We just spent the last few minutes wiping down Simon’s eyes and rubbing some anti-fly salve around his eyes, this is the hard time for equines, when the big horse flies come out and bite and sting. We have used all the tools in this arsenal – fly masks, ointments, sprays, salves, home remedies. This is a bad year for flies, and the donkeys are catching it.

We have a lot of different things to try and will will try them (we don’t need any advice, thanks, we’ve been at this for years.). What has worked well for us is a combination of sprays and salves, and the donkeys own wisdom. We open up the interior barn stalls – flies don’t go in there so the donkeys can get away from them, and the donkeys like the sheep, graze at night, when the flies are gone.

Part of the life of the donkey, I feel for Simon, but we are handling it and so is he.