Wilderness Expeditions Pack Donkey Treks

18/06/2024

I exchange these two old packsaddles for a box of beer on the weekend. Only small reasonly lightweight saddles, backboards are 17 and 18in long and the arches are quite narrow. Possibly for small mules, donkeys or ponies. The donor believed that they were local Herberton made so possibly Cec Pederson? Some leather may be salvageable, the remainder will be suitable for patterns. Packsaddle 2 has ablacksmith forged arches, No1 is a more modern factory made tree,

21/05/2024

Dr Kohnke recomendations concerning feeding donkys. Dr Kohnke is a Hunter Valley Based Veterinarian who is a consultant for the Good Samaritan Donkey Sanctuary (GSDS) located at Clarence Town in the Hunter Valley, NSW.

The nutritional requirements of a Donkey! 🌾 Hee-Haw!

Donkeys have many similarities to horses, but their nutrient requirements do differ considerably, and it is very easy to overfeed a donkey, especially when considering energy and protein.

The donkey’s digestive tract is very similar to a horse, but they are much better at overall digestion than the horse. Their daily dry matter intake is an average of 1.5% of their body weight compared to 2% in the horse. Donkeys have improved digestibility of dry matter mainly due to longer retention time of forage in the hindgut which allows increased fibre digestion and an increase in Volatile fatty acid production.

Donkeys do not generally require extra protein sources to be added to the diet. If the diet is meeting the energy requirements, then in most cases it will also be meeting the protein requirements. Donkeys have the ability to recycle the urea content of the protein a little more than a horse which provides them with more digestible protein from the crude protein content.

Vitamin and mineral requirements of the donkey is very similar to a horse. A donkey’s diet though usually contains a lot of lower quality feed due to their digestive ability and an appropriate vitamin and mineral supplement such as Kohnke’s Own Donkey Supreme can be beneficial in providing the correct levels of these nutrients. Generally, they require slightly higher levels of bone minerals and slightly lower levels of trace minerals and vitamins compared to the horse, due to the average diet and their digestive ability.

Donkeys have a much lower energy requirement than a horse and usually grazing on average quality pasture is sufficient. Restrict grazing on good quality, lush pastures to avoid problems such as laminitis. If grazing is not available, a mature donkey will do well on a diet of 75% straw and 25% grass hay. These amounts can be adjusted for a growing donkey or breeding donkey.

Donkeys can quickly build fat deposits if fed high sugar feeds which greatly increases their risk of laminitis. Processed feeds are generally avoided. The donkeys body condition should be monitored, and the diet adjusted to avoid health issues such as laminitis or hyperlipaemia.

For more information on Donkey management or feeding, please contact us at Kohnke’s Own.

13/05/2024

This week's packing knot is the "Transport Hitch." Used to make fast to the arches of the saddle or to an eye or loop. A turn is taken around the anchor(In this case the front saddle arch and an overhand slippery hitch is formed-1st and 4th photo. As this arrangement is not secure and will be loosened by movements of the load and saddle, it is reinforced by placing a half hitch over the formed loop of the first hitch -2nd and 3rd photos.Once the second hitch is formed then the load rope can be used to lash the next part of the load. The combination hitch can be released by pulling on the part of the hitch that encircles the loop of the first hitch. The knot will fall out immediately. If making fast to a loop there are two variations: the transport hitch which is the same form of overhand slip loop or "Slip Transport Hitch" where a bight is pulled through the eye and the running end is doubled through the bight. See Image four. The advantage is that the slip transport hitch relases instantly as there is no turn around the anchor.

04/05/2024

Basket Hitch stage two: The load has been placed on the saddle with the load rope being positioned horizontalyacross the centre of the load. The running end has been taken up the load and a Parcel (or Crossing) knot formed on the horizontal rope. The rope is being tightened before being secured at the top of the load with either a Reef knot or a packers loop. Note that the feet are placed on the saddle or load, never on the animal.

01/05/2024

Some useful knots and hitches applicable to packing. This week: the basket hitch. Used to carry baskets, boxes and more upright type loads such as bags of chaff and bales of hay. In certain states of USA the basket hitch is used to sling "mantees". In this photo it is set up on a Commonwealth MkV GS pattern military pack saddlesaddle. The lashing of 40ft (12.2M) length of rope is doubled with the loop being threaded through the front arch from rear to front and the running ends passed through the loop to form a cow hitch around the top of the arch. The legs are arranged one on each side of the animal, a clove hitch or double half hitch is placed over the front load hook and then a loop is formed for the load and the rope is passed behind the rear arch from back to front. The running end is allowed to fall behind the middle of the fomed loop. The load is placed into the loop with the bottom edge about level with the bottom of the quarter panel. The running end is then pulled tight to secure the load and taken up under the centre bottom of the load, up to the now horizontal loop and secured with a parcel knot. The proceedure is repeated for the other side load and the rope ends are taken up and secured over the top of the load, A Packers' Loop is a convenient method for this.Parcel Knot and Packers Loop to be described later.

24/04/2024

First trial pack trek to the Evelyn cenotaph via the Bluff Road, Evelyn Scrubs (Evelyn Central) Jonsson Road, in 2000. Scroll down to subject memorial:
https://anzacspirit.com.au/blog/scenic-anzac-day-services

Also Virtual War Memorial for more information: https://vwma.org.au/explore/memorials/3335

25/03/2024

Henry dog cooling off at the flooded Kalunga Ford. The ford is beyong normal 4WD wading depth. Access into Kalinvale Farm is limited until the river levels recede. This is lkely to take 3-5 days depending on the amount of rain recieved in the next couple of days.

21/03/2024

07/03/2024

The proposed packing techiques course scheduled 16-22 March is postponed to a date TBA in May. A monsoon pulse is predicted to become active in the next week. This pulse may include low pressure activities in the Gulf of Carpentaria and Coral Sea (read possible cyclones. From Atherton Live Weather.

29/02/2024

Dio, 2 years old and as a foal...

23/02/2024

"Dio" celebrates his 2nd Birthday toady albeith somewhat wet and soggy morning.

11/01/2024

Predictions are for a monsoon trough to form across Northern Australia this week so it seems certain that we will get wet and river levels will rise consistent with a proper wet season. Looking forward to grass but not for the donkey feet problems that will develop. If the Wet Season delivers we should be in a position to recommence trekking again at Easter (31 March 2024)

There is going to be plenty to talk about across Northern Aus as the monsoon finally makes its appearance later this week.

We are showing you an accumulated rainfall forecast chart which only goes up till Saturday afternoon. Why not the standard 10 day view? Well this time frame shown here we have higher confidence in, and forecasts diverge after this point.

A low pressure system will develop around the Northern Kimberley/Western Top in the days ahead and is likely to be slow moving, providing plenty of rain across that region. From Friday onwards in particular, the monsoonal burst will really kick in and spread across the remainder of the Top End, into the GOC and to Cape York. Consequently there will be increasing rainfall in those areas as well. The days ahead will maintain a moist and unstable airmass across much of Qld, leading to widespread showers and thunderstorms, contributing to the rainfall seen on this image.

So what would these models show if we extend them out further? Mammoth rainfall totals in different areas depending on the model you look at. There have been plenty of images on social media showing models with 1m-2m of rain predicted, and while these aren’t out of the realm of possibility with slow moving systems and a monsoon, that sort of accumulation occurs in a lower confidence time frame so we won’t be publishing those charts just yet.

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