Longear Lingo

by Paul & Betsy Hutchins

The following words are commonly used to describe our longear friends.

longear—Collective term for the group of equines that includes donkeys, mules, and hinnies.

donkey, ass, burro—These are all the same animal, a species of equine that is related to the horse in about the same way as the zebra is related to the horse. Basic differences from horse anatomy are long ears, cow-like tail, narrow upright hooves, straighter back, and narrower body. The names come from the different places where donkeys are common. Burro is the Spanish word for a common working donkey. Donkey is the English word for the same animal. Ass is the technical and always correct word. The Latin name is Equus asinus.

mule—The hybrid that results from crossing a male ass (jack) and a female horse (mare). Mules are sexually normal and males must be gelded. Although they have all the usual sex organs and will breed, they rarely conceive and even more rarely carry to term.

hinny—Genetically the same as a mule, but created by mating a male horse (stallion) and a female ass (jennet). Some hinnies look exactly like mules. Others look more like a horse than a mule. As in the mule, sex irmal and male hinnies must be gelded.

jack, jackass—An ungelded donkey. A gelded donkey a gelding, although some people call it a John. (In England the Donkey Breed Society has decreed that male donkeys will be called stallions. Although this terminology is not used in the USA, Australia, or Canada, you may run across it in British books about donkeys.)

jennet, jenny—A female donkey. The technically correct term is jennet; jenny is colloquial. (In England the Donkey Breed Society has decreed that female donkeys will be called mares. Although this terminology is not used in the USA, Australia, or Canada, you may run across it in British books about donkeys.)

horse mule, john mule—A male mule. Horse mule is the technical term, John mule is colloquial. A male mule is assumed to be a gelding. An ungelded male mule more than 2 years old is called a stallion mule.

mare mule, molly mule—A female mule. Mare mule is technically correct, Molly is colloquial.

Paul and Betsy Hutchins are co-founders of the American Donkey and Mule Society and co-authors of The Modern Mule and The Definitive Donkey.