1. The frog is healthy, sound and in contact with the ground. Donkey's frogs invariably need to be trimmed - this is different from a horse so farriers often overlook this. If they are not trimmed, (they rot away and fall off, resulting in a hoof prone to infections and problems. This frog has been neatly trimmed back level with the bulb of the heel and away from the lateral clefts.

2. The lateral clefts are shallow and spotlessly clean. They have been pared back so that there is perfect adhesion between the frog and the sole - no black material is left. The clefts are U-shaped and wide so that mud and dirt do not stick in them and encourage bacterial growth that rots away the frog.

3. The bars are intact. They have an important weight bearing function; trimming them could result in your donkey developing contracted heels.

4. The central cleft of the frog has been cleaned and any unhealthy frog removed.

5. The concave part of the sole has been cleaned - all flaky material scraped away.

6. The wall and the sole are neatly rasped, level from side to side and from heel to toe.

7. The heels have been cut back so that the frog touches the ground and the hoof slopes at the same angle as the pastern.

8. The underneath of hoof has been brushed with formalin to harden the surfaces and discourage bacterial infection.