It didn’t begin with a donkey or even a dream of a donkey. One might say it was all because of goats, or perhaps more specifically it was because of coyotes. At any rate, there was never an original intent by Phil and Cara Barker Yellott to buy a donkey, much less an intent to buy the tallest donkey in the world.
Romulus and Remus Romulus and Cara
The Yellotts had purchased two goats. However, the howling coyotes near their Texas home made Cara consider buying a guard donkey to protect the goats. As she searched online, she came across a Craigslist posting for Romulus and Remus. The two donkey brothers were American Mammoth Jackstocks, the largest donkey breed in the world. Cara certainly didn’t need two mammoth donkeys to guard her two little goats, yet she couldn’t get the image of the two donkeys from her mind. The photo of Romulus and Remus showed two thin and sad looking animals. It was a bad time for Texas. Drought and wildfires had made hay hard to find, and many owners simply couldn’t feed their animals. “The seller needed to sell,” said Phil. “We convinced him we could give them a good home.” The couple bought the donkeys, site unseen, and waited for their delivery. While the donkeys were a new venture, Cara was no stranger to equines. Horses had been her passion for years. With more than two decades of riding and teaching experience, she had handled horses for movies, and performed at Renaissance fairs with crowds of 25,000 people. The Yellotts currently own Privateer Riding Academy in Ann Arbor. Yet even with the years of equine experience, nothing could quite prepare the Yellotts for the sheer size of the animals they had just acquired. When Romulus and Remus arrived, it quickly became evident that these weren’t your average donkeys. “When they pulled up in our driveway, Romulus and Remus were stopping traffic and drawing a crowd,” said Phil. The donkeys lived up to their breed. They were indeed mammoth. Romulus
World’s Tallest Donkey
Guinness World Record holder lives in Raisin Township
Story by Sara Hilton | Photos by Sean Clancy
measures 17 hands, which translates to 68 inches at the front shoulder. His little brother Remus measures 16.2 hands, or 66 inches at the front shoulder. When an expert was brought in to help the Yellotts return Romulus and Remus to health, she told them that she believed the record holder for the world’s tallest donkey was smaller than Romulus. Phil was delighted and set out on behalf of Romulus to have him crowned as the Guinness Book of World Record holder for the world’s tallest donkey. In 2013, Romulus took the win after he was officially measured and found to be five inches taller than the current record holder. Romulus went on to tour the United States, his new found celebrity thrilling audiences at festival and fairs. He appeared at such star-studded events as the Midwest Horse Fair in Madison, Wisconsin where he hung out with the world’s tallest horse. In 2015, the Yellotts, along with Romulus and Remus, moved to Raisin Township. “Romulus is sixteen years old has a leg condition now, so he doesn’t tour anymore. Remus is fourteen.” said Phil. So now the mammoth donkey brothers are able to simply enjoy their retirement in Michigan. “They just hang out.” said Phil. “To tell you the truth, they are pretty much just lazy asses now.” n
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Follow the exploits of Romulus and Remus at: worldstallestdonkey.com or on facebook: worldstallestdonkey For information on Privateer Riding Academy, visit rideannarbor.com
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