Donkey rides are a traditional feature ofseaside resorts in theUnited Kingdom. Children are allowed to ridedonkeys on a sandybeach for a fee in summer months while on holiday, normally led in groups at walking pace. Typically, the donkeys used to have their names on theirharnesses so they could be identified by children and parents alike.
Donkey rides have been available since 1886 inWeston Super Mare and since 1895 inBridlington.[1] The tradition started inVictorian times,[2] but is now much less popular. It is probable that the donkeys offered to ride on were originally working draught animals in the cockle industries around the coast.
In 2017, a petition to ban traditional donkey rides gained more than 110,000 signatures, 18,407 from the UK.[3]
