Definition of Donkey Terms

• Andalusian: the Andalusian donkey is a native Spanish breed of donkey native to Córdoba in Andalusia, also called "Donkey of Lucena Breed" because this town is its origin. It is considered the Oldest of the European breeds, with some 3,000 years, and is threatened with extinction. It is a large breed in which males may reach 1.60 m. in height at the withers, and females 1.50 m. His head is medium sized sub-convex profile and the neck is muscular. Longiníleo loin and lean and sharp withers. Unlike other breeds of Spain, his coat is short, including on the ears, and soft to the touch. His coat is predominantly black-gray thrush, but can be lighter or almost white. Given its origin, it is strong and sturdy and docile and calm.

• Appaloosa:  a breed of horse known for variation of spotting on the coat.  As pertianing to donkeys, refers to a solid coat color with variations of spotting.  True horse pinto, horse aging gray, horse appaloosa, palomino and buckskin do not occur in the donkey. (see "buckskin", "pinto" and "palomino")

• Ass:  the mammal Equus africanus asinus better known as the donkey. (see "donkey")

• Bay:  brown color, though not as red-toned as in horses.

• Bray:  raspy, brassy Bray, the characteristic Aw-EE, Aw-EE sound. Donkeys and mules (and other varieties of Equus africanus asinus) are the only equines to bray when breathing in & out.

• Buckskin:  light brown, golden or yellowish body color with dark mane and tail and sometimes dark legs.  True horsepinto, horse aging gray, horse appaloosa, palomino and buckskin do not occur in the donkey. (see "palomino", "pinto" and "appaloosa")

• Burro:  the burro is a small donkey used primarily as a pack animal. In addition, significant numbers of feral burros live in the Southwestern United States, where they are protected by law, and in Mexico. In the western United States, the word "burro" is sometimes used interchangeably with the word "donkey" by English speakers.

• Carriage: a four wheeled vehicle drawn behind a horse, donkey or other animal (not be confused with "cart").

• Cart: a two wheeled vehicle drawn behind a horse, donkey or other animal (not to be confused with "carriage"). 

• Catalonian:  the Catalan donkey is a subspecies of the donkeys from which the donkeys of the middle east and Europe originated. The Catalonian donkey, always black, is finer-boned and less drafty-looking than the Andalusian variety, often 15hands but fine of bone.

• Coffin Bone:  The coffin bone is a small triangular bone inside the hoof which attaches the suspensory structures of the leg to other weight bearing structures in the hoof and leg. (see "hoof")

• Colic:  colic is a broad term that refers to any condition causing abdominal pain. Because donkeys can be less expressive than ponies and horses, many people think that they must therefore be less sensitive. In reality, donkeys are very susceptible to physical ailments such as colic, which can prove fatal if left untreated.

• Coronet: sometimes called "coronet band".  Refers the hairline at the top of thehoof.

• Cross:  the black line that all donkeys have running perpendicularly from shoulder to shoulder across the withers.

• Croup:  the topline of the hindquarters, beginning at the hip, extending proximate to the sacral vertebrae and stopping at the dock of the tail (where the coccygeal vertebrae begin); sometimes called "rump". 

• Dapple:  sometimes referred to as Dappled Roan, where the face and legs are light and the body has darker circular areas.  Donkeys have "reverse" dapples, dark spots on a light background, as opposed to the horse dapple where the dapples themselves are light surrounded by darker hair.  (see "roan")

• Donkey:  the donkey or ass, Equus africanus asinus, is a domesticated member of the Equidae or horse family. The wild ancestor of the donkey is the African Wild Ass, E. africanus. In the western United States, a small donkey is sometimes called a burro(from the Spanish word for the animal).  (see "burro")

• Dorsal stripe:  most donkeys, even those who appear "Black" have a dorsal stripe that runs along the spine from poll to tail.  Nearly all have a transverse stripe across the withers.  This is called the "cross" in donkeys and mules.  The dorsal is solid, and unbroken except in the case of spotted donkeys, where the white masks out the underlying base color and cross area.  Some shoulder stripes will be WIDE (bold), some are pencil-thin.  The ends of the crossmay taper, fade, or be dashed.

• Draft: refers to animals used to pull loads or other heavy work.  Large, draft-type donkeys originated with the Andalusian-type donkey, and today are seen in the United States as the American Mammoth Jack, a mix of many other large donkey breeds.  (see "Mammoth Jackstock" and "Andalusian")

• Dun:  "dun" in donkeys is currently being studied.  The typical coloration of many donkeys is "Gray-dun" or "Slate gray".  Although it resembles grulla (dun on black) in some ways, the genetic action may be different.

