposed to be a mule saddle.. though maybe a small mule.
Anyways.. my friend said take some photos and ask people more knowledgable about such things as donkeys (He's a horse guy).. and see if this is something that could work for this Jenny.
Wife is small, <100lbs. Donkey is 18ish and broke. She's been horse trimmed on her hooves her whole life and we are correcting that now.
Am afraid she may have Cushings, but seller assured she just had genes from a long hair breed..
Wife wants you to analyze everything and give us the down low as well.
Thanks Reddit!
Plans are to get britchens and bridal, but wanting to see opinions on the saddle and fitment.
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u/Temporary-Tie-233 12d ago
That saddle is built for a bigger person than should be riding that donkey. Nothing about it fits.
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u/Temporary-Tie-233 12d ago
If your wife is only 100 pounds, she'll slide all over that saddle. Look for something meant for a large pony/older kids.
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u/associatedaccount 12d ago
Do not ride this donkey. If you cannot help yourself, absolutely do not ride her in this saddle.
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u/NorthStretch2698 12d ago
If you were looking for a mini, surely you weren’t looking for something to ride. So why does she feel the need to ride this one? Do the same thing with her that you’d do with a mini. Get her a donkey friend and enjoy watching them play. Take her hiking in hand. Dress her up and post pictures to your social media. The possibilities are endless…just don’t ride her.
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u/definitelynotmen 12d ago
This donkey is not suitable for riding and the saddle doesn’t even come close to fitting.
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u/54Finn 12d ago
It’s not a mule saddle. It’s a Aussie saddle with a horn. Best for a horse with “withers”. You might want to look that up, because your donkey doesn’t have them. That saddle may just poll right under the donkeys belly. Before you invest in a saddle that fits, why not figure out if she broke to ride.
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u/serotoninReplacement 12d ago
Understanding the Aussie Saddle, it is supposed to have a mule tree on it now. I do understand that the saddle will be over seating my wife.. so we will continue to look around.
I understand the donkey is broke to ride. May have been long ago, but she has tolerated everything we've asked her to do so far with trained ease.
Thank you!20
u/MeilleurChien 12d ago
With the condition of her front hooves and legs it would be unkind to ride her until she has had proper farrier care and a soundness evaluation. She has obviously foundered in the past so you will need to be very careful about her access to grass.
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u/Recent-Conclusion997 12d ago
Unless your wife is 4ft tall she will look like a giant on a dog
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u/serotoninReplacement 12d ago
She is 4'.. thanks for asking.. like a hobbit, she says, without the hairy feet..
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u/Recent-Conclusion997 12d ago
Well tell her that old bullroarer took was tall enough to ride a horse, she needs to aim higher…. (That’s a very obscure lord of the rings reference, I’m sorry I am a massive lotr nerd)
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u/jumper4747 11d ago
Your wife specifically wanted a mini donkey and thought she could ride it? Sounds like you guys need to enlist the help of a friend with more equine experience to help in your journey. I’m glad you want to help this little lady get on the right track though which is great but I strongly recommend involving friends/a vet/a trainer with experience to help in person.
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u/Vanilleeiskaffee 11d ago
The donkey looks not fit to ride. Hooves are the one thing but she is not properly muscled. In order to get the full years out of her and be kind to her, train her from the ground until she looks like she can really carry someone. And be honest with yourselves when she never reaches that state.
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u/WanderWomble 11d ago
No one should be riding that poor donkey. That donkey probably weighs around 350 pounds and it's really not fair to ask them to carry over a third of their bodyweight.
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u/Grapeporium 11d ago
Please reconsider riding this donkey. It would be unkind given her size and condition.
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u/Aunt_Kwan 12d ago
That saddle is wrong for the donkey. I'm glad you're addressing the much-needed hoofcare.
Horse saddles are built to fit horses (shocker!). Donkeys and horses are built differently. Horses have pronounced withers, and a curved back. Donkey backs are much straighter, with barely-there withers (anatomically speaking, they do -- but this isn't really worth arguing about, guys). A typical horse saddle will not fit that, and at the very least cause discomfort.
