New Year Burro Bash 2026 

🎉🍾🥂Come ring in the New Year surrounded by laughter, good company, and the best long ears around! Join us for a fun, festive trail run that celebrates friendship, fresh starts, and the undeniable charm of our favorite burros!

🫏 Don’t have a donkey? No problem! Whether you’re running solo or teaming up with a long-eared partner, everyone’s welcome to join the adventure. New to burro running? Come experience the joy—it’s impossible not to smile when you’re trotting beside these amazing animals!

🎽 Each participant (solo or team) will receive a New Year Burro Bash race bib, swag bag, and—if you sign up before December 10, 2025—a limited-edition race shirt to show off your jackass pride!

✨ Spots fill fast, so grab your running shoes (and maybe a carrot or two) and start your New Year with some long-eared fun!

Schedule

Friday January 2, 2026

• Appetizers, dinner, and dessert to be served as we ring in the New Year!
• Treasure Hunt After Dark! 
  • Seek hidden treasures with glow sticks in them. 
  • Prizes and burro treats in every treasure. 
  • Entry into any run distance makes you eligible to participate. 
  • One person, one burro. 
  • No helpers allowed.

Saturday January 3, 2026: 

• Race Check In (8:00 - 9:00 AM)
  • All burros must be checked in by 9:00 AM. No Exceptions. 
• Race Meeting (9:00 AM) 
  • All participants, burro teams and solo runners, are asked to attend the race meeting. We will keep it brief and answer all questions as quickly as possible! 
• Race Time! (10:00 AM)  
  • All distances begin at the same time
  • Burro teams and solo runners 
  • Pack saddles optional for both distances
• Costume Contest (4:00 PM) 
  • Theme: Black and White
    • Costume has to be a majority black and/or white between the donkey and their person.
    • A splash of color is okay (Example: Beetlejuice’s green hair). 
  • Two Categories
    • Adult or Youth
  • One donkey to one person 
  • $20 Entry Fee
  • Cash Prizes
    - One donkey to one person per $20 entry

Sunday January 4, 2026:

• Obstacle Course
  • Morning, exact time to be determined
  • 3 Divisions
  • Cash prizes

Important Deadlines

December 2, 2025: Last day to register before entry fees increase from $50 to $65

December 10, 2025: Last day to enter and receive a race shirt.

Camping

Camping will be available at Boyd Ranch. There will be primitive camping, water and bathrooms, included with your entry fee. 

Everyone is welcome to come camp with your burro Friday January 2, 2026 - Sunday January 4, 2026. 
Camping sites are first come, first served. There are pens available for an additional fee, please contact Kim at Boyd Ranch to arrange, if desired. 
Campfires are allowed in elevated pits, bring your smores! 
Dinner Friday with breakfast and potluck lunch on Saturday, donations encouraged and please bring your own drink container/cup. Bring your own snacks for in between meals.

Please note:  

• Pens are $30/event self-clean. Pile manure 5' outside of pen towards road for tractor access. Cash box available or you can pay Kim at Boyd Ranch directly.
• Dogs allowed, must be on leash and pick up after them in camp.
• No smoking in buildings.
• Report facility difficulties immediately.
• Fires in elevated pits only.

Rules, Regulations, and Definitions

• Entry Fees
  • $50 per entry, burro team or solo runner, until December 2, 2025
  • After December 2, 2025 price increase to $65
  • All entries are non-refundable.
• Allowed Competitors:
  • Solo runners and burro teams only
  • Burro Team consists of 1 runner and 1 burro
    • No ponies, mules, zonkeys, or zebras
  • Pack saddles optional for both distances
• Race director and/or committee has authority to disqualify any contestant and animal who are sick, doped, injured, or mistreated.
  • a veterinarian or race director can check any animal before or after the race 
  • Burros can be held by race committee/volunteers in designated area for 30 minutes to allow for health checks
• Ungelded donkeys (jacks) and donkeys under the age of 3yr require race director approval to participate.

On the Race Course: 

• Runner can only drive or provide instructions to their own donkey, unless safety is a concern and does not provide an unfair advantage, or a bottleneck that impedes teams from progressing.
• Runner and burro starting the race must remain a team throughout the race. No assistants will be allowed to accompany the team. 
• Race route must be followed. Route will be marked by signs, people, or aid stations. Do not cut the course. 
• Any burro leaving the course must be returned to the course without shortening the distance of the course. 
• Any runner becoming separated from their burro must return to the place they became separated before continuing the race. 
• Runners are responsible for securing their own burro for participation in the event. 
• Ungelded donkeys (jacks) and donkeys under the age of 3yr require race director approval to participate.
• The winning combination consists of one individual, a burro, which must cross the finish line as a unit. 
• Runners may lead, drive, push, pull, or carry the burro. At no time shall the contestant progress under his or her own power, which includes riding. 

Required Equipment:

• Halter
  • Halter must fit burro properly and not obstruct the eyes, be pulled off of a donkey without unhooking, or otherwise be ill fitted in a matter that could cause harm.
• Lead rope
  • Not to exceed 15 feet in length. Measured from the furthest end of rope to tip of buckle.
  • May only be connected to halter and not affixed to saddle or any other part of the burro. 
  • Knots that bind the runner and donkey together, locking mechanisms, or utilizing a harness or any other apparatus to connect the lead rope to the runner is prohibited. 

Other Equipment:

• Pack Saddle
  • Pack saddle should be appropriately fitted to the donkey
• Jack Chain
  • May be used only if used with a pressure-release technique. Meaning that brief pressure is used and quickly released to increase the efficacy of communication between burro and runner. 

Definitions: 

• Owner: A donkey that is personally owned by the runner.
• Borrower: A donkey that is not owned by the individual running with or handling the donkey.
• Renter: An individual(s) providing their donkeys for use in the race by a borrower. 
• Bottleneck: A situation where a team(s) are at an impasse and their location prevents any possible progression of runners behind them.
• Sportsmanship: Defined as an understanding of and commitment to fair play, ethical behavior and integrity, and general goodwill toward an opponent. 

Burro Rentals

Renting a Burro: 

We do not rent burros through this race.  You must have prior arrangements in place to have a donkey for your use if you want to participate with a burro.  There are a couple of rescues who often bring burros to races throughout the state, although, you need to make arrangements with those rescues ASAP.  Please contact Forever Home Donkey Sanctuary. 

If any other rescues will be joining, their information will be posted here.