# Our horses hate mini donkeys...anyone else have this problem?



## corinowalk (Apr 26, 2010)

I board at a small farm with 10 horses and unfortunatly they have 3 (4th on the way) mini donkeys. Though they are cute little ******s...our horses hate them. While all of our horses react in some way or another to them...most all of them are down right terrified. The least we get is a snorting and pulling back. The absolute worst is Scooter, our trail walker who will actually FALL DOWN when they approach. The donkeys are for sale so hopefully they will be gone soon, I was wondering if anyone else has had this problem. Anyone have a clue what to do about it (other than the obvious)


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## kiwigirl (Sep 30, 2009)

The horses around have probably cottoned on to the fact that the 'mini' donkeys are infact little genetic mutants and so freak out accordingly. Cant say I blame them, I feel much the same way about breeding for birth defects. Although Down Syndrome kids are cute, maybe I should breed them!


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## writer23 (Apr 6, 2010)

Aw, mini donkeys are precious. We have a white one and my sister's Appendix played with her a lot, but last week he went to a different pasture where apparently he FLIPPED when he saw a herd of mini donkeys.

In the meantime my horse came 'home' for the first time and completely doesn't know what to make of our donkey 'Daisy'. He's 17.3 hh and went about chasing her for 10 minutes. It was a tenuous time

Hopefully the donkeys go and you won't have to deal with it much longer.


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## IslandWave (Nov 25, 2009)

Well we have this one horse at our barn who was terrified of our two fillies. Even when they were over a year old he was still freaked out by them. 
A couple horses also flipped out when they saw a white pony/mini.

I say it's because they look like horses but don't at the same time. Kiwigirl has it right.


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## Mickey4793 (Sep 24, 2009)

My horse used to have a down right heart attack when he walked by the regular sized donkey at our barn. ESPECIALLY if he made that awful "EE-AWW" noise. The residential donkey passed however, sad to see him go but I think my horse probably did a little dance.


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## draftrider (Mar 31, 2010)

Wow thats weird. My horses have shared pasture with donkeys with no problems whatsoever. Right now mine bunk with goats, sheep, llamas and a couple jersey steers, and they all get along.


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## corinowalk (Apr 26, 2010)

We think that it has something to do with the way they smell. Scooter (the walker who falls down) can smell them a half a mile away. If you pet the donkeys and touch scooter...he will run away...hes a weird horse though! LOL


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## Rowzy (Mar 1, 2010)

My mare is afraid of mini horses. She freaks out whenever she sees one, especially if its moving. I think they just dont know what to make of them...


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I don't understand it but it is a pretty common thing. Fortunately, all of mine are exposed to mini-burros since we have one in the field but we have had some horses and mules come and go that would either freak out or get on the attack.


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## writer23 (Apr 6, 2010)

Our horses have the same problem with lamas and ostriches. It's scary when they smell them and flee.


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## flyingyellowhorse (Mar 23, 2010)

This is obviously a widespread problem, as all of our horses act ridiculous around our mini-donkey as well! In fact, I often request the "donkey-corner" to long line in, because my horse loses his mind around the donkey (despite the fact that she weighs in at about 1/30 of his weight). I'm so glad to know that I'm not the only one with this problem - when you figure out the answer, please tell me pronto!!!


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## HalfPass (Jun 12, 2009)

Oh this is sooo funny.
My gelding had never seen a mini donkey. I was walkin ghiim to turnout last summer and he totally unraveled at the seams. At first I could not figure out what he was so terrified of...Then I realized it was this poor little mini donkey...

Needles to say, the staff at my barn hated taking my horse to turn out. I ended up having to do it my self until he was better about going past it. The its name is "Spanky" and he is a cutie!

You could never be certain my gelding Tiny...lol for his real name is Tiny N Tough....and he apparently did not feel this way when near this little Spanky

Well soon it turned winter so no more turn out. When I finally decided to acclimate Tiny to outdoor living with a shelter and then to pasture this last Feb...the mini was brought to the same paddocks with shelters. There is a row of them. I swear he stayed in one spot for 3 days just looking at the donkey! 
He didn't even eat...no joke....This donkey was in the 4th paddock away and these are little paddocks...
Eventually he got used to the little guy! he no longer looks sideways at Spanky. But ....knowing Tny if he goes to long without seeing Spanky he will be scared allover again...

Yes to the poster who said something about te smell of Donkey's, burro's and mules being different. Some horses are cool with it and others just cannot get past it...funny thing...