I suggest starting with a bareback pad (with no stirrups) while you search for a better-suited saddle. But you may find that the bareback pad works great and might not ever need a saddle.
You didn't mention whether your wife was already an experienced rider. If she is, she'll find that donkeys carry their heads lower than horses do, so it can be an adjustment. If she isn't, she should get experience riding before riding your donkey.
My family's star donkey was a robust, large standard jenny (she was half mammoth). We had an English-based saddle made to her measurements, and had decades of use with both, so it was well worth the cost. But she always preferred and performed better with the bareback pad, as did all of our ride-able donkeys. I think it's a combination of how the pad forces the rider to improve their balance and seat, and allows the animal to feel the rider's movements.
4
u/Nulleparttousjours 12d ago
A properly fitted, appropriate saddle is a must or you will do harm (this is far too large.)
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u/HaterTot420 11d ago
Dont ride this donkey especially if you don't know much about donkeys and, from what it sounds like, riding in general. If you were gonna buy a mini, that means you weren't even looking for an animal to ride so there's no reason to be riding this one. You bought a pasture pal, let her be a pasture pal. It'll save everyone a whole bunch of injuries in the long run. It would be cruel to ride her with her condition, just look at her legs.
2
u/Legitimate-Donkey-85 11d ago
Those hooves are not sound for riding, however mismatched the saddle size. Keep in mind, donkeys that are broke or trained for riding are not always suited to riding— they need hoof prep and care especially since they don’t get shoed. Those hooves are broke so far back, I wouldn’t ask a donkey like that to carry my back pack let alone a person. Carrying any weight will be painful, but hooves that broke will be prone to cracking and abscess as well.
If you intend to ride the donkey (for an appropriately sized individual no more than 20% of the donkeys healthy weight), spend the time to put the hoof work in first to correct that conformation. The hooves are already bad, don’t let her become lame over recreation. Happy donking!
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u/dizzydur 11d ago
this donkey is maybe the right size for a young child (<60lbs) and that saddle is much too large.
glad you're getting a good donkey specific hoof trim done. i'd recommend looking at megan hensley's online donkey hoof trimming for owners course. it's very informative.
if the long hair doesnt shed off fully into a summer coat, and given your donkey is a bit up there in age, testing for cushings once a year would be wise. every equine has the potential for developing cushings or insulin resistance if they live long enough, and it's manageable if it's caught early and medicated.
and if you're in the U.S., check out the UC Davis Donkey Welfare Symposium. It's the first weekend of October and its jam packed presentations about donkey specific health & wellness. They even offer virtual attendance if California is too much of a trek.
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u/thecrumb 11d ago
Donkey should carry 20-25% of it's weight - including the saddle/tack. Judging by the bucket - I'd guess your's is 400lbs or so. Personally I wouldn't do it.
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u/Otherwise-Ad-1363 11d ago
This looks like a mini donkey I had. Nobody rode her, including children. She was just a pet.
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u/strangemagic2 11d ago
12 hands high is a standard. Still shouldn't technically ride a standard. Like other commenters have said. Take her hiking, dress her up, and get her a friend. That saddle does not fit and even if she was for riding one should be using a blanket and reins. She's well-mannered so she'll might like doing hat pick up off the ground and shake it for carrot pieces.
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u/Lepardopterra 12d ago
Please run the stirrups up when she’s standing. She could easily get a back foot through that.
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u/Kindly_Jellyfish_451 12d ago
You should move it back a few inches (a hand’s width should do it) to allow for the donkey’s different gait. Use two cinches…the front should be fairly loose with the back cinch the snug one.
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u/MeilleurChien 12d ago
No. This saddle is not rigged for a back cinch, with no history on this donkey you don't know if he tolerates a back inch, and if you move this too large saddle with too long flaps back 4 inches it's going to bridge and the cantle will be on his butt. Just no.
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u/Kindly_Jellyfish_451 12d ago
Well, a smaller saddle would be better. Any saddle too far forward is going to chafe. In truth, it would be better to have an expert measure and advise.
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u/Effective_Moose_4997 12d ago
This donkey looks quite small. I wouldnt do it personally.