History of the tame Drabardi
Nobody really know how and when the Drabardi donkey excactly came to the Drabardi island but the oldest written record speaks that it was already there when the first humans stepped ashore. They were first discovered when a few tame donkeys that the first humans had brought with them escaped and their owners went to search for them. Since then the wild 'true' Drabardi and the 'common donkey' have mixed together. There are no longer any pure common donkeys on the island.
An isolated breed
As a result of their long isolation from other donkeys (and other equine breeds), disease in the breed within Drabardi is mostly unknown, except for some kinds of internal parasites and a potentially deadly 'fever' (similar symptoms as 'Potomac Horse Fever'). The otherwise low prevalence of disease is maintained by laws stopping donkeys that are exported from the island of being returned. You are also not allowed to import any livestock of any kind to the Drabardi island, this is to prevent 'new world' sickness from the outside coming to the island. The customlaws can be quite strict. The four types of donkey have been developed depending where on the island it live, and the Barri especially are more "man-made" (and well suited for farmwork) than the others that have rather been developed due to nature.
In folklore
In a old folklore on Drabardi Island, tell that the tail of this special donkey could be used to fight whooping cough or the effect of scorpion stings. The old records also showed donkeys that were much more colorful than the island donkeys of today. What made them sure it was the same breed was the marking of the four leafed clover. The old texts also state that the early people of the island didnt use this donkey only as a riding/pack animal, but it was also seen as a magic creature and a fortune-teller. Old colorful hides that seemed to have magical markings on them were previously thought to be dyed by human hands, was now proven to be Drabardi skins. The people liked to wear good luck charms, amulets and talismans made from the donkey as well. Other records said that you could find the answer of a question if you inhaled the smoke from burnt Drabardi dung. The old mountain shamans often used the dung or other pieces from the donkey (like the blood) for different potions. Even the bones was said to hold magic. Some say it have the same potent powers like the tusks of elephants and horns of rhinos, but if this is true or not nobody knows for sure.
Off the island
For being a donkey the Drabardi have proven itself to be quite agile and wellsuited for the equinesports even if it cant for obvious reasons compete on equal terms with lets say a warmblood. Its sure on the foot and is a easy keeper for the most part, even if it can be prone to similar diseases as the 'normal' donkey. Usually it forms a strong bond to its owner, and at times there have been those claiming that the donkey have known what they have been upto before actually doing it.
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