A donkey bought as a horse's companion succeeds or fails on fit, and fit is discovered by questions asked before money changes hands. Work through five areas with the seller — how he has lived alongside horses, the state of his health and hoof paperwork, how he handles and loads, what he eats, and the reason he is on the market — and treat evasive answers in any of them as an answer in themselves. A companion is a long commitment: donkeys live for decades, and the wrong match stands in your field for all of them.
His History With Horses
Start where the job description starts: has he lived with horses before, and how did it go? Some donkeys settle beside a horse contentedly; others chase, guard food against them or pine when separated, and a donkey who has only ever lived with donkeys may still bond well — but you want the seller's account of his past company, his place in a herd, and how he behaves at feeding time around bigger animals. Ask whether he has lived alone, whether he calls or frets when a companion leaves the field, and whether he has been a companion before or is being sold out of a different job entirely. Watch him with whatever animals are on the yard when you visit; his behavior that day is evidence, not anecdote.
Health and Hoof Records
Ask for his health and hoof records and read them, not just hear them described: trimming intervals and who trims him, any history of hoof problems, dental checks, worming as recorded, and any illness or injury the seller knows of. Donkeys are stoic and hide discomfort well, so a tidy written record says more than a seller's assurance that he has never given trouble. Ask about his weight history too — a donkey carrying too much condition, or one who gains on very little, changes the feeding plan he will need beside your horse. If records are thin, weigh that honestly: it may still be the right donkey, but the price and your first months of monitoring should reflect the gaps.
Handling, Loading and His Feeding Regime
Ask to handle him yourself. Lead him around the yard, ask him to stand, pick up each of his feet, and load him if transport is available, because the seller's 'he is easy' and your own hands on his lead rope are different kinds of knowledge, and a donkey who cannot be caught, trimmed or loaded turns every routine job into a project. Then pin down his feeding regime in detail: what forage he eats, whether he gets any hard feed, how his grazing is restricted if it is, and what keeps his weight steady. A donkey's needs are plainer than a horse's — rich grazing and generous feeds that suit your horse can quietly make him fat — so the pair's shared field, and any separate feeding arrangement, need planning before he arrives rather than after his waistline announces the problem. Finally, ask plainly why he is for sale, and listen for a story consistent with everything else you have been told.
Introductions, and Records That Travel
Plan the introduction in stages: adjacent first, with the donkey and your horse meeting across a fence or adjoining boxes where they can see and smell each other safely, then supervised meetings in the field, short at first, before full-time field sharing begins. Keep his feeding separate during the settling weeks so you can watch his intake and his weight. His records should travel with him and be read before the purchase is final — feeding notes, hoof history, handling quirks and health records moving from seller to buyer as one file rather than a phone call afterward. Once his papers move over, the Transferrable Profiles record on KinsLe lets you study his past routine instead of guessing at it.