About us

According to FAO, in 2019 there were 121.247 donkeys living in Europe, approximately 38,5x less than the number of horses (4696333). This disproportion has consequences in the number of specialized health care givers, namely veterinarians and farriers.
Donkey farriery is a fast disappearing activity among rural communities, often practiced by people in advanced age who lack theoretical knowledge and who never had official training. Still, there are no training and learning opportunities available regarding donkey farriery, which contributes to the disinterest of younger generations. This situation will inevitably lead to poorer health among donkeys and mules.
In order to reverse this situation, AEPGA has started a project in collaboration with The Donkey Sanctuary, which will begin with the collection of information about donkey farriery activity across Europe.
Our aim is to map donkey farriers and to establish the bridge between these professionals and rural communities, which might need their services.
Also, we want to develop a network of farriers, which may enable the creation of events, pedagogical content and a certification.