Megan Hensley (Fortuna, Calif.)
Meagan is helping donkeys all over, by educating and mentoring people on appropriate diet, trimming and handling techniques. What a difference she is making for all of us, and for combatting cruelty in donkey handling via teaching effective alternative approaches. Nothing short of amazing. So many of us are indebted to Megan.
– Alice Begin, Dover-Foxcroft, Maine
Megan started offering online donkey hoof trimming and education classes in 2020. I had the privilege of being in her first class. She is so thorough and teaches all aspects of donkey hoof anatomy, behavior and diet, as well as provides ongoing support to her students via Facebook groups. I’ve reached out to her privately multiple times and eventually started trimming for other donkey owners in my area who were also struggling to find farriers willing to trim their animals. Today, I have a successful side business trimming donkeys in my area, many of which had traumatic experiences with farriers or suffered from extreme hoof overgrowth because their owners couldn’t find care. Donkeys are definitely different than horses. Megan helped me learn techniques for behavior and positive reenforcement training and today most of my clients I am able to trim in the pasture entirely free of restraint. It’s a wonderful experience for me, the animals and their owners. I will forever be grateful to Megan for starting me on this journey and providing ongoing support and mentorship.
— Leah Swindler, Independence, Mo.
Megan has been an outanding mentor to me. She has taught me safe and humane ways to handle donkeys for trimming.
— Anna Fabisiak, New London, Wis.
I adopted four donkeys that had little to no hoof care in the past. I tried three farriers and contacted at least a dozen others. Most weren’t willing to help a donkey and the ones that were, they were either unreliable, rough on them or trimmed too conservatively to make a difference. I finally stumbled on Megan. She is a true shining star in a world that I could not navigate. She taught me how to not only trim, but to handle my donkeys so that trimming is possible. I am able to fully trim three of the four. The other one was severely mishandled and we are still working on trust. I could not be more thrilled to watch her work to give donkeys their fair shake in this world of bullies, they are incredible and intelligent creatures! Thanks for everything Megan.
— Lisa Magill, Savannah, Tenn.
Megan is a true whisperer of equines and makes the animals at ease and the trimming is an enjoyable experience as she engages with them in a loving and playful manner that they appreciate. She does excellent work.
— Amy Stover, Blue Lake, Calif.
Megan has changed my life. In turn, she has helped me change the lives of hundreds of donkeys and mules through her online education resources, social media presence, and friendship. Without her, I couldn't have possibly brought comfort and peace to my client donkeys/mules. Her teachings are invaluable and she deserves every award, all the recognition and praise one could get. She's touched the lives of thousands of long ears across the world and we would all be worse off without her, her giant heart, compassion and empathy.
— Danielle Parker, Portland, Ore.
Meagan Hensley is a friend and farrier. She is a friend first to the donkeys she trims and makes certain they trust her before progressing with her tools of her trade. She is also a wonderful mentor and friend to us who own and care for donkeys. I am so lucky to have Megan Hensley as a friend to me and my herd. We all just love her. She is something to Bray about.
— Karen Sorman, McKinleyville, Calif.
Megan was a dream come true for a farrier for my donkey. I wanted someone gentle and sweet without having to use sedation on my older boy and we got it with her.
— Dian Payne, Paso Robles, Calif.
This farrier has helped me online to help train my donkeys to be ready for a farrier. She has been instrumental in getting them ready for the farrier without needing a sedation. Megan Hensley has helped donkeys worldwide.
— Trish Morton, Adelaide, Australia
I’m enrolled in Megan Hensley’s online course to learn how to properly care for and trim my mini donkeys’ hooves. It is because of Megan’s passion and love for donkeys that has inspired me to learn what the ideal hoof should be for my donkeys. I’ve spent countless hours listening to her courses, podcasts, and webinars over and over trying to capture every detail of information. There is so much more to caring for donkeys hooves other than just the farrier work. Their diet, lifestyle and habitat play such a vital role in their hoof health. I suppose anyone could learn to trim a hoof, but it’s not going to benefit the animal if the rest of their lifestyle is not aligned. I’ve already seen an improvement in my mini donkeys’ hooves just from adding various rocks and textures for them to run across during their playtime. I also have a mini horse and it is very apparent that donkey and horse hooves are very different. Donkeys and horses are also very different in personality and demeanor. If a farrier views donkeys as stubborn or difficult, it’s not going to go well. The farrier needs to honestly love donkeys and understand how to relate to them. That being said, if a farrier doesn’t enjoy working with donkeys they need to be honest and refer that owner to a donkey farrier specialist. Megan Hensley is pursuing the change in the world of farriers, specifically for donkeys. I am proud to have Megan mentoring me as I learn to provide my donkeys their best life. As more and more owner trimmers become confident and competent caring for their donkeys hooves, we can change the way the world views donkeys. Donkeys need to be celebrated by everyone for what they endure. They are pure love, peace and joy. It’s not just owners who need to appreciate that. It’s all farriers and care givers, as well. Megan Hensley exemplifies that in every way for donkeys around the world.
