The Drabardi Donkey

Markings on a Drabardi cross

Drabardi Djolano/Didikai

A male Drabardi donkey (jack) can be crossed with a female horse (of any breed) to produce a "Djolano" (mule). A male horse can be crossed with a female Drabardi donkey (jennet or jenny) to produce a "Didikai" (hinny). Horse-Drabardi donkey hybrids are almost always sterile, just like regular horse-donkey hybrids.

However they still retain the lucky four-leaf clover marking and are perhaps lucky for their owners in their own right even if they don't inherit any of their donkey parents' magic. They can also inherit the special Drabardi hues (but they are far less saturated) and markings.

The Drabardi donkey usually passes light points onto Djolano offspring, just like a real donkey would. Many Djolanos will have dun shoulder crosses and leg stripes as well. The crosses of dun Djolanos usually differ from those of donkeys, with the shoulder stripe being very wide and faded, resembling a shadow.

Spots

Djolanos and Didikais have the genetic potential to display all of the paint patterns of horses (overo, sabino, tobiano, etc) as well as the Drabardi donkey patterns.

Appaloosa Djolano

If you want color on a Djolano your best bet is to make a cross with an appaloosa patterned horse. Djolanos from appaloosa patterned dams are often the loudest. The spots are easily passed on by the mare to the Djolano foal in the form of frosting/roaning, blankets, snowflakes and leopard patterns. Spotted Djolanos may have BIG spots, or many smaller spots. In some cases, as with spotted horses, some Djolanos may be solid with no white or appaloosa characteristics (skin mottling, white sclera around the eyes, striped hooves, etc), or spots that only appear in maturity.

Pinto Djolano

Another way to get good color in a Djolano is to breed from a spotted Drabardi jack. Foals from these matings show loud markings that are clearly variations of the Drabardi donkey spotted pattern. Djolanos from solid-colored mares can still have a huge quantity of white with very flashy spotting. A spotted Didikai from a spotted Drabardi jennet and solid colored stallion can result in an adapted spot pattern.
Most Djolano from tobiano mares have only four stockings (or sock and stocking combinations) and a white tail tip. White facial markings are rare in these Djolanos. Most Djolanos that are patterned similarly to tobiano will still have some sort of dislocation of the white, as if the Drabardi spotting is trying its best to come through.

Twisted spotted Djolano

There have been Djolanos observed with very unusual patterns that did not fit into any category. Sometimes a Djolano will combine both of its parents' colors, resulting in a totally unique color or "twisted" pattern. For example, a Djolano may have dark leopard spots overlaying the dark areas of pinto markings, indicating a spotted Drabardi jack x spotted mare mating.