Yves Duclos, Marechal Ferrant
Do you think about donkeys at all? Did you know they need
“shoes” too? My husband has a friend, Yves, that he’s known since they were in high school together
who is a Farrier who specializes in taking care of donkeys in France, Morocco,
and Spain.
We saw him last year and learned much about what he does.
I had no idea he’d become so important, but, as here in the States, a lot of
farmers and people with livestock use donkeys to protect their animals. Donkeys
are natural protectors. They will attack and fight off coyotes, wolves, bears
and other predators very effectively. And in places like Morocco, donkeys are more valuable and less expensive than cars and are used for transport, work on farms, and almost everything you can think of. So, donkeys are important and need to be
cared for. Who knew?
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| My husband an Yves at lunch in Capestang |
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| Geoffrey et Yves in Capestang |
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| At work showing others some issues with a donkey's hoof |
Yves teaches others how to shoe donkeys and look after their
health. He’s been doing this for over thirty years and traveled widely because
of it. He is in high demand, especially since the “donkey protector” fever has
set in. When I think back on it, almost everywhere I’ve gone walking,
frequently I’ll pass a donkey here or there, even in the US. No matter the region. If there are
livestock or farms, one can find donkeys.
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| A donkey (Âne) in Mane in the Pyrénées
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| In Roumens in the Lauragais, hand-hewn wooden statues are everywhere! Here is one with a donkey... |
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| And a baby donkey with more statues, so well done and fun to see! |
Here are some photos of him at work from various websites listed at the end
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| A donkey in Azat-le-Ris |
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| Donkeys in the |
Missed some of my A to Z 2019 posts? Well look no further...
Photos by Buie-Collard and Ann Collard
Some images from:
Wow! That's so heartening so see someone so committed about donkeys. Usually this is one animal who is ignored the most!
ReplyDeleteHow neat! I don't know too much about donkeys so it was fun reading your post. How neat that you have a friend you were able to speak with to learn about donkeys!
ReplyDeleteWith Love,
Mandy