Campbell Hill Holistic Farrier Service

For months after we adopted wild donkeys we searched for a local Farrier who would come out to the property and help trim the donks and help me better understand what kind of hoof care was needed.  I didn’t have much luck finding a local Farrier.  I needed high quality care for our donkeys, a species which is underserved.  Finally, I took some advice from my friends at California Breakfast Burritos (donkey rescue in Ridgecrest) and looked at a hoof trimming course by Megan Hensley with Holistic Hooves.  Soon I was signed up.  Over the next few months, I took the course slowly and seriously, learning as I went and then walking out to the donkey yard and looking directly at hooves to get practical application.  After taking the entire course of study at Holistic Hooves, I was hooked. I decided to take the advanced courses then started to trim as often as possible. My own donkeys were soon much easier to handle and they became my trimming test cases.  I also spent time working on different donkey hooves and getting best practice advice, gaining a clearer understander of my own gaps in knowledge and practical experience.  I know more about donkeys than horses, which is why I wanted to specialize in donkeys and mules.  The anatomy of the foot is similar but the animals are different in temperament.  Donkeys are underserved by professionals and tend to be misunderstood and often mislabeled.  As a farrier/trimmer, I would prefer to work holistically, to understand the overall health, temperament and personality of the donkey.   I also have an appreciation for the gentling process that should happen so that hooves can be worked on.

In early 2025 I took the plunge and began to slowly put out the word that I was trimming.  Now I’m slowly trying to grow a small micro-business…working on donkeys, mules, pigs and learning to work on goats.  

Holistic health and Farrier work/trimming on donkeys and mules is so much more than just getting a card printed and going to work on hooves.  I’m firmly aware of how much more there is to learn and keep learning so I can continue to update my knowledge and technique.  I look forward to working with Ross Keller at Ross Keller Equine Services in Colorado on advanced hoof care over the summer and I’ll travel to UC Davis in the fall for the annual Donkey Symposium, filled with updated knowledge for donkey professionals and educators.

Campbell Hill Farrier Service

Holistic Hoof Trimming

Specializing in Donkeys and Mules

(760) 399-0439 (Texts preferred)

I’ll work anywhere in Southern California, from the Arizona Border to the Ocean

In order for me to get much work done on any donkey or mule, they must be gentled or starting to gentled (I can help) and ideally, you should be handling the legs and hooves on a regular basis.

You won’t find me on much social media except this website and perhaps a quick blurb from Megan Hensley on Facebook.  My info is above, let me know if I can help.