* The mule and the wild donkey are both braver than the wild horse. In the Rockies, mountain lions and pumas prey on the horse, especially foals, but the mules and donkeys are not frightened and seldom fall victim.
* Donkeys in England have declined in status and number during the last 100 years. The donkey show at the Royal Agricultural Hall disappeared during the 1870s; the International Horse Show ceased to have a section for donkeys in 1904. By 1939 there were an estimated 100 donkeys left in England. Since the war there has been a recovery due to the demand for seaside donkey rides and the efforts of the Donkey Breed Society.
* Donkeys, unlike horses, can vocalize both on the inhale and exhale of their breath. This helps create that comical "Heeeee-Haaaaw" effect.
* In some parts of pre-Christian Europe it was taboo for the pagan priests to ride horses. This persisted into the Christian era, which may account for the use by high ranking ecclesiastics of mules, although some priests rode stallions in defiance of the taboo.
* The origin of the donkey's association with the nativity is obscure; there is no mention of it in the Bible. It was probably introduced as a medieval symbol of humility, referred to as "The slawe as, drugar beste of pynne" (The slow ass, drudging. Beast of labour).
* The donkey's coat is not waterproof. Unlike the shaggy pony, its coat lacks a double pile of inner and outer hairs so water easily penetrates to its skin. Due to the climate, English donkeys have, in successive generations, become increasingly unhealthy and dwarfed, lacking any cross breeding with healthy donkeys from hotter, drier countries.
* Donkeys were unknown in Ireland till the 1600s. It is thought that they arrived with the wagon trains of British Armies. The reason for their widespread adoption was principally because during the many wars with France the cavalry losses were high and Ireland was the chief source of replacements. By 1815 Ireland was virtually denuded of horses.
* Henry VIII passed a law empowering sheriffs to consficate ponies below a certain height found grazing on common land. This was to prevent the decline of the stock. About 4/5 of the ponies in England were 'substandard' but most sheriffs did not enforce the law. However in Cornwall it was rigorously applied, forcing farmers to adopt donkeys and mules instead.