Visitors to Capstone Ranch are often dumbfounded when they see one of our Poitou donkeys for the first time. Mammoth in size, with long floppy ears, huge heads, and thick bones, they are quite a contrast to our miniature donkeys. However, what sets a Poitou apart as much as anything is the long, thick coat. We’ve seen older Poitous in France with dreadlocks practically dragging the ground. Some of our friends affectionately refer to our Poitous as the “Rasta” donkeys. We think there is nothing in the donkey world as unique as a Poitou donkey.

Since the 1700s, the donkeys of the Poitou region of France have been known for producing some of the finest mules in the world. When the large Poitou donkeys were bred with the Mulassier (Mule Maker) draft horse, also found in the Poitou region, the resulting mules were large, strong and powerful, but easily handled. Farmers from all over Europe, valuing these outstanding mules, would seek to breed their draft mares with the male donkey (baudet) with the long hair, a trademark characteristic of the Poitou. There was such a demand for these mules that each year, every foal that was born was sold; this went on for centuries.

As tractors and other mechanical devices became more available as the source of power on the farm, the use of Poitou donkeys to produce mules gradually declined. Then, in 1972, an inventory of Poitous revealed that there were only 44 pure-blooded Poitous world-wide. French breeders, with the backing of the French government, committed to save the Baudet du Poitou, and they undertook an extensive breeding program to restore the numbers of the Poitous and to introduce new bloodlines to strengthen the breed. As a result, there are now about 500 pure-blooded Poitous and another 500 animals that are products of the cross-breeding program. Although still rare, the Baudet du Poitou is making a comeback.

We were first introduced to the special Poitou donkeys in 1997 while at Equitana. Our fascination with this rare breed has led us to France where we have participated in the annual Concours as one of the few recognized Poitou breeding sites in the United States. Our first Baudet du Poitou, Joseph, was imported in 1998, and our first jennets were imported in 2000. Breeding Poitous has provided us with challenges that we’ve never encountered with our miniature donkeys, but persistence and patience have paid off. Our first Poitou foal (Piffero du Capstone) was born in 2003, and in 2005, we welcomed two adorable jennets, Rhapsodie du Capstone and Rosebud du Capstone. Sabrina du Capstone arrived in June. Spenser du Capstone, a 100%full-blooded jack was born in December, 2006. Our latest arrival(Tobias) was born in April, 2007--an F-4 jack. Please check back for updates.

Tight controls on the importation of animals from Europe limit the availability of Poitous in the United States. In an unusual twist of events, in August, 2007, we exported two of our Poitou jennets (Rosebud and Sabrina) back to France in order to increase breeding opportunities. Check back to read more about our donkeys in France.

At the current time, we do not have any Poitou breeding stock available for sale.