# Can Zebra's Be Ridden?



## NJ Rider (10 mo ago)

I heard that zebras are generally too ornery to be ridden. They don't relate to people like horses do. The movie Sheena in 1985 had some zebra riding scenes but apparently they didn't use real zebras.


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## BethR (Feb 17, 2021)

Zebras are not known to be rideable/tameable.
There is a theory that subSaharan Africa has frequently lagged behind the rest of the world economically because they have no “beasts of burdens” native to the area.
Similarly, unlike Indian elephants, African elephants are generally too unpredictable to tame.


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## Linoone (11 mo ago)

Watchung Rider said:


> I heard that zebras are generally too ornery to be ridden. They don't relate to people like horses do. The movie Sheena in 1985 had some zebra riding scenes but apparently they didn't use real zebras.


Yes, zebras can be ridden- Harness trained even. This link contains many such examples of zebras under saddle and harness. DRAUGHT AND RIDING ZEBRAS 

Zebras aren't a domesticated animal, their conformation doesn't lend itself to riding- Most reports of riding zebras seem to note that they aren't particularly _comfortable _to ride. Perhaps that explains why more reports appear to exist of zebras pulling carts, carriages, wagons and so on. 

As zebras haven't been domesticated, their typical temperament also doesn't seem to be of help when it comes to taming and_ then_ training them for use by man. I've heard them referred to as "Donkeys on steroids"- Although that always struck me as being unfair to the donkey! But regardless, donkeys are known for their "stubbornness" and "difficulty to train". Of course it's all bullroar, donkeys can be saddle or harness trained just as easily as the horse can. 

It's merely needs to be the _right _kind of training. IE: The way _all _equids should be trained- Personalized to the individual animal, applied with patient and understanding and "Go slow to go fast". Meaning that when you start, you take care to ensure that the animal in question fully _understands _what you're asking of it every step of the way and not progressiveness forward to the next step until they have it down pat. Sounds slow, but in the end you get a well mannered, well trained and more importantly- An animal that isn't afraid of you (Or any other person for that matter), trusts you to keep it safe and for you to never ask it to do something unfair or unreasonable. 

I fully expect that training zebras in that manner would be successful, but _would _be slow in comparison to other equids- Like the donkey. Naturally, some people don't train equids that way. You can bully a horse into doing your biding, but you'll rarely succeed at doing the same to a donkey. And I foresee that if you tried to bully a zebra into doing anything it didn't want to do or didn't feel safe doing, that it would end poorly for the person who was foolish enough to try. 

So in short, why do we rarely saddle train zebras? Because we have other equids that are perceived as easier and faster to train! And who are more comfortable to ride too boot!


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## Zimalia22 (Jun 15, 2021)

This is what I found,


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## Linoone (11 mo ago)

BethR said:


> There is a theory that subSaharan Africa has frequently lagged behind the rest of the world economically because they have no “beasts of burdens” native to the area.


Africa is home to _many _domesticated animals, of which quite a few are native to the continent. Including variable breeds of horse - List of African horse breeds - Wikipedia 
Dog - Category:Dog breeds originating in Africa - Wikipedia 
And of course cattle, sheep and goats too. Not to mention, the donkey was first domesticated *in *Africa. 



BethR said:


> Similarly, unlike Indian elephants, African elephants are generally too unpredictable to tame.


Nonsense, African elephants can and _have _been tamed and trained by man. About Wild Animals: Can the African elephant be tamed? & A Brief History of Trained African Elephants in the Belgian Congo 

Certainly they lack the long history of use by people that their Asian cousins have -While also being larger and thus more intimidating- but they have proved themselves able to be predictable enough to be of use to people in the right hands.


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## Linoone (11 mo ago)

Zimalia22 said:


> This is what I found,


What a wonderful contemporary example! That zebra has better manners then many of the _horses _that I've ridden.


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## LemonMoon098 (10 mo ago)

BethR said:


> Zebras are not known to be rideable/tameable.
> There is a theory that subSaharan Africa has frequently lagged behind the rest of the world economically because they have no “beasts of burdens” native to the area.
> Similarly, unlike Indian elephants, African elephants are generally too unpredictable to tame.


Someone was definitely lying to you or severely misinformed when they told you this.


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## Palfrey (May 29, 2020)

Zebras are really cool. But why someone would want to ride them eludes me. We already have domestic horses that have been purpose bred for many types of uses, why reinvent the wheel?