I would just try your best (with safety in mind) and get your horse used to seeing them as often as possible...you never know they could stick around for a while so might as well start now....

Halfpass


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## TheCowgirlRanda (Mar 31, 2010)

My horse is scared of mini donkeys too. She likes donkeys and Mules but not minis. and she hates Llamas lol.


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## RadHenry09 (Mar 22, 2009)

My Horses were not pleased at first with the mini donkey that is at our boarding barn.
My Paint was used to seeing them before as he lived with two before I got him, it didn't take him long to get used to her. When she brays he still looks around like "what is that noise?" My mustang on the other hand used every excuse to kinda freak out when he saw her or heard her. That is just him though ...making up reasons not to listen. He is getting used to her now and doesnt give her much thought unless she brays and he gets looky .....been a few months now though that she has been there.

**Most people I talk to either like them or don't like them...I think she is kinda cute and def. friendly , when I hear her bray it makes me laugh. My daughter def. loves the mini donkey at our barn too : )


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## kmdstar (Nov 17, 2009)

Bahaha this is SO funny. Horses are so friggin weird as we all know but this thread really brings out the 'weirdness'

Our girls are fine with donkeys, the first time Starlite saw one she gave him a LOOK for a minute then she was okay. He usually runs the fence line with us when we go out on the trails, so they had better be used to him! LOL I don't think they've ever seen MINI donkeys before though, I haven't! But the first time Dream saw a mini horse, she gave it the funniest look - like "WTF ARE YOU?", so cute! 

Starlite apparently has a problem with BROWN cows. Black and white ones, fine! Brown ones, HOLY CRAP. and she had an issue with an emu...

Gotta love horses!


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## Hunter65 (Aug 19, 2009)

When Hunter went to the trainers they had a mini donkey and he used to share his food with him. They hung out together in the stall. I think Hunter liked him cus he was the only animal smaller than him lol. He doesn't take to kindly to mini goats though and he really didn't know what to make of the llama we walked past last week. The more exposure they get the better they should become. The first time Duke saw one in the field he freaked. Stood stock still head in the air snorting, now this is a huge percheron (afraid of a little donkey - too funny). After we rode by there a few times he didn't care about the donkey anymore though.


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## lildonkey8 (Dec 12, 2010)

it is opposite for me


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## momo3boys (Jul 7, 2010)

we just brought in two baby minis to be companions for my brothers prego mare. They actually tried to nurse the first time they met! lol now she is there protector. I think she will make a great mama with all this 'practice!


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## newowner (Sep 10, 2010)

One of my mares has a problem with my full size donkey. I got my "skittish" mare and my gelding (both 11 yrs old) and a month latergot my donkey and my 4 yr old standardbred mare. The donkey and the standardbred met for the first time on the trailer to my house and formed quite a bond. She still protects him. My gelding does seem to mind the donkey but my other mare does not like him one little bit..to the point where I have to "protect him" from her so that he can come in the barn and his stall at night.....their stalls have half walls so I have to stand in front of her stall to make sure she does not reach out to bite him every night. As I know he can defend himself if he really wants to I often wonder when he is going to get sick and tired of always watching out for her.... even in the pasture and finally defend himself but it does not seem to be his way...he is such a sweetheart. 
I have wondered what it is that she does not like about him and never thought that maybe she is afraid!!!!


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## Alcatrazjmpr (Sep 3, 2010)

My old horse was terrified of the minis at the old farm I boarded at. I used to have to back him into the dressage ring if I wanted to work in there because their field was right next to the entrance of the ring. He should have been bomb proof sinc there were also cows, sheep, goats, an alpaca and various birds (ducks, geese, a swan) and harness racers at this farm. But he thought the miniature mutants might eat him. At least he wasn't the only odd ball, it seems to be a widespread issue haha.


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## justjump (Jan 18, 2011)

My horse doesn't mind anything BUT cows. We've let him put with them, and hes fine, and we've chased cows with him and hea fine then too, but behind a fence he just freaks out! It's crazy!!
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## Clair (Jun 7, 2010)

Hahaha. The neighbors of my stable where I board have donkeys! My guy is cool with them because he grew up with bison and camels and llamas and alpaca and donkeys and cows.... But the other people's horses? They FREAK out. You're not alone. I imagine donkeys look to horses like aliens would look to us. Vaguely like us, but that's what makes them so disturbing!
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