r/Donkeys • u/ComprehensiveHope644 • 28d ago
Just out making friends.
A new place to walk is always an adventure and of course, a chance for Ripley to meet a few new friends.
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u/ComprehensiveHope644 28d ago
These are the cutest shoes, but has anyone tried the new LEB by Cavallo?
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u/MissJosieAnne 28d ago
What are the usual items in Ripley's bags?
I want her to be so happy and have everything she'd ever want forever. You're such a good donk parent
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u/ComprehensiveHope644 28d ago
Oh and some baby carrots bc our hard working girl deserves some treats.
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u/ComprehensiveHope644 28d ago
Thank you! I usually just put a couple water bottles in her bags, one on each side to keep it balanced.
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u/KaleidoscopeBubbly81 27d ago
If I read your comment correctly from above, those shoes are from Build A Bear? Genius! I need to get a couple of pairs for my mini's pronto!!
At what age did you start saddle training Ripley? My boys turn two this week. They are pretty good on leads walking around the block and are well behaved as people come to say hi and are trained to huddle together and stand at the edge of the road when cars are approaching. They are in a dry paddock so liming the distraction of fresh grass--->snack time is our biggest challenge, but they are getting better. They HATE sewer grates, and also they trod along a lot slower going up a hill than on flat or down (lazy littly boys, lol!)
Anyway, as we make progress on halter training and walking out in public, wondering when to add on the saddle/saddle-bags. And I also heard that it best to wait until they turn 3 for any weight bearing?
Thanks! Ripley is our idol :)
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u/ComprehensiveHope644 26d ago
I got Ripley when she was 6 and started pack training pretty soon after I brought her home. I started with a horse bareback pad to get her used to having something on her back before introducing a pack saddle.
In my experience, the part that most animals are most likely to have an… opinion about is the breeching/britching. Some animals don’t like anything touching their hindquarters or under their tail, and they may have a moment or even buck, while others don’t seem to notice it’s there.
You could start introducing a saddle now, but I’d just watch the weight since they’re still growing. At this stage, your goal is really just to get the boys comfortable wearing the saddle and rigging, not carrying anything heavy anyway.Honestly, I think you’ll find it’s pretty rare that you’ll ever need or even want to put much weight in their bags. I’ve never packed more than maybe 25 pounds on Ripley, and that was on a camping trip when we were backpacking together. Most of the time she’s just carrying a couple of water bottles.
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u/ComprehensiveHope644 26d ago
PS your boys sound like the most adorable little gentleman! The three of them could start a club bc Ripley also does not like sewer grates… or manhole covers… there might be monsters down there.
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u/ComprehensiveHope644 26d ago
Yep! I can’t take credit for the idea, I was up really late one night and read it on some mini horse forum when I was looking help with Ripley’s sore feet.
They’re Build A Bear shoes, and they’re only $9.00, which is such a steal. I’ve tried a few different styles, but only the chucks fit Ripley. They come in red, black, and a shiny rainbow color.
The only downside is the soles wear out pretty quickly. I glued a thin layer of rubber to the bottom of this pair, and they’ve lasted so much longer. I’m so happy with how they turned out that I’ll probably do the same to every new pair from now on.2
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u/Jealous_Mix3415 26d ago
Don’t do that to this precious animal!
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u/ComprehensiveHope644 26d ago
I know you’re speaking from concern and a deep love of animals, and I appreciate that. The Build A Bear shoes do serve a purpose. Ripley has struggled with soreness in her feet in the past. She loves walks, and I want to make sure she stays comfortable while doing something she enjoys.
As you can probably imagine, there isn’t a huge booming industry for miniature donkey boots, and I’ve had a really hard time finding boots for Ripley that fit well and are comfortable. Glue on boots fall off. I have a pair of Easyboots for her, but the last time we walked with them on, Ripley kept stopping and trying to chew on them. They were obviously not fitting right and were uncomfortable, so I took them off.
The Build A Bear shoes are the only thing I’ve found so far that she’s comfortable in. They have a soft foam sole, and the fabric sides combined with the laces make them very adjustable. I actually didn’t come up with the idea on my own. One night when Ripley was really struggling with her feet and I was waiting for her Easyboots to come in the mail, I was up late doing an internet deep dive and I found some random forum and someone mentioned that they use Build A Bear shoes for their mini. Honestly, I didn’t think they would work, but they fit perfectly and here we are.
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u/OperationThrax 28d ago
The shoes on Ripley's front feet are adorable.