It is our aim to produce and sell miniature donkeys with no undesirable traits lurking in their ancestry. We hope TTW will come to represent happy, healthy good natured breeding stock. When we decided to breed Miniature Donkeys, we thought we should start with a carefully designed breeding program. We wanted to preserve the best traits to produce healthy, genetically diverse donkeys. However, everyone had a different opinion on good structure. Conformation seemed to be based on personal preference. As a former 'scientist' in Industry, breeding on the farm seemed terribly unscientific to me..... but was it?
Conformation First Breeding Program
Happy --- Healthy --- Hearty Donkeys
We have a Conformation First approach to breeding. Our foundation stock has been carefully selected with an eye to matching consistently strong characteristics and solid bone structure. Our donkeys are bred to produce fluid motion in stride and exceptional leg extension.
To judge a donkey's conformation we look carefully at their bone structure - the joints where bones meet. Often we must feel the donkey to find the angle of that joint. Sometimes we mark the angles with a large marker. So we can see and compare. Angles are created by the bone lengths and are where conformation begins. We need to see it. Bone lengths also play a role in determining the size of the muscles that attach to them.
The conformation of each donkey we consider adding to our breeding program is carefully examined for undesirable traits. The Jennet should be as close to ideal as possible, avoiding such weak structures as; poor legs, long torsos, upright shoulders and weak, shallow or narrow hind quarters.
Brood Jennets and Breeding Jacks must have no cryptorchid or off-bite foals in their ancestry. They must have a good bite. Tooth on Tooth. No malocclusion. No club feet!
You can tell a lot about a donkey's conformation by watching the way they walk and run. This is what a judge does in the show ring. They watch the way the donkey lifts, carries forward, plants their feet and supports their weight during stride.
Deviations in the stride of the front legs such as winging and paddling can be observed easily. Splints, ringbone, sprained tendons and ligaments, White Line Disease, chronic hoof abscess, a sore back, and arthritis are some of the many heath issues that can occur from structural weaknesses in the front legs.
As the donkey walks away from you - you can observe the hind leg deviations such as toeing out, leg swing and plaiting. Toeing out is one of the most common leg structural weaknesses. It causes stress on the inside of the knee and fetlock. The leg is forced to turn outward (toeing out) from the elbow down. This increases the stress on elbow, knee and fetlock, restricting leg movement and shortening the donkey's stride.
Proportion is an important part of conformation. If for example, if the head is much longer than the neck or hindquarter depth, then the donkey is going to be heavy on the forehand increasing the weight burden and risk of injury on the front legs.
