Rescuer Discovers Her Mini Hinny is a Hermaphrodite

His name is Hinny and he is a hinny, but he is even more unusual that that. This miniature horse sized cross of a horse stallion and a female donkey is a true hermaphrodite.

The opposite of a mule, which is a donkey sire on a horse dam, a hinny is typically smaller than a mule with shorter ears and rounder hooves.

“For my birthday I wanted to adopt either a mini or a donkey that needs my help,” Denise Barnes of Grantville, PA said. She has a long history as a rescuer, having cats, dogs and horses that she has saved by adoption.

Barnes’ daughter Taylor found a miniature size hinny that had been rescued from the New Holland auctions by Ashley Turri of Serenity Equine Network.

Saved from the killer pen, the eight-hand hinny was physically in poor condition  He had not shed out his winter coat, which was matted with scabs along his back where he was covered with bite wounds from other equines.

He was also in poor shape mentally. He would not let anyone near him, even to remove the rope that was around his neck. His expression and attitude were that of a feral equine, in terrible fear.

“He attacked and was terrified of anything that came near him,” Barnes said.

Barnes and her daughter went to see the hinny on May 15,  less than a week after he was taken from the auction. At that point, she was concerned that he might be too traumatized to accept help.

“We just sat in the grass and watched him. If he shuts down, I can’t do anything to help him,” Barnes said. “He came over. You could tell that he wanted to (interact with us), but he didn’t know how.”

With that encouraging sign, Barnes went to complete the adoption paperwork while her daughter stayed with the hinny. At that point they still thought they were looking at a mare. It urinated as a mare, although the external female opening was much longer than normal.

Taylor Barnes saw the hinny urinate, and when it did, she saw what appeared to be a penis and testicles descend as well.  Because the animal was so frightened and unused to human contact, they could not get close enough to examine it, so she took a photo and enlarged it, which showed male organs were present.

At this point, Barnes could have walked away, but instead the hinny’s condition made her even more determined to help.

“I kind of feel like he needs us even more now,” she said.

Hinny had to be herded onto the trailer for the ride to his new home. He came off the trailer surprisingly well, until he saw the other horses and tried to run to them. He called to them with his odd voice that sounds more like a honk than a neigh or bray, which startled the horses. Barnes’ part draft horse was particularly disturbed by Hinny and tried to bite him. With the drastic size distance there could have been a serious injury.

Hinny was so afraid of people and unused to being handled, just providing basic care was a problem. Barnes did not want to stress him any more than necessary, but he needed worming and treatment for his wounds.

Because he would not lead quietly or stand, the solution was to place Hinny between a gate and the barn wall. He was bathed and his injuries medicated. “He actually tolerated it pretty well. He was afraid. It was written all over his face,” Barnes said. She noticed that he was particularly afraid of a hose. “Everything he’s felt from people or other animals that have touched him has been pain.”

After care and grooming, Hinny is looking like a new animal. More importantly, he is learning to relax and accept people.

“The first week we just sat in his paddock with him and talked to him.  After about four days he started to come closer and finally took a treat from my hand,” Barnes said. “We wormed him, bathed him in a medicated wash to help heal his wounds and just let him decompress. He gets a little grain every day with camelina oil and free choice hay all day long.”

Hinny needed sedation to get through a veterinary exam. which verified his condition as a true hermaphrodite.  He has fully developed testicles, a deformed penis and a female urinary tract indicating that it is possible he has a uterus.

“The fear started to ease from his eyes and he started to seek out our company and the company of the other horses outside of his paddock,” Barnes said.

From his teeth Hinny appears to be four or five years old.  Having the hormones and drives of a young stallion has made an impact on Hinny’s lifestyle. He has been observed acting like a stallion and when he escaped from his pen, he tried to mount a 15-hand mare. His gender identity is so confused that he can be at the fence behaving like a breeding stallion and then moments later present as a mare in heat.

Until his gender issues are resolved, he cannot safely be allowed with the horses.  Despite that, he is showing great improvement in personality.

A true hermaphrodite is so rare among equines that Hinny has sparked interests among veterinarians. According to Barnes, New Bolton Center of Veterinary Medicine has volunteered to perform the surgery Hinny needs.

The main issue to be resolved is gelding along with gender assignment. Until a full examination reveals the state of his internal organs it is not definite which gender he will be following the surgery.

“He’s unsettled, he doesn’t know if he’s coming or going,” Barnes said. “I feel like we’re in limbo right now. Once we get him gelded, I’m going to make a lot more headway.”

After Hinny’s recovery, Barnes is hoping he will be able to teach people about acceptance of those who are different.

Barnes is a survivor of abuse as a child. She has worked in healthcare for many years and has seen the therapeutic value of horses. “There’s nothing else that reaches people the way animals do.

It is amazing how horses react to people with dementia or disabilities, they understand and react accordingly,” she said.

Barnes has trained two of her horses to do tricks and perform for audiences. She hopes to do the same with Hinny.

“I think something like Hinny is useful, especially now with transgender issues and so many people confused about their sexuality. Eventually I would like to incorporate him into a program either with our farm or at an established program,” Barnes said. “We were talking about writing a children’s book in a very delicate way, saying he’s different but he’s special because he’s different.”

Hinny’s surgery is scheduled for August at New Bolton Center.