Is She Breeding Quality?

Is She Breeding Quality?

This is a wonderful question! I am encouraged when a potential breeder asks this because it lets me know that they want to be responsible breeders. This is not always an easy question to answer because gray areas and personal preferences often enter in but there should be at least a minimum requirement that makes reproduction appropriate. I will touch on how to evaluate your jennet in a following blog but for now I would like to talk about genetics.

Rhythm - Miniature Donkey

Courtesy of Benson Ranch.

This is the time of year where foals abound at the ranch and they are beautiful. It is not my intention to brag. The foundation for foals of this quality was established waaay before their parents came to Benson Ranch. They are the result of a talented responsible breeding "program".

I used to prefer having a mare as a competition horse rather than a gelding because if she became unsound I could always breed her. When I mentioned that theory to my equine veterinarian husband he asked me why I would want to reproduce with an animal that has shown weakness. Now there's a thought.......

Anyone who can afford a jack and a jennet, in my industry, can produce offspring - but why? In my opinion a breeding program has specific goals; a plan, if you will. First of all, again my opinion, a breeder should strive to produce better offspring than either the sire or dam. When I breed here I look closely at the strengths and less than perfect traits of both and work at not duplicating them in my breeding selection. For instance, if my jennet has a back that I think is a bit long I will look for a jack with a shorter back to find a balance in the foal. I study genetics and bloodlines so that I can better predict what the result of my pairing will produce. I have a vision of what my perfect donkey would look like and try to produce it. When I look out across my breeding herd I see consistency of type and that is important to me because it suggests that my program is aligned with what I am producing. 

Over my years of breeding and selling Miniature Donkeys I have heard many opinions regarding breeding. Beginners often tell me that they will have to "breed for quality" rather than purchase higher quality, and often more expensive, donkeys. There are big holes in that argument financially but more to the point what about personal responsibility to the gene pool? What about knowingly producing inferior quality offspring? 

The equine industry has been hit hard by the current economy and this should also be considered when deciding to breed. Our foals sell quickly but if that changes I will adjust my breeding numbers to be sure that I can find good homes for all my foals. There are few things cuter than a Miniature Donkey foal but remember, they may outlive you, and plan accordingly.