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## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

Palfrey said:


> Zebras are really cool. But why someone would want to ride them eludes me. We already have domestic horses that have been purpose bred for many types of uses, why reinvent the wheel?


Because it's COOL!


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## My Salty Pony (Jan 1, 2022)

ACinATX said:


> Because it's COOL!


I'll second that..


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## NJ Rider (10 mo ago)

Palfrey said:


> Zebras are really cool. But why someone would want to ride them eludes me. We already have domestic horses that have been purpose bred for many types of uses, why reinvent the wheel?


If you're in an area where zebras are more common than horses such as Africa, that's why.


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## Rainsong (Sep 29, 2009)

Yeah, I remember Sheena...the horse looked like an Arabian too....you can't get much further from looking like a zebra than an Arabian (maybe an Akhal Teke)
I always wondered why they didn't use a mule...at least a painted mule would have blended in with the zebras a bit better.

RIP Tanya Roberts 😢


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## Palfrey (May 29, 2020)

Watchung Rider said:


> If you're in an area where zebras are more common than horses such as Africa, that's why.


Africa is pretty big. Zebra range relative to the size of Africa, is quite small, in my opinion. I would also deduce that the number of zebras is less than the number of horses. Plus, Africa can boast its own native horse in the Barb. Which I would guess, much easier to train than the zebra.


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## 4horses (Nov 26, 2012)

I think Zebra haven't been domesticated because no one has tried or had the desire to do so. After working with mustangs, I can say it is not easy to domesticate an older mustang. Some are extremely defensive, and fear aggressive. You can spend hundreds of hours training a mustang, but a domestic horse might only take a 4th of the time to train. 

It might work if you took pregnant zebras, weaned the foals early and did extensive handling at a young age- then got rid of anything with undesirable qualities. Due to the number of predators in Africa, zebras are going to have a bigger spook factor and higher flight or fight instinct. I think it would be possible to eventually get a reliable riding animal, but possibly more work than it's worth. The main benefit to domesticating zebras would be that they are immune to African horse sickness.

Anyone remember the movie Racing Stripes?


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## PresleysMom (Nov 21, 2017)

Not to mention in general terms zebras are not built to carry much weight. Our domesticated horses are specifically bred for our uses. Zebras are, generally speaking, smaller and finer boned so they can be quick and agile in their natural habitat.


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## wvfarrier (Sep 13, 2021)

I dont know about riding them but I have trimmed a lot of them for various zoo's. Even sedated they are a handful


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## gottatrot (Jan 9, 2011)

4horses said:


> I think Zebra haven't been domesticated because no one has tried or had the desire to do so. After working with mustangs, I can say it is not easy to domesticate an older mustang. Some are extremely defensive, and fear aggressive. You can spend hundreds of hours training a mustang, but a domestic horse might only take a 4th of the time to train.
> 
> It might work if you took pregnant zebras, weaned the foals early and did extensive handling at a young age- then got rid of anything with undesirable qualities. Due to the number of predators in Africa, zebras are going to have a bigger spook factor and higher flight or fight instinct. I think it would be possible to eventually get a reliable riding animal, but possibly more work than it's worth. The main benefit to domesticating zebras would be that they are immune to African horse sickness.
> 
> Anyone remember the movie Racing Stripes?


There is something that happens to the genes of domesticated animals after a time, where they actually are "domesticated" and have traits that make them easier to work with humans. 

Mustangs come from domesticated genes because they are feral, so those older Mustangs that are more difficult to work with are probably related more to the individual breed makeup they consist of. 

Older animals of any breed can take a long time to train, depending on personality. 
I've known several older Mustangs (ages 6-8) with easygoing personalities that were taken off the range and being ridden all over within a month. They had mainly stock horse type genes. I've also known older horses of other breeds that took a long time to get started and trained.

Zebras have never been domesticated, so are more difficult to train since they don't have any genes selected for being less spooky, wary, more docile or trusting of humans. 

I had some baby wild rats I handled from birth and they were docile until adulthood, when they turned flighty, less trusting and I had a lot of difficulty handling them. This happens with many other animals that have not been domesticated. 
Over time being bred by humans, the genes can change. Foxes and dingos have been domesticated, along with rats. 

