Donkeys and mules are cousins of our much-loved horses and are highly regarded in their own right by owners around the world. There are about 50 million donkeys and 10 million mules on the planet, equaling the number of horses. Horses, donkeys, and mules are all domesticated equines who have thrown in their lot with humans. The donkey is a completely separate species from horses while the mule is the sterile offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. A burro is just a donkey with a Spanish name and often refers to wild donkeys.

There are so many donkeys because they are the archetypical work animal. They are tough, can survive on scarce resources, have a long life when well cared for, and are unquestionably intelligent. There are many different types of donkeys, but because they are so ubiquitously bred, individual breeds are difficult to identify. However, there are definitely different types, from the diminutive and adorable mini to the very furry French Poitou, to the practical and ridable mammoth donkey that is as large as a horse. Humans originally owned donkeys for hard labor on farms, especially hauling heavy loads. Pound for pound, a donkey is more efficient than a horse at hauling loads because their power is in their neck and shoulders in contrast to the strong hindquarters of a horse. Larger donkeys have been used to protect livestock because of their excellent hearing and sight, and territorial instincts. It’s actually the territory they are motivated to protect, not the sheep or goats. Donkeys also make good companions for other herd animals, such as horses, especially when space is at a premium.

Dee Davis, a longtime Newtown resident and former president of the Newtown Bridle Lands Association, owns two extremely adorable Sicilian donkeys. Gracie and Two-Molly are sisters that came into Dee’s life 16 years ago when she acquired them to be companions to her horse. Over the years they have wormed their way into her heart. She finds them to be very affectionate and bonded; they bray with happiness when Dee comes home and Gracie even tries to sit in her lap. They are gentle and tender with children and Dee lets her grandson cuddle with them. Donkeys are easy keepers and one of the biggest risks is overfeeding. They survive happily on hay and a few supplements but need no grain. An overweight donkey stores fat in its neck and once there, it is hard to lose. Dee has found that unlike horses, her little Sicilians do not tolerate the cold well and must be blanketed. Their coats are not waterproof but the coarse fur does protect well against biting insects. Her donkeys are extremely intelligent with an excellent memory. This can be a problem when it’s time to worm them or get them to take their medicine! But all in all, she has found them to be ideal backyard pets.

Nancy Gowell, a Danbury resident, shares her life with Yogi, a standard donkey. After having backyard horses for years, Nancy started to think about owning a donkey after casually surfing the internet. She went to a fair and saw her first mammoth donkey and was amazed at its gentleness, especially around children. The owner of the mammoth told her that this was the perfect equine because of its calmness and intelligence. Nancy realized that donkeys might be just the way for her to get back into riding. On a visit to a rescue ranch in Vermont, she was introduced to Yogi, who had recently completed 18 months of rehab. Nancy recounted that he seemed interested in her and as she was chatting with the owner, she became aware of Yogi surreptitiously pulling things out of her pocket. That sealed the deal and he went home with her. Yogi was truly a project; he could not be led and had never been ridden, but Nancy was not deterred. She entered into two years of groundwork training, using patience and consistency to slowly earn his trust. She told me he learned easily but only on his own terms. Try to use aggression and a donkey will shut down, “like a box folding in on itself” Nancy said. When I asked her what tricks and skills she has taught Yogi, she said, “It’s not what I’ve taught Yogi; it’s what Yogi has taught me,” and what she has learned from her donkey is consistency, creativity, and breaking down a task into small steps. Donkeys are not horses, she emphasized, recounting a time she attended a horse clinic and Yogi was so bored that he lay down and actually went to sleep. Not your typical horse behavior! I am lucky enough to board my horse at the same stable where Yogi lives and can report that he spends his days turned out peacefully with a small herd of horses and his loud braying gets everyone smiling without fail.

Mules are the oldest known man-made hybrid. Some clever humans living in Turkey about 5,000 years ago got the idea to combine the speed and size of a horse with the endurance, tractability, and strength of the donkey. Homer wrote about them, the Bible references them, Columbus brought them to the Americas, and George Washington actively bred and raised them at Mt Vernon. He saw them as docile and “cheap to maintain.” Forty Mule Team Borax is really a thing. These huge teams pulled giant wagonloads of borax out of Death Valley in the 1880s, up to nine metric tons at a time. Mules come in as many colors and sizes as horses, even Appaloosas. If the dam (the mother horse) is small, the mule will also be small. If the dam is a draft, the mule will be big and muscular. Their appearance is more horse-like than donkey-like but they do have the characteristic long ears of their donkey fathers. They also have shorter heads, thinner limbs, and narrower hooves than horses. Smart, strong, and with legendary endurance, the mule is an example of hybrid vigor, where the offspring is greater than the sum of the parts. Mule afficionados agree that mules are very intelligent and if trained correctly, can learn to do everything a horse can, including dressage (Google Wallace the Great) and jumping. A mule can actually jump very high barriers from a standstill (check out Pea Ridge Mule Jump and be amazed). A nice plus is that mules are more likely to freeze when startled, as opposed to the flight response of horses. Similar to their fathers, mules do not need as rich a diet as horses and will forage happily in a scruffy pasture.

Chris Schilling, a labor and delivery nurse who lives in Brookfield, owns a mule named Pickles, who she uses for riding. Pickles is a 26 year old gelding, standing 15-foot-2, with a beautiful sorrel coat setting off his blonde mane and tail. Chris got interested in mules as a possible “husband horse” because of their steadiness and common sense. She was concerned about finding one large enough, but through a 4H Club connection, was introduced to Pickles, a rescue from neglect. Chris said, “I’m such a fan (of mules)”. She characterizes them as very intelligent, friendly, and reasonable. Mules are considered stubborn, she says, because they have a very high sense of self-preservation. They must be convinced with patience to do what you are asking. There is a saying among mule owners: Treat the mule the way you should be treating the horse. Give conflicting signals and your mule will shut down, which we interpret as stubborn. But he is actually just giving you time to clarify your instructions, so please get it right this time.

If owning a donkey or mule interests you, visit the website for Save Your Ass Long Ear Rescue, saveyourassrescue.org

Located in New Hampshire, they are the only nonprofit donkey and mule rescue in New England.

Tracy Van Buskirk is a 37-year resident of Newtown and president of the Newtown Bridle Lands Association, at nblact.com a nonprofit volunteer organization formed in 1978 to foster an interest in horseback riding as well as preserving, protecting, and maintaining riding and hiking trails in the community. Horses have always been a part of her life. She owns a small bay quarter horse named Little Bear.