Today I met Catherine and Joanna, two newly graduated vets who are going out to help the working donkeys and horses of the Gambia. The reason they’re here at The Donkey Sanctuary this week is to have some specific training on dentistry and farriery for donkeys from our experts, before their six week veterinary mission begins.

They arrived here on a tandem bicycle having peddled 150-miles to spend three days with Lee and Gemma (our dentists) and Colin (one of our farriers) as Catherine and Joanna recognise donkeys' veterinary care is different to horses.

The advice we are able to give them includes our experiences of dental and foot problems of working donkeys in the developing countries where we work, which include Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Kenya and Mexico.

Catherine and Joanna are supporting the work of the Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust and currently raising funds for essential drugs, dentistry equipment and bandage materials which they will take out with them, hence their rather ambitious cycle to Devon as part of their fundraising effort.

This story is a great reminder to all, that equine charities need to work together to reach as many of the 55-million donkeys in the world as possible. Any advice and support The Donkey Sanctuary can pass on, derived from the work we do around the world, can only be of benefit to the donkeys at the end of the day. Good luck Cat and Jo!