Can You Train A Zebra
|
|
My cousin, who doesn’t like horses, but sends me links to interesting websites and pages occasionally, sent this link: Lord Lionel Walter Rothschild. The photo shows a stately gentleman in a top hat, sitting in a high wheeled, uncovered phaeton-like vehicle hitched to a four-in-hand, three of which are zebras and one a pony.
Can you ride a zebra? They are gaited like a horse. They look much like a horse and those broad backs look comfortable to sit on. Well, Lord Lionel proved you can drive them. There may be a reason why that pony was along though. Turns out Rothschild had a bit of time getting those zebras trained. In fact, a few years after the famed photo was taken, one of Rothschild's grooms was killed by a zebra. There are photos and stories of zebras being ridden. But, they’re not as common as those of horses, donkeys and mules. The Calvary of Schutztruppe rode out mounted on zebras. A few doctors and explorers used zebras for transportation. More recently, racehorse trainer Bill Turner was photographed riding his zebra.
Related: Zack The Show Jumping Zebra
There are some good reasons why we might want to ride or drive zebras. Zebras have a natural resistance to diseases in Africa that horses do not. They are not as fast as horses, but are reported to be very hardy. A greater public interest in zebras might help bolster the populations, because some types of zebras are endangered. And for those who like color, why settle for spots when you can have stripes?
One small problem with riding a zebra, at least in a saddle, is that their backs are shaped differently than a horse’s. This doesn’t mean you couldn’t have tack custom made. But, we know that’s costly, and what if your experiment to train the zebra doesn’t work out? You could ride bareback of course, but those broad round backs and quick reactions might make for a short ride. Most zebras are a bit small for the average North American rider too, although it depends on the species.
Horses and ponies have been selectively bred for centuries for the physical and mental qualities that make them easy to work with and use. This is the greatest difference between any domestic animal and a wild animal. Zebras are ruled by their instincts. Yes, a horse’s flight response is quite strong. But a confident trainer can teach a horse to trust their lead. From all reports, this is much more difficult with a zebra. People who have tried to train them have found that zebras are much more likely to spook, bolt and panic. If a zebra is cornered, it is more likely to lash out and fight.
This was one thing Turner kept in mind. In addition to two hour training sessions, he made sure that the zebra was never reprimanded for unwanted behavior. A bad move on his part, and the zebra might quickly regard him as a predator. Apparently zebras can become quite aggressive. So while it’s possible to train a zebra, it may take much more tact and time. Think of how quickly most people want to train their horses! Even Matthew Horace Hayes claimed he spent far longer training a zebra than he would a horse.
If you really want to ride a zebra, my suggestion would be to buy a sturdy white pony and a black stock marker. We turned my daughter's welsh pony into a zebra for a costume class. it was amazing how many people thought he was a real zebra, until the stock marker finally wore off.
--
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1190753/Racehorse-trainer-rides-pet-ZEBRA-pub.html
http://www.brainstuffshow.com/blog/good-question-why-dont-people-ride-zebras/
https://archive.org/stream/pointsofhorsetre04haye#page/220/mode/2up/search/zebra |
|
|
Related Horse News
|
|
Can zebras jump? Is a question that Sammi Jo Stohler hears often. Sammi is the owner of Zack, a zebra with a ton of talent. Her answer to that question is a big yes! Sammi trained Zack to show jump after he kept jumping out of his ...
|
|
Can you ride a zebra? They are gaited like a horse. They look much like a horse and those broad backs look comfortable to sit on. Well, Lord Lionel proved you can drive them. There may be a reason why that pony was along though. T ...
|
|
Why didn’t the knights yore and cowboys ride zebras? And why do we ride horses? This infographic video traces horse domestication and how horses were both influenced by technology and culture, and how they contributed to it. Zebra ...
|
|
More News by Winniefield Park
|
|
3P *Starring Ruth* has captured two spots on the leaderboard joining * Queen Of Hearts. Starring Ruth is a 17.1 hand Friesian mare out of the PythonPonyPalaces stable and was foaled September 7, 2023. She not only was #1 ranked ho ...
|
|
DNA testing can tell you a number of things about a horse’s risk of developing a hereditary disease, coat color, genetic markers for speed, temperament and gait and can give some insight into a horse’s breed. In this video, The Cl ...
|
|
Here is a story of how a passion for horses led one woman to a life of secrecy and dishonesty. Over twenty years she built a life of glamor and competitive success. But many people asked how she funded her extravagant lifestyle th ...
|
|
One of the world’s rarest breeds is the Suffolk Punch. Native to Britain, these stocky draft horses once had pride of place in agricultural work, hauling artillery, pulling public transportation vehicles like busses and towing bar ...
|
|
*V For Victory* is entrenched on the leaderboard and still holds the Best Streak with an 18,792 run and a jumpoff record of 29,444 - 19. But two mares have taken over the Top Rank and Highest Jump records. At 16, the 17-hand Crown ...
|
|
Get your daily dose of nature with this 49-minute video of wild horses travelling to a water hole in Sand Wash Basin, a BLM managed area in Colorado. The small herd drinks, grazes and swish's flies in the semi-arid desert environm ...
|
|
Halloween is just around the corner and it's time to consider costumes for you and your four-legged friends. A recent viral trend is dressing your pet as a ghost. Some sheets and paint are the basis of this costume, and you can se ...
|
|
Good riders do what they can to make their horse’s job easier. Especially when jumping, your position can help or hinder your horse as it adjusts its strides and balance between and over obstacles. Here’s a video with good suggest ...
|
|
|