Other Equines

Donkeys have long been used as a beast of burden, carrying packs and pulling carts (among other uses) for even longer than horses have. It is also thought that there were multiple domestication events- meaning cultures domesticated them separately, without help or knowledge of others having domesticated them. People knew from the start that these adorable creatures were very useful.

It should be noted that donkeys are not horses. They can interbreed with them to create hybrids, but due to Haldane's Rule (explained further under Hybrids,) these mules and hinnies- the result of either parental crossing- can never have a foal.

But there's recorded mule foals!

Yes, but even the Romans had a saying for a rare, almost impossible event- 'when the mule foals.' There have only been 62 recorded molly mules giving birth to foals since the 16th century!

Donkey Hair

Some donkey breeds, like the Poitou, are incredibly hairy. We have different types of this wooly gene- ranging from the lovely, fluffy silky to the heavy, matted type.

The wool does not hang off of the donkey's body as donkeys in Horse Isle apparently produce a self-clinging static. This is very handy in allowing all tack types to fit all donkeys no matter how much hair they have!

If you are interested in in-depth info about the donkey coat-hair types, as well as about mane styles and the genetics behind them, then please visit the following detailed guide in Horses forum:

https://hi3.horseisle.com/www/forums.php?FORUM=5&VIEWID=6374

Donkeys need different tack!

In the real world, yes, this is true, as their backs are wildly different to horses. But Horse Isle has saddle magic- the same saddle that fits a 22.2hh Grade Draft Horse can fit a 5.1hh Grade Miniature Horse.

This is due to the fact that the leather in Horse Isle comes from Wonderland mushrooms, which grow to astronomical sizes. The leather created from these mushrooms maintains that same growth magic, though we haven't quite figured out how any of that works.

You may have noticed that donkeys have a different array of colors to horses. As said in the Donkey Overview, donkeys are not horses. They have a different genetic set and different color and pattern names.

The color names are not, unfortunately, very creative. Save for Ivory, Cameo, and Russet, you'll find that any bay donkey will just be called 'bay,' with no indication of the color shade name. This is not a mistake on our part, this is simply how donkey colors have been named!

For in-depth info about all of the color genes that donkeys have, what they do, which donkeys they affect, and what are they called like, please visit the following detailed guide in Horses forum:

https://hi3.horseisle.com/www/forums.php?FORUM=5&VIEWID=6374

Agouti (A,Ap,a,at)- This gene affects the distribution of black and red pigments in the donkey's coat, and determines if a coat will be black, brown-black, or bay/brown (the latter depends on the Extension gene).

Extension (E,e)- controls the amount of black pigment in the donkey's coat. An ee donkey is red.

Light Points (Lp,lp) - This gene, when expressed, gives the donkey lighter points around the eyes and muzzle. In rare cases, a donkey will have no light points (NLP), in which case it will be listed on their profile as 'NLP'.

Spotted (Sp,sp) - Spotted donkeys are loudly colored, with white splotches of color starting from their legs.

Tyger (Ty,ty) - This gene gives the donkey a 'long' spot pattern, more like a smear than you see in Spotted.

Grey (G,g) - This isn't actually grey as we see it in horses. The grey gene in donkeys gives the coat a fixed grey color.

Pangare (Pg,pg) - This gene is behind the white 'mealy' hairs on the donkey's legs, abdomen, chest, and jaw.

Smokey (Sk,sk) - The Smokey gene in donkeys mixes grey hairs into the coat, thus making it look lighter and slightly greyer.

Cameo Ivory (ic,C,Iv) - This gene gives donkeys a 'diluted' coat unique to donkeys. The shade depends on the base color of the donkey ;)

White (W,w) - This whitening gene causes a donkey coat to be completely white.

Missense Albino (Ma,ma) - This gene turns a donkey completely white as it is a gene that causes a donkey to express albinism.

Russet (R,r) - This gene affects the lower-leg color of bay and chestnut donkeys.

