History of the donkeyДЄlthough millions of years ago donkeys and horses had the same ancestors they have evolved to be very different species and understanding those differences are of vital importance to the care and welfare of donkeys. Mule: A mule is the result of breeding between a male donkey and a female horse. Molly: A molly is a term for a female mule. Moke: A moke is a British term for a donkey. Jenny: A jenny (or jennet) is a term for a female donkey. Jack: A jack is a term for a male donkey. Hinny: A hinny is the result of breeding between a female donkey and a male horse. Donkey termsДЄsino: An asino is the Italian word for 'donkey'.ДЄss: An ass is either a male or female donkey.Д«urro: A burro is the Spanish word for 'donkey'. Yearling: A yearling is a young male or female donkey between one and two years of age. Stallion: A stallion is a male donkey that has not been gelded (castrated). Rig: A rig is an entire male donkey with no signs of external testicles. While we don't have all the different donkey breeds living at The Donkey Sanctuary here in the UK, there are different breeds and cross-breeds synonymous with the area from which they originate at our rescue centres in Cyprus, Italy and Spain.Д¬olt: A colt is a young male donkey which is less than four years of age.ДЇilly: A filly is a young female donkey which is less than four years of age.ДЇoal: A foal is a baby male or female donkey up to one year old. Thanks to tenacious work carried out by The Donkey Sanctuary we have been provided with a sound base on which to further investigate the 17 breeds of donkeys currently known in Europe. They originate from France and stand at 14 to 15 hands, they have a thick coat which traditionally is matted and tangled and is brown bay in colour. Many different colours, sizes and shapes of donkeys can be seen as you walk around The Donkey Sanctuary but the most noticeable is probably the difference between the resident herd and the Poitou donkeys. The most common coat colour is grey, followed by brown and then black, roan and broken coloured donkeys (a combination of brown and white or black and white markings) and the rarest colour is pure white. To learn more about donkeys and their care take a look at our Donkey Care Guide.Дonkeys today come in all shapes, sizes, colours and coat texture. There is a tendency to treat donkeys as if they are small horses, but donkeys are different! Donkeys are not like horses they differ physically, mentally and emotionally.

Wild burro audio