Once you see a zebra, you can’t help but notice how similar it looks to a horse or donkey with stripes. This is most likely why a lot of people have this question on their mind … “Why don’t we ride zebra?” The answer is that the zebra cannot carry a lot of weight on its back and that makes it difficult for the animal to support a human rider.
Another reason is that they are stoutly built and much shorter than horses and this makes them less suited. In the past there have successful cross breedings with donkeys and horses, but unfortunately, (or maybe fortunately) the genetic trait of a weak back tends to re-occur more often than not.
One other thing quite often seen with large zebra populations is zebras with no tails. This was not caused by a narrow escape from lion or another predator, but most likely to be the result of a fight between two stallions. During a fight they rely on kicking and biting and if bitten on the right place, the tails nerves and cause it to fall off. It can also be bitten off completely during the battle.
Armand Steyn
Ranger
Kapama Main Lodge