Roan (Rn,rn) - Mixes white hairs into the coat of the donkey.

What about MUTATIONS?

Donkeys cannot be Tetrarch, Bleach, or Lace due to a lack of the grey gene.

Donkeys can be Mosaic, Flash, or Bend Or, though these are still quite rare.

As donkeys do not have white markings (save for a star,) the marking requirement for mosaic has been removed.

Mules are often cited as being the world's oldest manmade hybrid, with the hybrid being recorded as far back as 3000BCE. They are calmer than horses, less stubborn than donkeys, and fairly long-lived at any size. They are used for saddle, draft work, packing, dressage, jumping, racing, and any other discipline you might set a horse to (they take their jobs very seriously.)

Parentage:

Mule: A mule is the product of a donkey sire and a horse dam.

Hinny: A hinny is the product of a horse sire and a donkey dam.

For the sake of this writer's fingers, every hybrid in this family will be called a mule.

A note on Hybrid Animals:

Hybrid mammals are, except for very rare cases, sterile (infertile) due to chromosomal differences between the parent species. In mules' case, a horse has 64 chromosomes and a donkey has 62 chromosomes. This different structure and number will render nearly every mule infertile.

Therefore, in Horse Isle, mules and hinnies are always infertile.

But there are recorded mule foals!

Yes, but even the Romans had a saying for a rare, almost impossible event- 'when the mule foals.' There have only been 62 recorded molly mules giving birth to foals since the 16th century!

Mule Colors:

Mules and hinnies have the rather fun trait of being a combination of both mom and dad's patterns and colors. Champagne mules exist where champagne donkeys don't; a red dun mule can have the normal 'horse' red dun with an absolutely enormous shoulder cross. You could say that everything about this particular hybrid has hybridized!

For in-depth info about all of the colors and patterns that mules have, as well as the genetics behind them, please read the detailed guide in Horses forum:

https://hi3.horseisle.com/www/forums.php?FORUM=5&VIEWID=7190

Mules come in most dominant patterns and colors that are found in horses, as well as some donkey patterns and some completely unique ones.

But most importantly, mules CANNOT:

• Be albino

• Be double-Dilute cream (IE perlino, cremello, or smoky cream)

• Be frame Overo

• Be manchadoBe mushroom

• Be pearl (including cream-pearl)

• Be rabicano

• Be full-body corn roan

• Be sabino (though they can have White Spotting)

• Be splashed-white

In addition, due to the hair structure of their donkey parent, mules cannot be metallic. While champagne mules may appear metallic, they are not true metallic as the hair structure is different (as seen under a microscope) and doesn't allow metallic sheen.

Zebra history

Zebras have long fascinated people with their dazzling coats and strong, familial attachments, though they have never been domesticated. Their aggressive tendencies and generally foul personalities, along with their small sizes, have mostly relegated zebras to 'pasture pet' status, to those that are lucky enough to own one.

Any zebra over 12hh in Horse Isle, however, may be ridden. Their behaviors are mostly kept in check, here, as all current equines in Horse Isle long to be partnered up with the humans that have claimed these lands as their own. It may take a bit of doing, though... a zebra is naturally ornery and will frequently remind you of this up to a certain training point.

The zebras here, however, are still not domesticated. Tamed, yes, and even trained- but they are still a forever wild species.

Where Do I Find Them?

Zebras are most populous in the Savanna, where they make their home. They can also be found in Salt Flats and in Mesa biomes, though this is significantly less common.

Stripey Stripes

Every zebra species has their own striping patterns, and every zebra's stripes are unique, like a fingerprint. While each species follows its own striping rules, there are variations within those making each striped equine totally unique.

Following this, you may also notice that there are different color shades within zebras and may- rarely- find a partial albino or a blonde Plains zebra.