Mustangs are similar to dogs that go feral. If you get an older dog that was feral and unhandled, you will have an easier time handling the dog if it is a Golden Retriever (many feral in Turkey) rather than a feral Akita.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)




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## BethR (Feb 17, 2021)

4horses said:


> I think Zebra haven't been domesticated because no one has tried or had the desire to do so. After working with mustangs, I can say it is not easy to domesticate an older mustang. Some are extremely defensive, and fear aggressive. You can spend hundreds of hours training a mustang, but a domestic horse might only take a 4th of the time to train.
> 
> It might work if you took pregnant zebras, weaned the foals early and did extensive handling at a young age- then got rid of anything with undesirable qualities. Due to the number of predators in Africa, zebras are going to have a bigger spook factor and higher flight or fight instinct. I think it would be possible to eventually get a reliable riding animal, but possibly more work than it's worth. The main benefit to domesticating zebras would be that they are immune to African horse sickness.
> 
> Anyone remember the movie Racing Stripes?


Agree: in theory it would be POSSIBLE to break a zebra to ride. Thing is, in Africa, it’s rarely if ever done because of (a) their smaller size , and (b) their temperament.
I’d also like to point out that the horses native to Africa are SAHARAN, not subSaharan, as I mentioned in an earlier post. The Saharan people are mainly Arabs.


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## Linoone (11 mo ago)

BethR said:


> I’d also like to point out that the horses native to Africa are SAHARAN, not subSaharan, as I mentioned in an earlier post.


The eight breeds of Ethiopia ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopian_horses ) certainly aren't Saharan, given that Ethiopia is a* Sub-Saharan *country.

The four breeds of Senegal -The Fleuve ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleuve ), the Foutanké ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foutanké ), the M'Bayar ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M'Bayar ) & the M'Par ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M'Par ) are also _not _Saharan. Senegal is a sub-saharan county. 

&

The wide ranging Dongola ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dongola_horse ) and it's _*many *_regional variants & the numerous crossbreds that deprive from it is not Saharan, these animals are found throughout _Western_ & _Central _Africa- Which contain no Saharan countries. 



BethR said:


> The Saharan people are mainly Arabs.


What, no love for the Berbers? You know, the people most closely associated with the Barb horse?


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## Linoone (11 mo ago)

jaydee said:


>


What a great little jumper!


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## NJ Rider (10 mo ago)

Palfrey said:


> Africa is pretty big. Zebra range relative to the size of Africa, is quite small, in my opinion. I would also deduce that the number of zebras is less than the number of horses. Plus, Africa can boast its own native horse in the Barb. Which I would guess, much easier to train than the zebra.


Would that depend on where you are in Africa? I would imagine in some places in Africa zebras are more common than horses. So you use what you've got available.


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## NJ Rider (10 mo ago)

BethR said:


> There is a theory that subSaharan Africa has frequently lagged behind the rest of the world economically because they have no “beasts of burdens” native to the area.


To the best of my knowledge the Americas didn't have any beasts of burden native to the area at first, not until the white man brought over horses when they settled there.


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## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

Watchung Rider said:


> To the best of my knowledge the Americas didn't have any beasts of burden native to the area at first, not until the white man brought over horses when they settled there.


South America had Llamas and Alpacas, and North America had dogs. These were not animals that could be ridden, but they were used to carry things. Otherwise humans were used. They did not have wheeled vehicles either.


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## PresleysMom (Nov 21, 2017)

Watchung Rider said:


> To the best of my knowledge the Americas didn't have any beasts of burden native to the area at first, not until the white man brought over horses when they settled there.


I did a brief search and found this:

Although there are fossils from earlier members of the horse family, the first true horse in North America is the Hagerman horse. Remanents were found in Hagerman, Idaho, and is estimated to be about three and a half million years old. The discovery of the Hagerman horse proved that horses were present in North America before the arrival of Columbus. In fact, it’s now thought that horses may have first come to the Western Hemisphere over 20 million years ago. The Hagerman horse was once a common sight in North America. But this species went extinct around 10,000 years ago for unknown reasons. Some scientists believe that the arrival of humans on the continent led to the extinction of the Hagerman horse, while others believe that climate change played a role.
The first humans arrived in North America around 15,000 years ago, and they quickly began hunting the horses for food which has led scientists to believe is the cause of the Hagerman horses’ demise.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

Watchung Rider said:


> To the best of my knowledge the Americas didn't have any beasts of burden native to the area at first, not until the white man brought over horses when they settled there.


