Standard Donkey

The donkey was domesticated in Africa some 5,000 to 7,000 years ago from the African wild ass, and it spread as the pack and draft animal of the ancient world. The standard is not a breed with a founding herd; it is the middle of the species, defined by height.

The American size classes are a registry convention. The American Donkey and Mule Society, founded in 1967, registers donkeys as miniature at 36 inches and under, standard from over 36 to 48 inches, large standard to 54 inches for jennets and 56 for jacks and geldings, and mammoth above that.

Height defines the class: over 36 to 48 inches at the withers, with large standards running to 56. Most donkeys carry the primitive markings, a dorsal stripe and a shoulder stripe forming a cross on the back, and a donkey with at least two body spots can also register as an American Spotted Ass.

They are long-lived and sure-footed. A working donkey in a poor country lives 12 to 15 years; the same animal in a developed one can reach 30 to 50.

They are considerably more careful than a horse. A donkey that refuses to do something has usually assessed it: the reputation for stubbornness is a much stronger sense of self-preservation than a horse carries, and the animal underneath it is intelligent, cautious, friendly and eager to learn.

That changes how you train one. Donkeys do not spook and flee, they stop and think, so horse training methods that rely on movement do not work.

They are kept now for three jobs: guarding sheep and goats, where a donkey's dislike of canids makes it an effective deterrent; packing; and companionship for horses.

The guarding is not a niche. As of 2019, donkeys made up 14.2 percent of livestock guard animals in the United States. And the oldest job continues: donkeys remain the breeding stock for mule production.

Company, first. The Donkey Sanctuary's care handbook says donkeys generally do not like being kept alone and recommends a companion, preferably another donkey. Bonded pairs can become distressed when they are separated, which matters when you buy one of a pair.

Feed less than you would a horse. Good grass hay and pasture is usually all a donkey needs, according to the American Donkey and Mule Society, and a donkey can founder on rich feed such as alfalfa or lush spring grass. The Sanctuary suggests about half an acre of grazing per donkey but warns that most donkeys become obese on unrestricted grazing, and it restricts intake with electric fencing, by strip grazing or a track system. University of Florida Extension adds hyperlipemia, a potentially fatal excess of fat in the blood, to the risks of too much good forage.

Shelter and feet. Donkeys' coats are not as waterproof as a horse's, so the Sanctuary wants shelter available around the clock, and it has hooves trimmed by a farrier every 6 to 10 weeks. The American Donkey and Mule Society adds that donkeys need the same hoof care, worming and vaccinations as horses.

There are no breed papers to ask for, because standard is a size class rather than a breed. What registration offers is recording: the American Donkey and Mule Society registers donkeys by type, with the animal's identity and measured height on file. For a guardian or a companion, the individual matters more than the paper.

Ask what the animal has actually done. A guardian that has run with sheep is a different purchase from a donkey that merely might, and training goes at the donkey's pace, not a horse's.

Feed is the practical trap. Donkeys founder easily on rich pasture and need dry feed and restricted grazing, so good grass is a cost here, not a saving.

Recent sale prices on HoofnHorn, where there are any, are further down this page.