The Cotentin donkey (Equus asinus) has been used since the Middle Ages in Normandy. It used to travel the paths from one farm to another carrying milkmaids and their milk jugs. It even knew how to return to its owners on its own. Its calm and intelligence are no longer in question, but it remains capable of adopting bad habits. This is why the Cotentin donkeys of the Domaine d’Esthine are trained gently but firmly. Endowed with great patience, they delight children and prove to be excellent mediators for patients with disabilities or with Alzheimer's disease.