I'm considering rescuing a miniature donkey, anyone have experience in integrating miniature donkeys with WBs? How did it go? Do they get along? I have two 16.2 to 17 hh WBs, and I'm wondering if I can paddock all of them together. Anyone with Miniature donkey experience? :0)

thanks!

It depends on how your horses are...Donkeys are fairly tough but some horses can be mean to little guys. One kick can do a lot of damage so I would introduce them slowly. I've had to keep a mini away from my horse because he does not like paint's but he's fine with mini donkeys.

yep, aware that one kick can do alot of damage and planning (if at all) to introduce them slowly...any other issues to be aware of? I've seen ponies and horses fielded together, guess similarly that it all depends on the disposition of the equines to be integrated.

thanks melaniem

My mini donkey is afraid of horses. He won't even graze near the fence line if the horses are close.

Be sure to make sure your fence is donkey proof. Also, donkeys need 1/4 of the food that a standard horse does. Donkeys can get very fat very quickly!

hmmm....I won't know till I get the little guy/gal home as to whether they want to be with horses. Food for thought. Maybe if I get a MD I'll have to keep them with the sheep instead. :0) I would very much like to be able to field them all together (the horses and minnie), but only if everyone gets along!

You raise a good issue about how quickly they can gain weight, so if I provide access to ample hay (e.g. round bale) the minnie may eat too much!

Anyone have positive experiences to share, regarding fielding horses and minnies together?

our mini loved one of my horses so much they were inseperable! got so bad my horse became a bully when they were together and you couldnt do anything with him unless his donkey was around. Donkey used to let him out of his stall at night so they could be together. when i moved that horse away from my parents place to a new barn the donkey sat at the gate for a week and yelled every morning and almost stopped eating. He now has moved on and hangs out with all the other horses. he's figured out how to go under the electrical fence and just takes turns visiting the other herds lol. i have a wb cross and he loves to play, teases the donkey to no end. if you watch out for the kicking and biting (he really latches on!) you should be okay though.i would guess it depends on all the temperments involved.

Our neighbor keeps a donkey with her pony mare and paint gelding. The donkey couldn't intergrate with them at first, but now they are all 3 happy. They hang out like she was a horse, but she has bad handling manners. You have to handle the donkey like you would handle a yearling. The donkey and the 2 horses get 3 small bales a day, and she is in good shape. Just make sure you handle it each day is what I have learned.

Our horses got along with both the mini donkey and the standard. Actually the mini was the boss of the paddock. Introducing was easy, a bit of running around, normal stuff. The hardest part for my horses was when the mini first came off the trailer and brayed....my gelding was terrified.

It *really* depends on the horses in question. My one mini got the s**t beaten out of him when he inadvertently wandered into the horses' paddock. Several hundred dollars in vet bills later...

My other mini terrified the horses and caused quite the stampede. Luckily, no one was seriously injured.

Both my minis have since found new, more suitable homes.

LOL meagan you reminded me of when our mini first came to our farm...he got off the trailor and our 2 horses looked and came running over..half way there..he brayed..both came to sliding stop, stared and tucked tail and ran away! hahahaha was so funny! Ravencreek if you do take one in, i guarantee endless amounts of entertainment, theyre such characters

that's sooo funny!! Horses can be afraid of such silly things sometimes. Actually, at a prevous barn, they got a paint horse, but didn't know none of the current horses hadn't ever seen one. The poor thing was the object of spooking for sometime....