I’m far from a donkey expert, but I’ve taken two from feral in the pasture to generally agreeable, and handled plenty of others, so I feel like I can speak to this a little.
I liken the difference between horses and donkeys to the difference between dogs and cats. Horses are more like dogs and want to please their alpha. Donkeys, on the other hand, aren’t true herd animals and would rather please themselves.
While both horses and donkeys are naturally curious, donkeys are generally more reserved with a higher sense of self-preservation. When introduced to something new, their default response is “what’s in it for me?” That’s where food comes in. If people train donkeys without treats, I don’t know how they do it. The quickest way to motivate them and earn their trust is with food.
You need extreme patience. They are like elephants and never forget, for better or worse. If you rush it and create a negative experience, you will spend at least twice as long undoing your mistake. Ask me how I know. :rolleyes:
I’d start by establishing a routine where you feed them daily while carrying the halter with you. Pet them and do all the normal things you’d do with the halter in tow. When they stop caring about its presence, you can start touching them with it, allowing them to smell it, all with food. Go slow and when the halter receives no side eye, then you can slip it on for treats. Use a breakaway so you can leave it on. They’ll get used to wearing it quickly, although I’d leave it on a few days. You probably will only need to put it on and take it off a couple times and as long as you keep it positive, they probably won’t care about it again after that. Then you can start encouraging them to yield to halter pressure for treats. Give a little tug on the right side of it and give a treat when they yield. Do the same each direction; they’ll catch on quick with food.
When it comes time to actually start leading them with a lead rope attached, I find it’s best to just fill up your pocket with treats and encourage them to following you for food at first. Then when they are used to that routine, you can actually put a little pressure on and start asking them to leave their comfort zone. Just realize donkeys resort to two very effective tactics when they don’t see value in what you’re asking: either plant their feet and refuse to move, or walk off dragging you (which they are MUCH better at than horses). I’ve also learned the hard way that it’s not easy to catch a semi-feral donk who has gotten away from me in the pasture after a failed training session, so keep it positive and try not to overface them.
They don’t like a lot of repetition, so there is no need to grill and drill repeatedly. They do something once, reward them. Then do it again for reinforcement, and they probably have it committed to memory.
My 7 year old donk has gone from feral weanling to learning how to drive (she probably would be driving by now if I had more time). She does it all; anything you would expect a horse to do, she does reliably. About 7 months ago, I ended up with a 20-something feral jack, and without much work, we can wear a halter, be caught and led in & out of the barn, wear a blanket, stand for grooming and hoof picking, stand for trimming, and stand for the vet.
Good luck!