• Dun Factor:  refers to the dark stiping or barring on the hocks and forearms, and the presence of adorsal stripe.  "Dun Factor" can range from minimal to quite notable depending on the animal.

• Easy keeper:  an animal that can live on relatively little food, like many donkeys. If overfed with too rich a diet, the easy keeper is prone to obesity and other health problems, including laminitis and metabolic disorders.

• Farrier: An individual who trims and/or shoes hooves of equines and other hooved animals. (see "hoof")

• Fetlock: the ankle, or first joint above the hoof.

• Foal:  an equine that is one year old or younger.

• Fodder: animal feed is any agricultural food stuff used specifically to feed domesticated livestock such as cattle , goats , sheep.

• Forage:  plant material (mainly plant leaves and stems) eaten by grazing livestock.

• Forelock:  the continuation of the mane, which hangs from between the ears down onto the forehead of the donkey. Donkeys do not have a true forelock, although sometimes the mane grows long enough to comb down between the ears toward the eyes.

• Founder: equine laminitis is a vascular disease of the hoof associated with areas of ischemia or hemostasis within the laminae. The laminae secure the coffin bone/distal phalanx to the hoof wall. Inflammation associated with delamination interferes with the wall/bone bond. In advanced laminitis, the coffin bone becomes detached from the horny wall and may rotate or sink within the hoof. In lay terms, this is known as “founder,” from the maritime term meaning to sink.

• French Poitou:  a breed of donkey that has a thick matted and tangled coat, which originates from the Poitou region of France. (learn more)

• Gastric Ulcers:  equids form ulcers in the stomach fairly commonly. Risk factors include confinement, infrequent feedings, a high proportion of concentrate feeds, such as grains, excessive non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use, and the stress of shipping and showing. Gastric ulceration has also been associated with the consumption of cantharadin beatles in alfalfa hay which are very caustic when chewed and ingested. Most ulcers are treatable with medications that inhibit the acid producing cells of the stomach.

• Gelding:  castrated male donkey.

• Gray-Dun: the typical coloration of many donkeys. Also called slate-gray. Gray color with dun markings. (see "dun")

• Grulla: a gray or slate color of dun with black points. (see "dun")

• Hand(s): a hand is 4 inches in a measurement of an equine.  Donkeys are measured from the ground to the top of the wither.  (i.e. 14 hands = 56")

• Hinny:  offspring of a male horse crossed with a female donkey (jennet or jenny). In contrast to the more common cross of a male donkey with a female horse, whose offspring is a "mule". (see "hybrid")

• Hoof:  the lower digit of each leg, or the foot. The hoof is comprised of three primary parts; 1) horn; the external, tubular material that is similar to Velcro in the way it binds to the coffin bone, 2) frog: soft but durable fleshy triangular portion on the bottom of the foot which acts as a circulatory pump and shock absorber, and 3) sole; the bottom surface of the hoof that protects the internal structures. While complex in nature, the hoof is a very strong appendage that can withstand many pounds of pressure and stress. The hoof grows continually, and either wears naturally on rough or rocky terrain, or needs to be trimmed regularly by a qualifiedfarrier. (see "farrier" and "coffin bone")

• Hybrid:  a male donkey (jack) can be crossed with a female horse to produce a "mule". A male horse can be crossed with a female donkey (jennet or jenny) to produce a "hinny".  Horse-donkey hybrids are almost always sterile because horses have 64 chromosomes whereas donkeys have 62, producing offspring with 63 chromosomes. Mules are much more common than hinnies.

• Hyperlipidemia:  hyperlipidemia is a disease that affects very fat donkeys, mules and ponies. Hyperlipidemia is a condition in which there is an elevated level of lipids(fat) in the blood stream. This includes both triglycerides and cholesterol being elevated. Hyperlipidemia can be caused by a genetic defect that affects fat metabolism. However, many cases of hyperlipidemia are actually secondary results of a different disease like diabetes or cushings disease. Obesity combined with stress of some type is one of the major factors leading to the hyperlipidemia. Other factors include hormonal imbalances, or losing weight to rapidly. Because of this sudden weight loss, or stress, the body hormones mistakenly think that the donkey is starving and causes the release of large amounts of fat that have been stored in the body cells. Due to the large amounts of fat in the blood stream, the brain also releases another hormone that shuts off the animals appetite.

• Jack:  intact male donkey.

