Donkeys and Mules: The Other Equine

Join HHRF and Dr. Amy McLean on Wednesday, August 5th at 11:00am (ET) as Amy discusses how donkeys and mules have served humanity for thousands of years and continue to play critical roles in agriculture, recreation, transportation, and livelihoods around the world. Despite their importance, they are often misunderstood and managed as small horses, leading to misconceptions about their health, behavior, and welfare needs. This presentation explores the unique characteristics that distinguish donkeys and mules from horses. Topics will include key anatomical, physiological, and behavioral differences, as well as how these distinctions influence nutrition, handling, training, health care, pain recognition, and overall welfare. Participants will gain a greater appreciation for the adaptations that make donkeys and mules exceptional equids and learn why species-specific knowledge is essential for providing optimal care. Whether working with companion, performance, breeding, or working equids, attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of these remarkable animals and the latest scientific insights shaping donkey and mule research, medicine, and welfare.

Dr. Amy McLean has had a lifelong passion for equids especially equids with long ears! She grew up on a donkey and mule farm in Georgia.She has devoted her professional career to conducting donkey and mule research that focuses on improving management and their well-being. McLean is an Associate Professor in Teaching of Equine Science in the Department of Animal Science at the University of California Davis where she teaches six upper division equine science courses.She earned her Ph.D. from Michigan State University in equine science where she studied methods to improve working donkey welfare in Mali, West Africa. She earned her Master’s of Science with a focus in Reproduction Physiology from the University of Georgia. Her Bachelor of Science was also earned from the University of Georgia focused on Animal Science with an equine emphasis, dairy science as a co-major and a minor in Agribusiness.

Since earning her PhD, Dr. McLean has worked in 38 countries leading many research and teaching programs with universities and nongovernmental organizations. In addition, she’s mentored graduate students and fostered collaborations with several international institutions and served as an external reviewer for tenure and promotion packets. Considering her area of expertise, she has been a resource for the donkey skin trade industry from consulting with government officials in China to policy makers in South Africa to better regulate the industry.

In addition, her research with donkeys, mules, and hinnies had led to publishing 43 articles majority focused on donkeys and mules and named the 4^th most published article for donkeys in the world. She has written several book chapters focused on donkey and mule behavior for Vet Clinics of North America and a working equid chapter for Temple Gradin. McLean has worked with a great team of international authors to produce the first Donkey and Mule Medicine textbook that will be in print this Spring 2026.

In her free time, she volunteers and serves as a board of director for the Equitarian Initiative, Amercian Fonduk and Lost Meadows Mule Refuge. Also, McLean actively shows on a national level in all-around competition and enjoys taking lessons and attending clinics with her mule Big Star Sarge and her Jack Russell Moonpie. She has consistently led the amateur all around division for the American Mule Association and other national organizations and recently has taken on showing against horses to show the world what mules can do!