Author name: Talitha van Niekerk

  When I first got a pair of donkeys for my homestead, I didn’t quite know how to feed them. At first, I turned them out with my horses, but this didn’t work out ideally. That’s because these equids soon began competing for the choicest sections of the pasture.  I was also unsure of what […]

  When I purchased my first donkey, I believed it would simply graze without any health issues. After all, I had never really heard of a sick donkey. I had no idea what a sick donkey would look like. But when my first donkey lay down and wouldn’t get up, I realized something was wrong. 

  When my first foal arrived, I was overjoyed. It was pure bliss to watch this tiny gangly creature shape into a miniature version of her mom. Soon, I realized I would have to start weaning my foal.  While I’d always had adult horses under my care, I hadn’t had to wean a foal before,

Donkeys are hardy equids. They usually are blessed with a lush rug of hair that is either dense or curly. Seeing unsightly balding patches of alopecia all over your dearest donkey’s body is not pleasant. It can be downright problematic.  I was worried when my little donkey began to have balding patches along her face.

While many of us would love to have horses in our backyards or near our homesteads, the reality is that horses do require a certain amount of space. Keeping a horse in a small-scale pasture is viable if you stick a bale of grass hay in for their grazing needs.  But is it possible to

  I have been lucky to share a yard with a brilliant farrier who is also a great teacher. While I’ve never trimmed my horse’s hooves before, I had picked up a thing or two. However, nothing could prepare me for the task of trimming my own horse’s hooves for the first time. Luckily, I

  The first time I saw a clipped horse, I wondered if dog groomers had done it as a dare. After all, why would you clip the body hair of a horse? Worse still, why would you clip their hair in such strange patterns?  I soon learned there are many reasons to clip your horse’s

  One of the most common issues first-time horse owners have is caring for their horse’s hooves. Hoof care can be a real challenge for people who don’t know much about a hoof other than that a flying hoof (aka a kick) is dangerous and results in injuries.  I love watching some of the riding

  Most people see horsehair as the horse’s mane and tail, but horses are covered in a hairy coat. This coat grows and sheds, just like a dog’s. But sometimes, you end up with a horse that has bald patches, randomly loses hair, and ends up with scarring of their skin. Why does alopecia or