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Size: Donkeys come in a variety of sizes from the Miniature Mediterranean (under 36 inches) to the elegant Mammoth Jackstock (14 hands and up). The rare French Poitou donkey, characterized by it�s huge head and ears, and very thick, shaggy, curled black coat, can stand 14 to 15 hand high. (There are less than 200 purebred Poitous left in the world today.) The types of donkeys are labeled by their sizes; 36" and under, Miniature Mediterranean, 36.01-48", Standard, 48.01" to 54 (jennets) or 56 (jacks), Large Standard, and 54/56" and over, Mammoth Stock. Uses: Donkeys can be used just like horses under saddle and in harness, although donkeys are more laid back and self-preserving in nature. They prefer to do what is good for the donkey, which is not always what the human thinks is best (especially when it comes to getting their feet wet...). They are very friendly, and their nature makes them excellent for children. Donkeys can perform all the gaits horses or mules do (yes, some are even "gaited", exhibiting a single-foot gait), but galloping is usually not on the program unless dinner is being served. Donkeys can also make wonderful guard animals - a donkey gelding or jennet will take care of an entire herd of cattle, sheep or goats - the natural aversion to predators will inspire the donkey to severely discourage any canine attacks on the herd. Dogs and donkeys usually don�t mix, although they can be trained to leave the house or farm dog alone!
Types of Modern American Asses:
Miniature Mediterranean Donkey: Originally imported from the Italian islands of Sicily and Sardina, and other Mediterranean areas, these donkeys must be under 36" at the withers at maturity (after age 3). They are often referred to as Sicilian Donkeys, but this is not correct usage, nor is Sicilian the name of the typical coloration of these donkeys. Standard Donkey: This covers the size range of most donkeys in the world. The size range is from 36.01" to 48" at the withers. This size donkey is often called "burro." (Most but not all of the background is Spanish stock. Small Standard Donkey: A subdivision of the Standard grouping. Small standard stand above 36" and up through 40", often with a miniature background. This includes donkeys up to 38" if they have no registered miniature parents or traceable miniature pedigree. Large Standard Donkey: Donkeys from 48.01" up to 54" for females and up to 56" for males. These are good riding donkeys or can be used in breeding saddle mules. Many may have Mammoth breeding in their background. Mammoth: Mammoth Jackstock, Mammoth Ass- This is one of the largest breeds of donkey in the world. Once refered to as American Standard Jack Stock. Males must stand 56" and up, females must be 54" and up. American Spotted Ass: While all asses can come in the spotted pattern ("pinto"), the term American Spotted Ass is a trademark for those donkeys (asses) registered with the American Council of Spotted Asses (ACOSA), which is trying to establish foundation stock for spotted asses.
Donkey Terminology:
Ass: The correct term for the animal commonly know as the donkey, burro or jackstock. The term comes from the original Latin term, Asinus. The scientific term for these animals is equus asinus. The term fell into disrepute through confusion with the indelicate term "arse" meaning the human backside. The difference between asses and horses is a species difference, different species but closely related and able to interbreed to a degree. Jack: The term used for the male of the ass species. Thus, the often used term jackass. Jacks are called stallions in the United Kingdom, but stallion is reserved for horses and zebra males in the United States. Jennet: Pronounced JEN-et, the correct term for the female of the species. The more commonly used term is jenny, which is considered correct in non-technical use. The term mare is used for horse and zebra females in the US. Burro: A word taken directly from Spain. It means the common, everyday working donkey found in Spain and Mexico. It came into usage in the Western United States. As a general rule, the term burro is heard west of the Mississippi and the term donkey, east of the Mississippi. Wild Burro: These are the feral (descended from domestic stock that has gone wild over generations) asses which run wild in the western part of the United States. Donkey: Taken from England, the derivation is uncertain, but most authorities think that the name comes from dun (the usual color) and the suffix "ky," meaning small. Thus "a little dun animal." In earlier England the word Ass was taken from the Roman word for animal. "Donkey" is a relatively recent variation of the species name. Jack Stock: The term for plural of the American Mammoth Jack and Jennet. These animals are properly termed Asses and not donkeys, and never called burros. They are one of the largest of the types of the ass species. Gelding Donkey: The proper term for a gelded (castrated) male ass. An informal term is John (a modified for of Jack). Spanish Jack or Spanish Donkey: ADMS does not accept this terminology unless the animal has written documentation of importation of itself or its immediate ancestors from Spain. This holds for animals which people call by the breed names of foreign breeds such as Catalonian, Maltese or Andalusian. These breeds as pure strains are rare even in Spain, and are non-existent in the US. The term Spanish Donkey is found in common usage meaning a large standard donkey. The ancestry of most of the donkeys in the US is predominately a blend of al of the Spanish breeds. In any case, the term is inexact and is not good usage. Sire: The male parent of an equine. Dam: The female parent of an equine. Stud: The breeding male of a species, or, the breeding farm housing a stud (stallion or jack). Get: The offspring of a Jack or Statllion. The male is said to "get" the offspring on the female, this the collective term get for his young. Produce: The offspring of a Jennet or Mare. The females produce the young. The term "out of" is literal in the sense that the foal was born out of that female. Mule Jack: Not a mule, but a jackass used to breed mares to obtain mules. Jennet Jack: A jackass used to breed to jennets (the female of the species) in order to produce more donkeys. A good breeder uses only the finest of jacks for this purpose. The Cross: Refers to a line of darker hair darting at the tip of the head and running to the end of the tail. This is crossed at the withers with another darker line of hair (the shoulder stripe) forming a cross. The shoulder strip may be long, very short, thin, wide, fading or dashed, but nearly all donkeys have some form of this marking. The exceptions are the Mammoth donkeys, which have been bred away from this marking, and true black animals where the cross is not visible. Even spotted animals or white-appearing donkeys may have partial or faint crosses. This trait is very dominant. Markings: In addition to the cross, many donkeys have dark markings on the ears, as "garters" around the legs, or as "zippers" down the inside forelegs. Small black spots on the sides of the throat, called collar buttons, may also be seen, as well as dark line (ventral stripe) down the belly. White Points: When registering donkeys, white points are so universally normal that only the absence of them is to be noted. It is normal for a donkey to have short, fine, light colored hair on the muzzle, ringing the eyes, on the belly and inside the legs. A donkey that does not have these points is seen as unusual but are not too uncommon. Mule Markings: The donkey usually passes the light points on to the mule, although they may appear brown or tan instead of off-white or pale gray like in the donkey. Many mules will have crosses and leg stripes as well. The crosses of mules usually differ from those on donkeys, with the shoulder stripe being very wide, or faded, as in shadow.
Breed Organization:
The American Donkey and Mule Society was founded in 1967 for the purpose of being a national breed society for registering donkeys and mules. Today it is still going strong, with over 22,000 donkeys and 2,100 mules registered. The Society's services include three main registries and two newer registries that are expected to grow quickly. The miniature Donkey Registry of the United States is specifically for those animals of miniature breeding and under 36" in height. The American Donkey Registry covers the Standard to Mammoth breeds of donkeys. The American Mule Registry is for all sizes and types of mules and hinnies. The newer registries are the Race Mule and Zebra Hybrid books. In addition to the Registries, the Association has lots of information available on all breeds and types, as well as a catalog of books on long-ears. The donkey, mule, and zebra are all members of the equine family. Donkeys, horses and zebras all have unique breeds within the general term (ie, the Arabian as opposed to just Horse or Poitou as opposed to just Donkey). The mule and zebroids are hybrids, the former being a horse/donkey cross, the latter a cross of zebra/other equine.