Donkey feet are small, upright and easily forgotten under a shaggy, stoic animal that rarely makes a fuss — which is exactly why a set routine matters. Feet are picked out daily, at the routine check, and the frog and soles are read at each picking, so the daily job is also the inspection. Done every day, picking-out takes two minutes per foot and catches stones, packed mud and early softness while they are still findings on a pick, not lameness on the yard.
Picking Out Daily, Heel to Toe
Work each foot the same way: lift, support the hoof, and run the pick from heel to toe, so debris is pushed away from the heel and out rather than packed deeper toward it. Donkey feet are upright and smaller than a horse's, with a narrow sole where mud, bedding and small stones wedge tightly against the frog; that tight packing is the daily target, because a stone left bedded in the sole bruises quietly. Clean around the frog's edges and the sole's grooves fully, brush the foot clean with the stiff side of the brush, and set the foot down on dry ground before moving to the next. A donkey handled this way daily, briefly and in the same order, usually stands for it without restraint drama — the routine itself is the training.
Reading Frog and Soles at Each Picking
At each picking, read what the pick uncovers. The frog should feel firm, dry and resilient under thumb pressure, and the sole should feel hard, with the foot smelling of nothing much. Soft or smelly frog areas — a frog that gives like sponge, blackens, or carries a sharp smell — are signs to raise with the farrier or vet, not to dig at: clean the foot gently, keep the donkey on dry standing, and report what you found, when you found it, and which foot. Note too any cracks running up the wall, heat in the foot, or a donkey shifting weight off one side as it stands, and raise those at the same time. Donkeys hide discomfort well, so the findings in your hand at picking-out are often the earliest report you will get.
Dry Standing and the Trim Rhythm
Between pickings, standing kept dry protects everything the pick revealed: feet that stand in wet mud or soiled bedding all day soften, and soft feet pick up damage and infection faster than dry ones. Give the donkey a hard, dry area to stand and feed on, scrape it regularly, and check after heavy rain that the dry area is still dry. Trims sit on a longer rhythm than picking: commonly every six to ten weeks for donkeys — an easy keeper on abrasive ground may hold shape toward the longer end, while fast growth, flares or a working donkey may need the shorter end — and the farrier who knows the feet sets the interval for the individual animal. Book the next trim before the farrier leaves, so the rhythm survives a busy season.
Daily Duties, Named and Logged
Petra picks feet out at the daily morning check, all four feet, heel to toe, and reads the frog and soles as she goes. Sam checks the standing each evening: dry area scraped, bedding fresh where the donkey lies, and any wet patch dealt with before night. Either of them records a soft or smelly frog finding the same day, with the foot named, so the farrier hears it from the record rather than from memory. Foot notes accumulate in the Care Teams log on KinsLe, where trim dates and frog findings are ready when the farrier visits.