WILLISTON, FL (352today.com) – The weather forecast, threatening clouds and a bit of pre-lunch drizzle didn’t keep the crowd away from Williston’s Tree Line Farm on Saturday, May 30, 2026; it just made some folks a bit late for the first Donkey Daze festival while they waited and watched the skies for a bit before deciding to risk it.
They did show up, however, to show off their donkeys, mules, mammoths and minis, enter them in the day’s various competitions or just pay homage to the sturdy–and, some say, underappreciated–sentinel of the stables.
“I was honestly just fed up with seeing how many opportunities there are for people to get out with their donkeys out in the western United States and not in Florida,” said Danielle Phillips, the event’s creator and admin for the Donkey daze Florida Facebook group. “There’s a lot of opportunity for horses and horse owners, but not for donkeys. So, we just see donkeys sitting in pastures, not really doing much, and I just felt that’s not fun–it’s not fun for them, it’s not fun for the owners.
“I thought it was about time we bring out the donkeys.”
Tree Line Farm in Williston, a facility that’s become known for catering to equines pony-sized and smaller and offers everything from carriage driving to dressage, seemed like a perfect venue for this unique event.
“It’s kind of the same reason I started the farm with the minis,” said owner Gale Witmer. “[Donkeys] weren’t getting the recognition they deserve, and I thought, ‘If you build it they will come,’ and let’s get them seen.”
Donkey Daze kicked off with a trail ride “poker run” at the rear of the property, and also included a barrel riding competition, an in-hand obstacle course, and a costume contest. The farm’s property was scattered with all kinds and sizes of donkeys, including some seriously “mammoth” mammoth jacks and highly hirsute minis, as attendees shared stories, information and laughs.
Among the four-legged visitors were Phillips’s two mammoths, mother Ruth and daughter Naomi, and Peaches, who was only a year out of the wild and adopted through the Bureau of Land Management’s Wild Horse and Burro Adoption and Sales Program, Another mother-daughter combo, Brie and Queso, were also on hand–two banner-draped mini donkeys who served as ambassadors for event co-sponsor and beneficiary Brooke USA Foundation, a nonprofit that seeks to support families and communities that depend on beasts of burden for their livelihoods through education, training, veterinary resources and funding.
“It’s actually the world’s largest international animal charity,” said Stacy Furgang, DVM, who owns and operates Peaceful Passings of Ocala when she’s not volunteering for the organization. “We started with a committee here in Ocala for Brooke about two, two and a half years ago, and nobody here was familiar with our organization. For Ocala being one of the largest horse communities in the world, that’s insane. We have to educate people on what we do so they can get involved and spread the word.”
For Donkey Daze organizer Phillips, both the socializing and the distribution of helpful information that comes along with it create a win-win for both the animals and their humans.
“It’s about the social aspect of it for me, really, bringing people out with their donkeys, getting to meet other donkey owners,” she said. “And for people that are thinking of getting a donkey, they can maybe learn a little bit about donkey care, their health, what they needs are, because they’re a whole different animal than horses… and people just love donkeys! They’re fun, they’ve got big ears, and they deserve a little more time in the spotlight, I think.”