# Donkey Breeds?



## Iota

Hello,
I have three donkeys , I am from Italy and they are a breed native of my island called "Sardinia breed" ... 
In Italy we have some donkey breeds: Sardinian, Amiata, Ragusano, Martina Franca. 
What about the donkey breeds from all over the world ?


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## nickers103

I never was too familiar with donkeys, but over the past couple of weeks I've actually begun to learn quite a bit more about them due to a client that I work with.

She has two American Mammoth donkeys and boy are they ever cute! Such huge, wooly ears! I know that miniature donkeys are quite common in my area too but I've never heard of the donkey breeds that you've mentioned. That's pretty cool!

Oh, I forgot! Do Mules count? They're pretty common also in the states. They're like a cross between a donkey and a horse but tend to resemble more of a donkey? Do you guys have a bunch of those in Italy?


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## Iota

nickers103 said:


> I never was too familiar with donkeys, but over the past couple of weeks I've actually begun to learn quite a bit more about them due to a client that I work with.
> 
> She has two American Mammoth donkeys and boy are they ever cute! Such huge, wooly ears! I know that miniature donkeys are quite common in my area too but I've never heard of the donkey breeds that you've mentioned. That's pretty cool!
> 
> Oh, I forgot! Do Mules count? They're pretty common also in the states. They're like a cross between a donkey and a horse but tend to resemble more of a donkey? Do you guys have a bunch of those in Italy?


Yeah, we have mules in Italy, too ... they are the same of yours.
Ok, let's show something about italian donkey breeds 

Here below the 2 donkey breeds native of my Sardinia island (in Italy):

The "Asinara Breed"
The "Sardinian Breed"

"Asinara Donkey" (the white one): 

Originally from the island of Asinara (Sardinia). 
Reduced size (as the donkey Sardo), is characterized by the mantle of white color probably due to an incomplete form of albinism. 
It seems that at the end of the nineteenth century there were donkeys on the island by the white mantle, probably abandoned by the inhabitants moved to Stintino in 1885 following the transformation of the island state property. Other studies will make them come from white donkeys imported from Egypt in 1800, the Duke of Asinara.
There are about a hundred specimens of Asinara donkey that live in the wild on the island of Sardinia, so it is a specie in extinction.

"Sardinian Donkey":
Another typical Sardinian breed.
The presence of the specie on the island is very old. 
According to other authors they have origins Neolithic or linked to imports Phoenician and finally, for others, of African origin.
The line cross-mills, the grey mantle, lighter on the abdomen, and dark circles on the face, the dramatically smaller distinguish it from other races asinine Italian.cause injury.
Over the past forty years, the total population mules fell from 38,000 to a few thousand heads, the donkey Sardinian around 350. The Institute of Sardinia Increase Horse breeding a group of donkeys at its center Forest Burgos. 
The overriding objective is the recovery of a genetic base large enough to start a program to protect the breed.


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## Cherie

Welcome to the Forum.

I was taught that the small, gentle, gray donkeys with a black dorsal stripe and a 'cross' going over their shoulders were 'Sicilian donkeys', originally from Sicily. The story goes that it was thins kind of donkey that carried Jesus to Jerusalem and carried his mother, Mary to Bethlehem. They are very common in the Middle East.

When we raised mules, we used a 'Catalonian Spanish Jack'. They are noted for producing very good saddle mules that ride more like a horse than most mules. They are gray or roan without the 

There are the 'spotted Jacks'. You see quite a few of them around here. They have a different coat pattern than any spotted horses I have seen. They have many smallish (4 to 6 inch diameter) dark spots on a light background. I do not know where they came from.

I have seen a number of red or sorrel Jack-stock and I do not have a clue where their originated. Are any of your breeds spotted or red?


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## Endiku

I see a lot of these breeds. I don't see full sized donkeys often, at least in my area, but when I do- they are Mammoths.

Miniature Silicians.

"The miniature Sicilian Donkey is native to the Mediterranean Islands of Sicily & Sardinia. Unfortunately they are almost extinct in the land of their origin. However there popularity as guard animals and pets has insured that there are a good number of them in captivity"

The Miniature Mediterranean Donkey Association

We also have Miniature Mediterraneans, which if I understand correctly, are only 'Americanized' silician donkeys that have been bred with our burros to create a differen breed. There really isn't a big difference between the two.

Here are our farm's donkeys.

"Just Dun It" miniature Medditerranean breeding jack. We call him Pedro.









And our unregistered (that we know of) silician companion john, James. Unlike Pedro, James does not shed his coat and maintains this thickness year round. He also has fat deposits that make him appear 'ripply' due to poor management before he came to us, foundered and with a fallen crest.


















