The American Mammoth Jackstock is a
breed of
North American donkey, descended from large
donkeys imported to the United States from about 1785.
George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...
, with
Henry Clay and others, bred for an ass that could be used to produce strong work
mules. Washington was offering his jacks for stud service by 1788. Large breeds of asses were found in
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...
by 1800. Breeds that influenced the Mammoth Jack include the
Maltese, the
Baudet du Poitou
The Baudet du Poitou, also called the Poitevin or Poitou donkey, is a French breed of donkey. It is one of the largest breeds, and jacks (donkey stallions) were bred to mares of the Poitevin horse breed to produce Poitevin mules, which were f ...
, the
Andalusian, the
Majorcan
Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain and located in the Mediterranean.
The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Balea ...
and the
Catalan
Catalan may refer to:
Catalonia
From, or related to Catalonia:
* Catalan language, a Romance language
* Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia
Places
* 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...
.
Measured from the ground to the
withers
The withers is the ridge between the shoulder blades of an animal, typically a quadruped. In many species, it is the tallest point of the body. In horses and dogs, it is the standard place to measure the animal's height. In contrast, cattle a ...
, Jacks (entire males) must stand at least , and
jennies or jennets (females) at least in order to be classified as mammoth size. The American Mammoth Jackstock Registry has more stringent requirements: minimum 14 hands and 7.5” cannon bone circumference for jennets and geldings; minimum 14.2 hands and 8” cannon bone circumference for jacks; 61” heart girth in all cases
The largest living mammoth donkey, at , resides in
Adrian, Michigan.
References
External links
American Mammoth Jackstock AssociationAmerican Donkey and Mule SocietyAmerican Mammoth Jackstock Registry
Donkey breeds originating in the United States
Donkey breeds
Conservation Priority Breeds of the Livestock Conservancy
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