Life’s a Beach

One of the things we love about living and working here at the Oakeley Arms is the fact that we are close to some fantastic beaches along the Welsh coast – long ones, short ones, sandy ones, pebble ones, secret coves, busy spots – you’ll find all types of beach here!

But one thing perhaps you didn’t know about are the beautiful beach donkeys that live on some of our prettiest beaches, happily working all summer long to provide fun days out and trips for local and visiting children. Donkey rides on the beach were traditionally as characteristic of a seaside holiday as fish, chips, ice creams and sticks of rock, but sadly during the 1970’s, beach donkey rides fell out of favour and resulted in the animals often being neglected and the past-time was branded as cruel.

But, thanks to an initiative by the Donkey Sanctuary, beach donkeys are making a come-back, and are as popular as ever. There are now strict standards and rules governing the use of donkeys for this type of work, so donkey owners have long-since shaken off the cruel tag and are now making sure their lovely animals are happy and healthy. As well as a Code of Practice for Working Donkeys, The Donkey Sanctuary has established a ‘Working Donkey Awards’ scheme. All beach donkey operators are invited to take part, and accolades are awarded to donkey owners who meet or exceed the criteria set out in the Code of Practice relating to their donkeys’ suitability for the job, temperament, general health, tack and turnout and all year-round living conditions.

One such owner that is doing fantastic work is Louise Peeters, who runs the Dyfi Donkey Rides at Aberdyfi. Louise has six donkeys that enjoy taking children for rides up and down the lovely sandy beach, two of which, Del Boy and Mosses have been awarded the prestigious “Best Individual Beach Donkey” award three times between them. Dyfi Donkeys have also won the coveted “Best Group of Beach Donkeys” in 2007, 2009 and 2011 – awarded by the Donkey Sanctuary for beach donkeys that are happy, healthy and well-behaved.

Donkeys are naturally gregarious, intelligent and sociable animals, and Louise’s herd are no different. She has six donkeys in all, with different characteristics and quirky traits. Del-Boy is naturally confident, Joey is the shy one who likes to stay in the background and Mosses is the clever one who can open gates and untie ropes. Only two donkeys are taken to the beach each day on rotation because it’s important that they get rest days to relax.

So, next time you’re at the beach – why not try a donkey ride? Kids will love it, and it’s the prefect old-fashioned anti-dote to fast-paced computer games and online challenges.

For more details about Dyfi Donkeys, follow this link or find them on Facebook at DyfiDonkeys.

Find out more about the work of the Donkey Sanctuary at www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk

Stop donkeying around!
Image by MLON on sxc.hu