Our particular farm also has miniature mules (Silician x AMHA registered mares crossed) but since you said you have plenty of mules, I won't bother you with the pictures


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## Iota

Cherie said:


> Welcome to the Forum.
> 
> I was taught that the small, gentle, gray donkeys with a black dorsal stripe and a 'cross' going over their shoulders were 'Sicilian donkeys', originally from Sicily. The story goes that it was thins kind of donkey that carried Jesus to Jerusalem and carried his mother, Mary to Bethlehem. They are very common in the Middle East.
> 
> When we raised mules, we used a 'Catalonian Spanish Jack'. They are noted for producing very good saddle mules that ride more like a horse than most mules. They are gray or roan without the
> 
> There are the 'spotted Jacks'. You see quite a few of them around here. They have a different coat pattern than any spotted horses I have seen. They have many smallish (4 to 6 inch diameter) dark spots on a light background. I do not know where they came from.
> 
> I have seen a number of red or sorrel Jack-stock and I do not have a clue where their originated. Are any of your breeds spotted or red?



Hi Cherie, well Sicilian donkey are very common here, but in the red-dark colour, like one of my donkeys, she is a cross between Sardinian and Sicily donkey breed  
Both Sardinia and Sicilian have the black crossal stripe, it's one of the most important characteristics to recognize them. 
The most famous spotted donkeys should be the irish breed, anyway you can see here often white donkeys with grey big spots because they are crossed between a white (a rare breed you can find in my island) donkey and a grey one.


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## Iota

Hi Endiku, what lovely donkeys !!!! :wink:

Well, here they are very commun, the grey one is typical "Sardinian" breed, while the dark one is typical "Ragusano" and "Martina Franca" breed (both Sicilians). The cross line is one of the most important characteristic.


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## Iota

Here the italian donkey breeds


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## Iota

- Martina Franca: 

Origins and attitudes A large size breed from Apulia (Martina Franca, Alberobello, Locorotondo, Ceglie Massapica, Noci, Mottola e Massafra, between the provinces of Bari, Taranto and Brindisi). It is likely to come from the crossbreed between the local dark coated donkeys with examples coming from Catalogna (Catalana breed), largely imported in that area at the beginning of the XVI century during the long Spanish rule. Frugal, it can adapt to difficult and rocky ground.
It was applied as beast of burden and the production of mules. Quite lively temperament.

*Morphological characters*
Height to the withers: 135-160 cm.


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## Iota

-Ragusano: 

Origins and attitudes It originated in the area of Ragusa, Modica, Scicli S.Croce Camerina in Sicily. It is a new breed, officially recognized in 1953, when during selection studies the Horse Increase Institute of Catania (they keep the registry office) was able to fix a few characteristics. All the donkeys living in Sicily are to be traced back to the Pantelleria breed, especially those in the province of Trapani and to the usually called Sicilian breed, , present all over the island. The crossbreeding of the two above and with the Martina Franca breed, with blood mixing of Catalano donkey, after various crossings,
produced some very good examples.
Further to these crossbreedings, some examples with a good development and structure were found mainly in the province of Ragusa. These examples were crossbred with strict blood relationship so that the most remarkable features could be fixed rapidly, as they are still found today.(Horse Increase Institute of Catania). It is very fit for a harsh climate, in fact it used to be applied in northern Europe.
Energetic and throbbing temperament.
Attitudes: beast of burden, draught and mule producing. Its mules were used during the last century wars in the Alps with great success.

*Morphological characters*
Height to the withers: 135-145 cm


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## Iota

- Amiata: 

Origins and attitudes At the end of ‘800 this donkey was well spotted in the area of Amiata mountains in Tuscany, a uniform population of grey coated donkeys with special black and white stripes in the limbs and a scapular cross Thanks to their slender and nimble shape, they could go up to steep and rough mountains. Neurotic and good-natured as well, these donkeys had a large diffusion mainly as recurrent winners in the traditional ‘palio’. Thanks to the Horse Increase Institute at Pisa a group of these donkeys have been preserved with known ascendants and various blood lines.

*Morphological characters*
Height to the withers (30 months):
- Male: 130-140 cm
- Female: 125-135 cm


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## Iota

- Pantelleria: 

Origins and attitudes An ancient breed from Pantelleria island (well-known in the 1st century a.C.) where it was largely common until some decades ago.
Very strong, this donkey could carry extremely heavy loads around the paths of the island. In the past this breed represented an important resource for the island and Trapani province. The hybrids (mules) were highly appreciated abroad, too. Also at some time in the past speed races were organized on track and this breed was preferred to horses, as these donkeys were more suitable to be ridden on any kind of ground. Various reasons brought them to almost total extinction, though. 
They are very robust animals, with a fast and sure walk when descending rocky paths mainly, thanks to the natural amble walk (they move forwards the limbs of the same side), their comfortable mount and a precocious growth, together with a great physical stamina and toughness to hardships like the lack of drinking water; not least their intelligence. These are the main features of this animal that for a lot of time accompanied the life and the labour of people in Pantelleria. Lively and throbbing temperament.

*Morphological characters*
Height to the withers: from 125 to 140 cm; in the past some of them may get to 150 cm.


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## nickers103

Wow! I loved reading all of this and learning something new


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## Iota

:wink:


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