Personality in Spades

Note: you cannot get "Perfect" persona in Zebras, they have a different min/max for some of the traits. They have slightly different personalities from horses, so they don't use the full range on chart for everything. Basically, this means you'll never get a zebra with 100% Perfect persona... it's just not in their nature!

Mutations

Zebras may be flash, bleach, or birdcatcher. These cannot be found in Super Horse orders- they may only be caught in the wild or bred as they require some interesting genes a Supered Horse just doesn't have.

While the different zebra species- Plains, Grevy's, and Mountain- all have different chromosomes, they're able to interbreed freely with each other in Horse Isle and have healthy, happy foals that can further go on to create more foals! Zebra crossbreeds will always be fertile.

The same cannot be said for zebra hybrids of donkeys and horses, however. Zebra hybrids, known collectively as zebroids, will always be sterile, meaning they cannot have foals.

What's in a Name?

Hybrids are often named in a way that essentially lets you know which parent was what. Zebroids are named as follows:

Horse Dad, Zebra Mom: Hebra

Zebra Dad, Horse mom: Zorse

Donkey Dad, Zebra Mom: Donkra

Zebra Dad, Donkey Mom: Zedonk

Zebra Dad, Shetland Mom: Zetland

How to recognize them?

The best way to recognize zebroids is by looking at their coats. If a "horse" or a "donkey" have vertical, non-brindle stripes over their legs and body, then they are a zorse or a zebra, respectively.

Unique coats:

There are three genes and five traits that control the patterns of stripes in zebroids, from the shape of the stripes to their scrambling, number, opacity, and more. This, together with color and pattern genes, ensure that each zebroid has a unique coat.

For in-depth information about the genes and traits that control stripe patterns in zebroid, please read the following guide in Horses forum:

https://hi3.horseisle.com/www/forums.php?FORUM=5&VIEWID=7190

If it looks like a horse but has non-black-and-white stripes, then this is a zorse or a hebra.

Zorse: A product of a zebra sire and a horse dam.

Hebra: A product of a horse sire and a zebra dam.

Max height:

Zorses cannot be taller than 19hh.

Hebras cannot be taller than 15.3hh.

Zorse colors:

* The following applies to both zorses and hebras.

For in-depth info about all of the colors and patterns that zorses can have, as well as the genetics behind them, please read the detailed guide in Horses forum:

https://hi3.horseisle.com/www/forums.php?FORUM=5&VIEWID=7193

Zorses come in most colors and patterns found in horses save for a few. Even so, their coats vary greatly thanks to countless variations in their striping pattern, and thanks to the unique coloration that their manes and tails can have.

Most importantly, zorses CANNOT be:

• 'Regular' chestnut without dark points

• Flaxen

• Homozygous cream (cremello, perlino, smoky cream, etc.)

• Homozygous white-grey

• Pearl

• Rabicano

• Manchado

• Metallic

• Mushroom

Gaited Zorses

If a Zorse/Hebra parent is an AmAm gaiter (both ambles and paces), the resulting zebroid will gene test as Amco but will double gait, even though zebras themselves cannot be gaited. We've sort of chalked it up to weird horse magic.

If it looks like a donkey with stripes then this is a zedonk or a donkra.

Zedonk: A product of a zebra sire and a donkey dam.

Donkra: A product of a donkey sire and a zebra dam.

Max height:

Zedonks cannot be taller than 16.2hh.

Donkras cannot be taller than 15.3hh.

Zedonk colors:

* The following applies to both zedonks and donkras.

For in-depth info about all of the colors and patterns that zedonks can have, as well as the genetics behind them, please read the detailed guide in Horses forum:

https://hi3.horseisle.com/www/forums.php?FORUM=5&VIEWID=7190

Zedonks come in most colors and patterns found in donkeys save for a few. Nevertheless, their coats look more unique than the coats of donkeys thanks to the great variation in their striping patterns.

Note that zedonks CANNOT be:

• Chestnut

• Flaxen

• Ivory

• Homozygous white-grey