According to Orlando, the donkeys bred at the Roman villa in Boinville-en-Woëvre measured 155cm (61in, or 15 hands – a unit for measuring horse height) from the ground to the withers (a ridge between the shoulder blades). The average height of donkeys today is 130cm (51 inches/12 hands). The only modern donkeys that might have come close are the American Mammoth Jacks – male donkeys that are unusually large and often used for breeding stock.