A Brief History of the Donkeys That Power Today’s Pack Burro Races

Donkeys first arrived on U.S. soil in 1784 as a royal gift from King Charles III of Spain to George Washington. Initially put to work on plantations, they soon became indispensable to the expansion of the American West. By the 1800s, donkeys played a vital role during the Gold Rush, carrying supplies and supporting miners through some of the harshest terrain imaginable.

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As mining declined, many of these hardy animals were abandoned. Yet donkeys proved remarkably resilient, surviving in some of the most unforgiving landscapes of the American West by feeding on native desert vegetation. Today, wild burros face challenges similar to those of wild horses, including roundups and domestication efforts. Many of these once-wild donkeys go on to be gentled and trained, and for those who run with them, the experience is often deeply therapeutic — offering connection, purpose, and a meaningful path to rehabilitation for both human and animal.

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The word “burro” is Spanish for donkey, and while sizes may vary from miniature to mammoth, all are welcome in Pack Burro Racing. Donkeys are distinct from other equines: they have chestnuts only on their forelegs, unlike horses or mules (a hybrid of a horse and donkey), which have them on both fore and hind legs. A donkey’s tail is also uniquely tufted, with a brush only at the tip.

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And in Pack Burro Racing, there’s one rule that never changes — only donkeys run the course. After all, we don’t do anything half-assed.