What is hiking with a donkey?
Everyone knows about hiking. You strap on a rucksack, choose an itinerary and set off on foot for a few days or a few weeks.
When evening comes, you can pitch a tent or sleep in a gîte.
Hiking is synonymous with freedom, holidays, happiness, fresh air and getting back into shape.
But this choice of holiday comes at a price: the closer you want to be to nature, and the more relaxed you want to bivouac, the heavier your pack will be.
So trekking with a donkey is like entering another dimension of freedom:
• The first benefit is that the donkey will carry the luggage. Travelling with a donkey is the end of backache. A small donkey, supported on its four legs, will carry much more than us poor bipeds, provided of course that it is given a comfortable pack-saddle. It can easily carry the belongings of 3 people.
• It’s easy to go hiking with your toddler. If your little one is tired, he can rest for a few minutes on the donkey’s back, just long enough to regain his strength. Hiking with a donkey gives your child the chance to experience the wilderness.
• Bivouacs are becoming the norm, because you can carry quality equipment: a solid tent, thick inflatable mattresses and warm duvets. Sleeping in a tent in the middle of the mountains is no longer synonymous with spartan comfort and aching backs, but a sign of new-found freedom. With a load-bearing donkey, you become independent of the accommodation network. You can stop whenever you feel tired, as soon as you’ve found a nice spot and a spring.
• And finally there’s the most important thing of all, which makes hikers’ hearts skip a beat from the very first day: walking with a donkey creates a wonderful bond with this mischievous, endearing and gentle little animal. A donkey only works with cuddles and apples. Just as his owners quickly become attached to him, he also quickly becomes attached to his masters when they are good. His relationship with children is extraordinary, with the donkey protecting the little ones. As a carrier, it quickly becomes a walking companion.
• Thanks to the presence of the donkey, relations with the local residents are much easier. Everyone loves this brave little animal with velvet eyes. Every request is accepted, whether it’s for water or permission to camp.
Hire a donkey, buy a donkey?
We find the same dilemma with cars and flats.
Only this time there’s another dimension involved: love…
For a first experience, it’s best to hire a donkey from one of the many organisations offering this activity in France, just to be sure. You’re sure to find a docile animal that’s used to carrying, and whose equipment is provided.
But God knows the moment of separation will be painful. We’ve seen gallons of tears when we had to leave that big cuddly toy after ten days of togetherness.
Then it’s time to think, especially if you live in the country: what if I found a little donkey too, that I could cuddle all year round, and which would become the companion of our family outings…
The worm is in the fruit… And the donkey may soon be in the stable…
The necessary equipment
When you want to go hiking with a donkey, once you’ve found your four-legged rucksack, you need to get the right equipment.
There’s no point going to the big sports stores, as this activity is not one of their priorities. At best, you’ll find a few panniers that will rarely last more than half an hour. After all, donkeys have no respect for anything, and they’ll never stop destroying the equipment you’ve put on their backs by getting as close as possible to sharp rocks, brambles and barbed wire. That’s why it’s vital to choose very solid equipment that will last for decades without ever breaking down.
• The packk-saddle : is the heart of the carrying system. Its quality is essential to provide the animal with a comfortable working environment. Randoline uses ash wood for its flexibility, strength and durability. We add metal reinforcements and brass and stainless steel bridges. The different models of Randoline pack-saddles rest on the animal’s back thanks to mobile pads that follow the shape of the back. The pack-saddle is attached to the donkey by high quality leather straps that we source in the south of Larzac (France). Properly maintained, such harnessing lasts a lifetime.
• The carpet : The pack-saddle rests on a carpet, which acts as a shock absorber between the animal and the pack-saddle. It must be thick enough to soften the weight, but not too thick so as not to unbalance the load. At Randoline, we built the Couveton, a very thick old cotton cover enclosing a felt plate. The Couveton is removable and washable to keep the crew looking their best.
• The panniers : equipment will be contained in panniers. By equipment we mean clothes, food, cooking gear, etc… In short, everything you used to carry in your rucksack before you fell in love. The first quality we expect from a pannier is that it should be absolutely waterproof. If your clothes or sleeping bag get soaked on the first night, the tour is over. The second quality, even more so than for the pack, is robustness. The saddlebag will take all the knocks that the donkey throws at it along the way. It will bang against trees, rocks, stumps, low walls, etc… Since 2009, Randoline has been developing the Bagagine, a saddlebag that’s not afraid of much and that stands up like a little cupboard when you’re back at camp in the evening.
• The top bag : the top bag, which is placed over the pack-saddle, will contain the light but bulky items of luggage, such as the sleeping bag. Given the contents, it seems obvious that it should be able to withstand a whole day of driving rain. At Randoline, we call this device the Polichon.
• The hiking longe : this is the rope that will be used to guide the donkey along the trail. As you’ll be holding it in your hand all day, it’s important that it’s soft to the touch. At Randoline we’ve come up with the Longerine, a double-length hiking lanyard with 2 snap hooks and a double skin in contact with the hand. When you make a stop, you give the animal the freedom of the full length of the Longerine, allowing it to graze in complete tranquillity.
• The tie-down stake : You don’t always have a tree or a fence to tie your animal to at night, which is why it’s so important to have a stake that you can drive into the ground to attach a rope or chain. At Randoline we’ve invented the Tortillon, a sturdy corkscrew-shaped steel post that will penetrate even the toughest ground.
• The tether rope for the night : You can’t tie the animal up at night with its day’s longe, otherwise it will be full of mud and torn in the morning. It’s not advisable to use a rope, otherwise the animal risks getting a very dangerous ‘tether grip’. Randoline has designed the Cordelune, which links the night post to the animal. It’s a steel rope enclosed in a high-resistance plastic tube that can’t tie a knot.
• The maintenance equipment : when hiking with an animal, anything can and will happen. You just need to have the repair equipment you need to deal with the donkey’s mischief and the rough terrain. At Randoline, we’ve put together a first-aid kit containing all the essentials: a set of leather needles and waxed thread, an awl, ox foot oil for leather and linseed oil and turpentine for wood.
At Randoline, donkey trekking isn’t just a frivolous concept. It’s the result of 15 years’ experience covering thousands of miles, countries, cultures and landscapes. It’s our DNA.
Every piece of equipment we create is designed with this experience in mind, with the aim of providing everyone with high-quality equipment at the right price, so that hiking with the ears of a beautiful bourri remains a time of happiness and holidays.
In our Shop, you’ll find all the equipment mentioned above, and much more besides. It’s up to you to choose according to your animal (donkey, horse, pony, mule) and the type of ride (weekly, long-distance).