• Jennet:  female donkey.

• Jenny:  female donkey.

• Laminitis:  inflammation of the sensitive laminea of the hoof.   In some severe cases, rotation of the pedal bone (within the hoof) happens, and that may progress to perforation of the sole.   The disease is a local manifestation of a more generalized metabolic disturbance, and the hoof problems are classified as acute, subacute, or chronic.  It can develop on two feet or all four feet.  The most common causes of laminitis are ingestion of excess carbohydrate (grain overload) and grazing of lush pastures.  The risk is higher in equines that are overweight and unfit.

• Leg Barring: barring or zebra stripes on the legs as part of the "dun factor" characteristics.  (see "dun factor")

• Light Points:  white muzzle and eye rings, and a white belly and inner leg.

• Mammoth Jackstock:  the American Mammoth Jackstock was developed beginning in the earliest days of the United States, and it has been an integral part of American agricultural history. Mammoth Jacks are sturdy and tall, with massive legs and large, well-made heads. The ears are especially long, often measuring 33" from tip to tip. Selection has always been made for size and substance. Traditionally, males were expected to stand at least 14.2hands (58") high at the withers and females 14 hands (56"). Many animals were taller than this. The weight varied with the height and ranged between 900 and 1,200 pounds. Black used to be considered the only suitable color for the breed, as black Jackstock bred to Percheron mares produced dark colored mules that were easy to match as teams. For the last few decades, however, the market has favored sorrel draftmules, produced by breeding a sorrel jack and a Belgian mare. As a result, the predominant color of the American Mammoth Jackstock has also become sorrel. With this change in color has come a change in type as well, as the sorrel animals tend to be more coarse in conformation than the blacks. (see "hands")

• Marjorcan:  the Majorcan donkey is from Spain. So many Majorcan donkeys were exported from Spain that there are no known populations in Spain today.

• Miniature Mediterranean:  miniature donkeys are native to the Mediterranean islands of Sicily and Sardinia. They are identified as either Sicilian or Sardinian donkeys according to their ancestry, although the two types do not differ. They have been extensively bred with each other and with animals of unidentified ancestry in the United States to produce a distinctively American breed of donkeys, which we call the Miniature Mediterranean Donkey. According to all information that can be aquired, these donkeys are nearly extinct in the land of their origin.  They have been brought to their current excellence elsewhere by breeders, primarily in the United States, who have carefully selected size, friendly disposition and exceptional conformation. ADMS

• Mule: the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse.  In contrast to the less common cross of a male horse with a female donkey, whose offspring is a "hinny". (see "hybrid")

• No Light Points:  dark muzzle, no eye rings, dark on belly. No light points anywhere on the donkey.

• Palomino: golden or yellowish body color with lighter or white mane and tail.  True horse pinto, horse aging gray, horse appaloosa, palomino and buckskin do not occur in the donkey. (see "buckskin", "pinto" and "appaloosa")

• Pastern:  the connection between the coronet and thefetlock, made up of the middle and proximal phalanx. (see "coronet" and "fetlock")

• Pinto:  "pinto" refers to large solid patches of white and any body color on the same animal.  True horse pinto, horse aging gray, horse appaloosa, palomino and buckskin do not occur in the donkey. (see "appaloosa", "palomino" and "buckskin")

• Poll:  the area of skull between the ears.

• Purebred:  modern donkeys can strongly resemble ancestral breeds in TYPE, but are not classified as those breeds unless they have traceable purebred pedigrees to those lines.

• Roan: roan in donkeys is different than the roan horse color; the head is not darker, the legs are white, and there are dark spots called "reverse dapples". This strawberry roan donkey shows reverse dapples, or dark red spots with white around them.

• Rump:  as compared to a horse, the rump of a donkey has a sharper, more sloping croup. The pelvic bones are at a higher angle, therefore the Donkeycroup is higher and rump narrower. The rump should be strong and gently sloping. There should be good length from point of hip to point of buttock.  The hindquarters provide most of the Donkey's impulsion and they act as pistons to thrust the animal forward. A thin, "Goose Rump" can indicate an animal is in poor condition, may appear out of proportion and may reflect weak conformation. (see "croup")

• Throatlatch:  the point at which the windpipe meets the head at the underside of the jaw.

• Tyger spot:  tyger spots may be a different pattern, but as in many horses, the spots are often bled together regardless of pattern, so the lines between the different visual aspects is no longer clear.

• Wither:  the wither is the top of the shoulder, at the base of the mane, about where the donkey cross is. (see "cross")

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