Which goes a long way towards understanding why they were still living so close to nature and following the belief that having domesticated horses greatly advanced the civilizations that used them. 
The Australian aborigines and New Zealand Māori lived a very similar lifestyle.

The Barb horses originated in the Northern region of Africa that was closer in its civilization advancement to the bordering Arab nations, Morroco was closer to European countries like Spain than it was to those African countries that lay much further south


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

Please remember to keep this thread on topic. @Watchung Rider - If you are ok with this thread going fluid and continuing on in discussions that veer from the original discussion then we can let it go as long as none of the posts become political in nature.


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## BethR (Feb 17, 2021)

Linoone said:


> The eight breeds of Ethiopia ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopian_horses ) certainly aren't Saharan, given that Ethiopia is a* Sub-Saharan *country.
> 
> The four breeds of Senegal -The Fleuve ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleuve ), the Foutanké ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foutanké ), the M'Bayar ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M'Bayar ) & the M'Par ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M'Par ) are also _not _Saharan. Senegal is a sub-saharan county.
> 
> ...


The Berbers were North Africans.


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## NJ Rider (10 mo ago)

ACinATX said:


> South America had Llamas and Alpacas, and North America had dogs. These were not animals that could be ridden, but they were used to carry things.


I thought those were brought over by settlers too, not being native to the americas.


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## NJ Rider (10 mo ago)

PresleysMom said:


> I did a brief search and found this:
> 
> Although there are fossils from earlier members of the horse family, the first true horse in North America is the Hagerman horse. Remanents were found in Hagerman, Idaho, and is estimated to be about three and a half million years old. The discovery of the Hagerman horse proved that horses were present in North America before the arrival of Columbus. In fact, it’s now thought that horses may have first come to the Western Hemisphere over 20 million years ago. The Hagerman horse was once a common sight in North America. But this species went extinct around 10,000 years ago for unknown reasons. Some scientists believe that the arrival of humans on the continent led to the extinction of the Hagerman horse, while others believe that climate change played a role.
> The first humans arrived in North America around 15,000 years ago, and they quickly began hunting the horses for food which has led scientists to believe is the cause of the Hagerman horses’ demise.


So if that's the case then humans in the Americas were without horses for 9000 plus years, until they were reintroduced by the European settlers.


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## NJ Rider (10 mo ago)

farmpony84 said:


> Please remember to keep this thread on topic. @Watchung Rider - If you are ok with this thread going fluid and continuing on in discussions that veer from the original discussion then we can let it go as long as none of the posts become political in nature.


I don't have a problem with it going a bit off topic.


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## PresleysMom (Nov 21, 2017)

Watchung Rider said:


> So if that's the case then humans in the Americas were without horses for 9000 plus years, until they were reintroduced by the European settlers.


So it would seem......


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## krisadreyer (Nov 22, 2015)

Full bred Zebra should not be tame and should remain wild.


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## NJ Rider (10 mo ago)

krisadreyer said:


> Full bred Zebra should not be tame and should remain wild.


Well as crazy as this sounds I've even heard of people riding giraffes.


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## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

OK if we are talking about riding crazy things, look up Ostrich races.


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## gottatrot (Jan 9, 2011)

ACinATX said:


> OK if we are talking about riding crazy things, look up Ostrich races.


Yeah...we're worried about falling off horses!


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## Cathryn (Jan 16, 2021)

NJ Rider said:


> I heard that zebras are generally too ornery to be ridden. They don't relate to people like horses do. The movie Sheena in 1985 had some zebra riding scenes but apparently they didn't use real zebras.


I just found this post. I haven't read all of the replies, but thought I'd put in my 2 cents worth. I worked in a large zoo for 15 yrs and knew many keepers across the country. One thing that came out was that one of the most dangerous animals in the zoo was the zebra. The main reason was that zebras were equids but not (domestic) horses. Zebras were never bred for tractability with humans and so reacted to (perceived) 'threats' as a wild prey animal would. They are ferocious biters and to forget for a moment the zebra was not a horse caused some terrible injuries. Yes they have been trained to saddle and harness, but just for show. I am hoping this was a curiosity question and not a wish to ride a stripey horse. Could be a disaster!! Glad you asked about it, though.


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