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Donkey’s are smarter than horses. I never thought I’d say that because of my love for horses but it’s mostly true. I DID have one very special horse in my past that was the smartest equine I had ever meet... but overall donkeys are definitely smarter. Truth be told I never really wanted a donkey. They are incredibly loud, difficult to train, and they have a mind of their own. Their sing-song “HEE-HAW!” Sounds more like someone is drowning a cat than it sounds beautiful. They are far more humble of a creature than they are majestic and none of that appealed to me... until we needed healing from a tragic accident. 
Caspian came into our lives when we needed him the most. His tiny stature took over our farm and became larger than life. We often call him “the welcome committee” because he’s the first one to greet guests (HEE-HAWWW!). For such a little donkey, he has an impressive amount of strength and a big personality. You absolutely cannot bribe him. If he wants to escape... he will. No amount of treats or trickery will work to get him back unless he wants to be caught. He will gingerly take a horse cookie from your fingers and either dart off with it or thoughtfully move it around his mouth before ever-so-slowly chewing it bite-by-bite. 
Caspian was re-homed to us because we was a trouble maker. He doesn’t like to be alone but he HATES other horses and donkeys. He once almost bit the ear off a horse and he terrorized another donkey so badly that they had to be separated from him because the owner thought Caspian might kill him. 
The funny thing about Caspian is that when it comes to my son, he’s a lamb. He will let Niki hang on him, pat his back, play with his long ears, and tickle his whiskers. Niki can lead him around and catch him rather quickly, Caspian will even run to the fence to greet him.
For me on the other hand... he’s a very different beast. There’s nothing quite like being dragged through the mud by a miniature donkey in front of all your neighbors, or having to chase your Ass down the dirt road because he escaped
AGAIN. 
I once went to run errands with my family and I came home to Caspian wearing Mardi Gras beads around his neck (no idea where he got them). Having escaped his pasture for the billionth time and was in the middle of torturing our cats by chasing them around our house, through the woods, and up trees. It took all three of us a solid hour to get him secured.
One particular day more recently, everything in my day just went wrong. Caspian was on stall rest for having a fungal infection in his hoof, I gave him pain killers and left him to settle in. I was trying to sort out things going wrong inside my house because Niki had injured himself. I was also in the middle of trying to reach for some sugar by standing on a chair when my dishwasher broke and startled me. I busted my bottom on the back of the chair trying to get down quickly because water was pouring all around me across the floor. I nearly fell. I ran for towels to clean up the water that flooded my kitchen and that’s when the UPS guy knocked on my see-through glass door. I ran for cover (and to grab some pants because I was standing there in my underwear). When I got to the door, I busted my knee on the bench while trying to open it. I finally got my package but there standing in the distance... was Caspian. I KNEW my day was about to get worse because he had let himself out of his stall. I slipped my shoes on and hobbled out of my house to out-smart him. I started with bribery, turned to begging, and then all-out rage. When I zigged, he zagged. He had me chasing him through the trails in the woods and skating across slick rotting leaves. I finally got him back right in front of the stall door (some 40 minutes later). His eyes defiant. My eyes locked on his because I was out of breath, exhausted, and pissed off. I swear to you that he started laughing at me. I could see that he knew he had gotten the best of me. I lurched forward but my eyes grew wide because my shoe caught and I tripped on a tree root. I ate it face first into mud. This is the third time he’s made me eat it. He bolted into the safety of his stall and when he realized he had been caught I saw his brain working again as he considered jumping over my limp body. Thankfully I was quicker and managed to get to my feet and slam his stall door shut in his face. I did a happy dance but I’m sure he knew he got the better end of the deal because I was still brushing mud chunks off of myself. I had to tie hay bale strings to the latch so he couldn’t escape anymore. 
Some would say that perhaps he’s more trouble than he’s worth but despite his antics... he healed my son after his accident in ways I knew I couldn’t. I’ve sat in his pasture sobbing and he came to stand quietly behind me, his hot breath tickling my neck. He’s taught me more about being patient than any animal I’ve ever had in my life. He’s also taught me a lot about forgiveness. After I caught him in his stall, he stuck his nose up so I could give him a scratch and let me stroke his long ears. He sighed full of content as if to say “No hard feelings? That was fun wasn’t it?” It wasn’t but it’s easy to get over anger when he shows you the loving side of him that he so carefully tucks away. We named him Caspian because he is smart, humble, and noble. I don’t think I’ll ever go without having a miniature donkey on our farm ever again.

“Home is where the donkey brays.”