We asked…..You said

Findings from our mem-

bers’ survey on page 2.

In This Issue

DBS Scotland is on

Facebook

Members survey

Winter Woollies

The 2015 Scottish

Championship Show

Who to contact for

advice

Claire Armet’s Baxter and Jools driven as a tandem to a Bennington Mini

Welcome Welcome to the Scottish Region Autumn/Winter Newsletter. We hope you enjoy

the content and if you have any ideas of topics you would like covered in future

editions, please get in touch with your local Area Representative (details on the

back page) and we will try to include as much as possible.

This edition includes the results of a recent survey carried out by Jean Flint, our

Members Liaison Officer. We are keen to know what you expect and would like

from your Scottish Region so that we can provide members with a Society that

meets their requirements. If we’re not getting it right—you need to tell us.

Other articles feature the introduction of the DBS Scotland Facebook page, win-

ners of our Scottish Show and an article on coping with donkeys in winter.

Finally, the back page gives you the contact details of your local Area Representa-

tives. These are the people who can provide you with advice and support on all

aspects of donkey-keeping. Don’t be afraid to just pick up the phone if you have a

donkey problem.

Autumn/Winter Newsletter November 2015

DONKEY BREED SOCIETY

Scottish Region

Have a go at Driving! The photo below shows Scottish Member Claire Armet with her lovely tandem of

donkeys that she has been showing this year. Wheeler is Jools and leader is Bax-

ter. Both donkeys are also regular in-hand exhibitors at shows and clearly demon-

strate the versatility of donkeys and the activities they enjoy with their owner. The

carriage is a Bennington two-wheeler and their harness is Zilco tandem harness.

A great win for a Scottish donkey

Elma Cunningham’s lovely grey mare

Gamlingay Love in a Mist won the Mare

Championship in this years UK Champion-

ship Show.

Find us on Facebook DBS Scotland launched its Facebook page this year. The aim of the page is to promote the donkey

as a versatile animal for a wide variety of activities, and to act as an easily accessible source of

information for donkey owners who use social media.

The page also promotes our annual showcase—the Scottish Donkey Show, held on the South

Inch, Perth under the auspices of the Perth Agricultural Show.

We hope to raise the profile of the donkey and celebrate the achievements of the wonderful donkeys

(and their owners!) that we have here in Scotland!

Please visit our page on Facebook and ‘Like’ us. https://www.facebook.com/scottishdonkeyshow

Gamlingay Love in a Mist - Champion Mare at the 2015 UK Championship Show

Members Survey

Members Liaison Officer Jean Flint contacted most of Scotland’s DBS membership over spring and summer. She sought opinions about DBS communications and activity in Scotland. Her findings are based on three key questions:-

Are you happy with what you get for your membership?

Are you happy with contact/support from your Area Rep?

What events would you like to have in your area?

Results revealed that many members were happy just to receive The Donkey Magazine and Bray Talk as the main means of communication with the Society. Some respondents felt that more could be done to improve the timing, presentation and content of these publications.

Whilst some members did not necessarily want to take part in donkey-related events due to busy lifestyles, they did say that if events were local to them they would be of interest.

A number of respondents felt that the society was not focused sufficiently on what people wanted in order to support them and their donkeys.

The full report was discussed at our AGM on 18 October and will be available for viewing when the minute of the meeting is published. In the meantime the committee is addressing some of the issues raised by mem-bers.

In the Spotlight

Winter Woollies With winter fast approaching our thoughts will inevitably be turning to how to keep our furry friends, warm, dry and well fed. A question frequently asked is “Should I put a rug on my donkey in winter?

Providing that your donkey has constant access to adequate shelter, most don-keys will prefer the freedom of being out even in the colder weather as opposed to being shut in a stable for days on end.

From a donkey’s point of view his worst possible scenario during the winter is not a cold and frosty day, but a day which is both wet and windy. Although your field may have some natural shel-ter such as trees and hedgerows, due to the donkeys lack of waterproof coat a proper shelter is really imperative for your once desert dwelling animal to en-joy a comfortable winter and rugging-up your donkey can help.

Young and healthy donkeys are ex-tremely unlikely to need a rug as their coats will naturally thicken as daylight hours shorten with the approach of win-ter, however if you have a donkey who is old or sick they may find it more difficult to maintain body heat and so may need some help to keep warm. Make sure you have a rug ready and clean for winter if your donkey is likely to need one. Elderly donkeys may also benefit from having a heat lamp put up in their stable for extra warmth during the coldest months of the winter.

If your donkeys are wearing rugs then they should be removed daily and the donkey’s coats brushed before the rugs are re-placed. On warm dry winter days it is nice to leave your donkey’s rug off for an hour or two, but ensure that they do not become cold or wet. It is also advisable to have a spare rug so that if one gets particularly wet is can be taken off and dried. It is also useful to have a spare just in case one gets damaged and needs to be sent away for repair.

During the winter months rain scald & mud fever are more likely to affect your donkey, particularly if they do not have access to shelter and hard standing. Both of these conditions can occur when the skin/hair is wet for a long period of time. Rain scald affects the shoulders, back and rump, whilst mud fever affects the lower limbs. The organism responsible is Dermatophilus and causes crusting of the skin and matting of the coat, if you suspect your donkey may have either of these conditions contact your vet for advice.

(This article is adapted from advice supplied courtesy of The Donkey Sanctuary, Sidmouth, Devon)

Keep your four-legged furries warm and dry in winter!

The Scottish Donkey Championship Show The show took place at Perth on

1 August. The Judge was Mrs K

Logan from Lancashire ably as-

sisted by Steward, Robert Cun-

ningham. Overall Show Champi-

on was Elma Cunningham’s

mare, Gamlingay Love in a Mist.

Reserve Show Champion was

Lizanne Kempsell’s Eddieston

Lady Naomi—a 3 year old filly,

who was also Young-stock

Champion. Driving Champion

was Claire Armet with her tan-

dem of Baxter and Jools, featured

on the front cover. Full coverage

of the results is available on our

Facebook page.

Contacts

If you would like ad-

vice or help about any

aspect of donkey care,

please feel free to

contact your local

Donkey Breed Society

Area Representative.

They are experienced

donkey people from a

variety of backgrounds

including showing,

breeding and welfare.

Visit us on the web at

www.donkeybreedsoci

ety.co.uk

Your local Area Representatives

Lothian & Borders

Claire Armet - Tel 01875 835377

Ayrshire

Anne Crawford - 01563 830906

Tayside

Jean Flint - 01577 830250

Highland/Grampian

Mary Sivewright - 01651 821286

Diana Milligan - 01339 884238

Strathclyde, Central and Dumfries

Elma Cunningham - 01555 750370

Finally, may we wish all our members and

their donkeys a Merry Christmas and a

very Happy New Year for 2016.

www.donkeybreedsociety.co.uk