My new friend!

Keira 8888

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Happy Tuesday everyone!

Hope everyone is well. I had a very sad weekend - my beautiful puss was hit by a car ? But on the positive side, I have a new friend! This donkey lives just down the lane from me and is sooooo affectionate!

Can horses and donkeys live harmoniously together?

Thinking of getting a new companion for P.

My only concern is whether donkeys harbour any disease that could be harmful to horses?

Any thoughts much appreciated,
Keira x
 

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Tarragon

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So sorry to hear about your cat :-(

Re donkeys and horses. I understand that there is something called lungworm that either affects horses and not donkeys. or the other way round, which means that it may not be a good idea to keep them together?? I would have to look that up.
I love donkeys! We had a lovely riding donkey when I was a child - I even took her cubbing once!
 

coblets

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In my experience, donkeys prefer the company of fellow donkeys, and a surprisingly number of horses are very put off by braying. Plus donkeys are very good doers so you'd have to be careful about not letting them get too fat. Otherwise though, don't believe they have any illnesses that you wouldn't notice they had, but which would affect a horse.
 

smolmaus

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I'm so sorry to hear about your kitty :(

We have a mixed herd of 2 horses, 2 mini donkeys and 2 very large donkeys at the rescue that get on fabulously. The smaller donks can get a little nervous around larger horses they don't know but their big brothers and sisters keep them under their wing. It is very sweet.

Penny the big mare's nickname is Queen of Donkeys. We aren't sure if they are her subjects or her children but she loves them very much anyway!
 

Keira 8888

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Thanks so much guys! I will have a good read about the lungworm.

Can def see how the braying could become an irritant but luckily Prince is very chilled so fingers crossed ?
 
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Really sorry to hear about puss K. Just be aware that some horses are terrified of donkeys, not sure if it’s the ears. For some horses it can take extra time for them to get used to them. I love donkeys but have to admit I don’t miss the donkey that a previous neighbour kept with his horses, he brayed constantly, at all hours ?.
 

AmyMay

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Donkeys and horses can live together, but yes there’s the issue of lungworm. Plus most horses hate them ??

You also have to consider that donkeys almost always form a very strong attachment to its companion which can cause issues if needing to separate them etc. You may also find very few livery yards willing to take them because horses generally have an aversion to them.
 

Keira 8888

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Ahh thank you so much my equine friends, from reading what you have sent me (thank you - owned by horses) I see this may not be one of my finest ideas.

Never mind! I can still have my Saturday evening Prosecco with my donkey friend on the lane and preserve Princes health and aural sanity ???
 

Mrs. Jingle

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I have always kept donkeys with my horses and I still keep a pair of them with my horses with no health issues at all. But I do have my little herdlet on an appropriate worming regime to ensure lungworm is not carried by my donkeys and passed on to my horses. My mare in particular is very strongly bonded with the oldest donkey.

My big 17.3 gelding that arrived with me two years ago was initially terrified of them and tried to hide behind my mare to avoid them, while the donkeys tried to hide behind a tree to avoid him! ? All settled down together very quickly, the new big fellah actually bonded quite well with my smallest donkey which looked very odd when they strolled about side by side, but my mare was his Queen, no doubt about that.

Very sorry about your puss cat, the price of their independence is sometimes very high and heart-breaking to witness. :(
 

HappyHollyDays

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Sorry about your puss cat Kiera xx

We have donkeys, horses, goats and cows all living together without any issue whatsoever. If they are wormed correctly lung worm isn’t a problem and none of the horses are in the least bit scared of them. Anything which is retired gets put out with them and one of the old mares in particular has taken it upon herself to be granny to the two youngsters.
 

canteron

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Oh I have had donkeys with horses for 20 years - they have been a fantastic calming influence, especially at times like fireworks night and other stressful times!
Lungworm was a problem as people tended not to ‘bother’ worming donkeys but with a good worming system it’s fine - and you can test for it. Vets see very little of it in donkeys these days.
I do have pet sheep which really help with the worming regime - since they came worm tests for everything tend to be clear!
 

splashgirl45

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sorry to hear about your cat, if you want a companion for prince why not contact one of the horse charities they normally have loads of them. you just need to make sure they can be kept in the same way, same amount of time grazing etc..
 

milliepops

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i've had donkeys out with horses before, but the donks generally appreciate company of their own kind and as mentioned above they can form very strong bonds. One of my horses liked chasing them - they aren't all afraid, she saw them as sport and had to be separated :oops:
 

Keith_Beef

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Near our house in the south west, a farmer keeps a big herd of ponies in some fields with three or four donkeys (I posted about them here; one reply suggested that they might be Norwegian Fjord horses). There was a donkey foal in with them when we were there last month.

On some days I saw horses, donkeys, sheep and horses in the same field...

One suggestion I can make, Keira, is that you keep your glass of Prosecco a bit further from the donkey's face.
 
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