Equines: Horses & Donkeys, On the Farm

EQUINES

HORSES & DONKEYS

Neigh!

Horses are fast, powerful & noble creatures. They are the aristocrats of the farm, and their trust is something that must be earned.

There is evidence that Eohippus, the first equine, originated in North America about forty million years ago. Some descendants found their way across the land bridge into Asia and Europe, and others made it as far as Africa.

Domestication of horses took place about 5,500 years ago in East Asia (Kazakhstan and Ukraine). They were first used for meat, milk, and hides and later for transportation, draft, and war. Once humans harnessed the power and speed of riding and driving horses, society exploded with new advances. Giddyup!

By the mid-1500s, Spanish horses had been introduced to the American South and Midwest, and by the mid-1600s, different European and British breeds lived nearly everywhere humans did. Native tribes quickly incorporated horses into every aspect of their lives. Along with oxen, they were depended on for powering and transporting everything and everyone.

Today, most horses in this country are American Quarter Horse, Thoroughbred, and Paint breeds, developed to run very fast for short distances and used mostly for leisure and sport. There are still a few million working horses used in policing, hauling timber, ranching, and draft-powered farming, but most have been replaced by motorized vehicles.

The world opened up to humans when we started using horses, donkeys, and mules for transportation. We were able to travel with much greater speed over vast distances.

Ideas spread. Cultural exchanges began.

These animals were the original internet.

Horses are highly social animals and communicate with each other in many ways.

SNORT: I’M CURIOUS AND MAYBE AFRAID.

NICKER: HI.

SQUEAL: STOP!

NEIGH: WHERE ARE YOU? HERE I AM.

BLOW: WHAT’S THIS? ALSO, I FEEL GREAT.

NECK SHAKE OR TAIL SWISH: I’M ANNOYED (OR SHOO, FLY, SHOO).

PRICKED EARS: I’M ALERT AND LISTENING.

PINNED EARS: I’M ANGRY.

DROOPY LIP: I’M RELAXED OR TIRED.

MUTUAL GROOMING: I CARE ABOUT YOU.

Horses sleep very little. Prey animals need to stay alert and ready for action. Pico’s big eyes and wide range of vision help her spot predators and stay safe—both day and night.

Pico is a mini horse and companion to a painfully shy donkey named Ruby. She’ll take over thirty standing micro snoozes throughout the day.

With the invention of the internal combustion engine in the late 1800s came massive changes in the modernization of agriculture, as farmers were able to cut costs and increase yields. Farms got rid of their horse teams and replaced them with machinery like tractors, harvesters, plows, combines, balers, and fertilizer spreaders.

Working horses went to the auction block, the glue factory or were processed for meat.

A revered, hardworking, and loyal companion was deemed useless.

Until recently.

Sustainable and regenerative farms once again see the value in draft animal power as an eco-friendly option.

Unlike tractors, horses are fueled by grass.

Their manure is a natural organic fertilizer.

Loyal companionship and a good work ethic make draft animals the best dang work friends you’ll ever have.

American Cream

The American Cream is the only truly American draft horse. The progenitor of the breed was a mare perfectly named Old Granny. As the breed name implies, these horses are usually cream colored, with pink skin and white manes and tails. Their amber eyes may set your heart aflutter. American Creams have always been rare and remain so today, with fewer than two thousand in existence.

Suffolk

The Suffolk is the only draft breed developed specifically for agricultural work. With short legs and big, beautiful bodies, these low riders were adored in the isolated region of Suffolk, England, where they originated. Now their numbers are critically low, with only about six hundred in the United States and two hundred remaining in the UK.

Fjord

A Viking war horse, the Norwegian Fjord is one of the world’s oldest and purest breeds. Small and stocky, with an arched neck, dorsal stripe, and short ears, they most resemble the horses depicted in cave paintings.

Newfoundland

What distinguishes horse from pony? Height. Equine size is measured in hands, with one hand equaling four inches. A horse is at least 14.2 hands or just over four feet ten inches at the withers (base of the neck), while a pony is shorter than that.

Early settlers to the Eastern Canadian island of Newfoundland brought and bred ponies in isolation. The ponies developed new traits and evolved into a landrace. Suited to survive in rough environments, the sturdy, versatile pony worked with fishermen along the shorelines to haul kelp and fishing nets. In forests, they lugged timber for loggers. On the fields, they helped farmers gather hay. On the roads, they were a main form of transportation. When not at work, many were free to roam. In the 1930s, the island supported about nine thousand of them. As of 2020, they are on the brink of extinction.

Ammy’s Honour and Sam are two of the five Newfoundland stallions in the United States. They live at the Newfoundland Pony Conservancy Center in New Hampshire.

Clydesdale

Most Americans’ knowledge of draft horses begins and ends with the Budweiser Clydesdales. They’re a Scottish breed, brought over to the US in the mid 1800s. When Prohibition was repealed in 1933, August Busch pulled a famously baller move and sent a team of Clydesdales to deliver a case of Budweiser beer to President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the White House. They’ve been one of the most famous animal mascots ever since.

Though Clydesdales are famous, the world population is under five thousand and they are considered a threatened breed.

Hee-haw!

Donkeys are wise, protective, and cautious. These long-lived underdogs can be loud, but they are also the calming old souls on the farm.

Donkeys are descended from the African wild ass and were domesticated in North Africa (Egypt) around 5,500 years ago. A different species from horses, they have longer ears, stiffer hair, and flatter backs. Donkeys bray rather than neigh and can live to be fifty years old.

Their intelligence and caution have been famously misinterpreted for stubbornness. Instead of retreating in fear when faced with danger, donkeys freeze to assess the situation and proceed only when it seems safe. Their territorial nature and loud braying make them effective livestock guardians. They can knock out a predator with one lethal kick.

Today, the most common breed is the Standard. In America, donkeys are still used in small numbers for pack, companionship, riding, and protection.

Sharpy—American Mammoth Jackstock gelding

We don’t know whether George Washington actually chopped down that cherry tree, but we do know that he helped develop the American Mammoth Jackstock. The largest donkey in the US, the breed is known for their long ears and rideability.

Donkeys are highly attuned to human emotional states. Their calm, gentle demeanor makes them wonderful therapy animals.

At Road to Independence in New Hampshire, Okemo works with people with disabilities to help them feel strong, empowered, and connected. Grooming, leading, driving, and riding donkeys can give participants a feeling of freedom they may not experience in their everyday lives.

The cable guy was confused when the donkey curled up next to his truck, and even more startled when the animal chased after it as he tried to leave the driveway, but farmer Tammy understood.

When the donkey, Bilbo, was born, he was immediately rejected by his mother, who kicked the foal away and almost killed him. The farmers quickly intervened and separated the wobbly newborn. To keep him safe, they put him in a barn where they came to bottle feed him several times a day. Otherwise, baby Bilbo was alone, and the orphaned foal found companionship in an old tractor tire. For his first three months of life that was his entire world, sleeping next to the tractor wheel in a cold, dark barn.

But then Bilbo was rescued by Tammy to go live on Wing and A Prayer Farm in Shaftsbury, Vermont. There he met his new pasture mates: Kalinka and Silver, the mini donkeys; Nite-Nite, the Shetland pony; and Izzy, a quarter horse. Life is no longer dark and lonely for Bilbo, but he never really learned how to be a donkey. Whenever he sees a vehicle on wheels, he just wants to curl up next to the tires for a good snuggle, then run after it down the driveway.