During the holidays, from the age of 6, Lucile refused to walk when she accompanied her parents on walks… So they came up with just one solution: hire a donkey to carry her! 3 years later, her parents took over a 12-hectare farm in the Côtes d’Armor and set up a cider-making business. At the same time, they set up a donkey trekking business. Proof that the whole family had already revealed a real passion for these equines!
After studying to become an agronomy engineer and a number of professional experiences abroad, Lucile decided to move back to France. At the time of the first confinement of 2020, which she spent with her parents in Brittany, she had the idea of also developing activities with donkeys. She bought 2 mules from the Pyrenees and settled in Orne, where her partner was originally from.
Together, they set up a project that was to be accelerated in 2023 when Lucile’s parents went out of business, leaving her with 6 donkeys trained for hiking. With the support of the Fédération Nationale Ânes et Randonnée, she launched “La chouette mulotte” in April 2024! It offers several activities: free roaming with a donkey, by the day or over several days. It also welcomes groups of young people, children and people with disabilities via holiday camps, associations and social centres.
And so it is that the donkeys Mimosa, An’atole, Esteb’ane, Serpolet and Valentin (born on the eponymous feast day) set off on their adventures along the paths of the Écouves forest, to the delight of young and old alike. After a very successful first season, Lucile is now thinking about offering horse-drawn carriage rides. Stay tuned!
