Abstract

Donkeys probably first arrived on Malta 3000 years ago. The first written record appears in the late tenth century when wild donkeys were present on an unoccupied Malta and were captured by itinerant traders for export, mainly to Sicily. In 1091 Sicily invaded Malta and confiscated all the inhabitants’ horses and mules. Horse numbers declined from 600 animals in 1565 to 130 by 1638. Donkeys were always most numerous: 732 were exported between 1589 and 1611 along with 199 mules and 6 horses. Equines were pack and riding animals and worked in agriculture until horse-drawn carriages were introduced in the late eighteenth century: horse-drawn omnibuses arrived in the 1850s. Equines were phased out from traditional activities with the introduction of the internal combustion engine but donkeys had a continued urban presence until the mid-twentieth century working for peripatetic traders. Horse transport resurged briefly during World War II when vehicle fuel was scarce. Between 1961 and 1984 donkey numbers declined from 2383 animals to 500, mules regressed from 1599 to 300 and horse numbers fell from 1906 to 890. No reliable population data are available since the mid-1980s. In the 2020s horse numbers have built up for sport (dressage, show jumping, racing and polo), leisure and tourism but donkeys and mules are no longer important.

Key words: Foreign invasions, beasts of burden, agricultural operations, horse-drawn vehicles, trade, equine sports.