About Donkeys

Appearance

• According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, donkeys can range in color from white to grey to brown to black. They usually have a dark stripe down the center of their backs and another stripe that crosses the shoulders. Their short manes stand up from their necks, and their tails are long and fleshy, with hair only at the ends. Donkeys characteristically have large ears, developed in their original hot climates to help cool the blood.

Other characteristics

• Donkeys, while usually smaller than horses, are sturdier than many breeds of horse and can carry heavy loads. They have thicker necks and stronger haunches than many horses, as well as more upright shoulders. They also have more upright pasterns and smaller and rounder hooves than horses, resulting in surefootedness. Donkeys are known for their distinctive braying sound and use it frequently to make themselves noticed. Donkeys are stubborn but can be trained to a number of tasks. They are generally affectionate and make excellent companions for horses and other pastured animals.

Domestication

• The modern domestic donkey is believed to have been bred from wild asses in Africa approximately 6,000 years ago. Archaeological digs have uncovered donkey bones dating from 4600 to 4000 BCE in Egypt. Used as beasts of burden, donkeys are depicted on Egyptian tombs and were apparently kept in household pens in a number of ancient civilizations. Domestic donkeys were used to expand the scope of trade routes and aided colonizers in pushing the boundaries of governments by transporting not only people and goods but also weapons and other items used in war and forcible expansion.

Modern use

• Today there are still many places that prohibit the use of cars (or where cars are not able to do) where residents use donkeys to pull carts for transportation and to work in fields for farming. According to the Robinson Ranch in Texas, donkeys are also used as sheep or goat herders, bonding with a flock and protecting it from coyotes or dogs. Donkeys are also used as a mount, particularly for disabled riders, who often find the placidity and affection of the donkey calming. When halter-breaking other equines, the donkey and a young horse or donkey are haltered together and the donkey leads its young charge around, getting the younger animal used to the halter and being led. Donkeys are also very often used as stable mates for horses, especially retired horses and weaning mares.

Donkey hybrids

• Donkeys are also used to create hybrid equines. A male donkey bred with a female horse will result in a mule, which has the height of a horse and the strength of the donkey. A male horse bred with a female donkey will result in a hinny, essentially a female mule. Mules are sterile, so they must be created through this cross-breeding. Donkeys are also crossed with zebras, particularly in Africa, to create strong and long-lived work animals.