— Lorie Keinath, Millington, Mich.
Megan has taught me, and many others, how to correctly trim donkey feet. More than just trimming, she teaches easy relaxed handling, nutrition, and management of donkeys and mules. I now can easily trim not just my 11 burros, but many others we train from the BLM or rehabilitate after abuse by rough experiences with farriers.
— John Auborn, Ridgecrest, Calif.
The donkey world is so very lucky to have Megan Hensley. Through her online presence and training, she has taught me so much about not only hoof care, but best husbandry practices, as well as how smart and special donkeys are. Her passion for donkeys is helping these precious animals all over the world.
— Deborah Lovelace, Hillsboro, Ore.
Megan has helped me tremendously in my journey to be able to trim my horse and mule’s hooves. Her attention to detail and way with animals is unmatched. I am forever grateful for her ability to get my baby mule to be comfortable with hoof trims. Megan is amazing.
— Alyssa Alvarez, Arcata, Calif.
I started following Megan's Facebook page and was so impressed. I learned so much from her site and ended up taking her online course, which was absolutely awesome! From what I learned from the course, I thought I knew what needed to be done, but was still hesitant to do too much. After our one-on-one call, I felt so empowered. I have now been taking care of my donkeys hooves and, although they are not perfect, they have never looked better. My vet was out this week and he even commented about their weight loss and how good their hooves looked. All thanks to Megan Hensley.
— Kathy Carey, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan
Lead farrier at Oscar's place in Hopland, Calif. Megan is amazing caring loving and does everything she can to give the donkeys the care they need without hurting them.
— Pamela Tierney, Kelseyville, Calif.
Megan has been a godsend to our burro family. Our donkeys used to have be fully sedated by a vet to trim their hooves and would still fight through sedation, one would kick and the other would fall over as soon as a hoof was lifted. Their behavior led to them not being fully trimmed as often as they should be. With Megan’s help, I learned to undo the fear and reactivity and turn trimming into a rewarding opportunity for them. One still gets nervous when she sees trimming tools, and has to be gently reminded that all will be well and given reassurance, but she will now stand quietly after a few minutes of interaction before trimming. The other now gets excited and comes over to lift her hooves for a treat and attention. I don’t know who hurt them in the past, but it was clear they had some horrible experience before they came to us and I’m so glad we found Megan to help them through it!
— Kendra Weber, Lemoore, Calif.
Megan has created many free videos to share on trauma-free donkey handling. In addition, she started her own online donkey farrier education classes to help donkey owners and fellow farriers worldwide to handle and trim their own donkeys or clients' with a Facebook group to support all interested in donkey and mule feeding and farriery. And she is a volunteer for Oscar's Place Donkey Rescue and Sanctuary. Megan is traveling giving talks about the welfare of donkeys and a huge supporter of donkeys worldwide. Megan is an outstanding educator and donkey farrier!
— Angelina Brummett, Oxford, Miss.
Megan is an amazing person and advocate for donkey farriers. Donkeys can be very particular and through Megan’s guidance, she has built a confidence and patience within me to farrier my donkeys. I had farriers who wanted to sedate or quit on us. Through Megan’s farrier teachings, I have been able to take the lead and do this for them myself. She gives us all the tools to accurately trim and properly handle the donkeys so they remain comfortable and calm throughout the experience. For years people have given away donkeys because they can be difficult, but thanks to Megan people are thriving as donkey owners and saving donkeys lives. She is without a doubt the greatest farrier I have worked with.
— RaeAnn Wyant, Tuscola, Ill.
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