Can You Ride A Zebra? Can You Train Or Domesticate Them In Any Way?

We always believed or assumed zebras to look alike but did you know that no two zebras have the same stripe pattern, just like human fingerprints?

It is not surprising that humans have always established similarities between horses and zebras, after all, both of them belong to the same genus, Equus.

However, there are some underlying reasons due to which a zebra is a wild animal native to Africa, but a horse, on the other hand, falls under the category of domesticated animals and has been living among humans for centuries.

You can be assured that you are not the first one to think of using zebras as a mode of transport, and the question about why we cannot ride zebras goes back to more than a couple of centuries.

Riding zebras is not as feasible as riding horses. The former can never be domesticated as it is a wild animal, and all attempts made have been futile.

The closest humans have come to is taming the animal but it this is not good enough.

Horses, on the other hand, although are related to zebras are quite different. This animal has been domesticated by humans and has been extensively used for farming, war, and transport purposes.

Unlike zebras, horses can also be taught manners when they are young, they can be trained to carry goods, behave accordingly with the rider, and domestication is far more convenient in the case of horses.

If you enjoyed this article, why not also read about are zebras horses andare zebras white with black stripes here on Kidadl?

Why do we not ride zebras?

Domestication attempts on this African wild animal have been a waste of time in the past. Zebras are indigenous to Africa, although different species of zebras have their own particular habitats, all of them live in Africa itself.

If a human could successfully tame a zebra and train it enough so that you could ride it, it could have solved the problem of traveling in the past century but upsettingly this has not been the case.

The reason why zookeepers are not interested to tame zebras is also the reason why people haven't managed to ride zebras for years now. Zebras are way more aggressive than horses and other domesticated animals, and their bite is dangerous to humans and animals as well.

Horses too occasionally kick and bite but they are not as dangerous as a zebra's.

A human can survive a horse's kick, and it isn't as malicious and powerful as a zebra's.

For a fact, a zebra doesn't randomly kick, it is known to look behind, aim, and then kick with all its might. A zebra's kick can also shatter the jaw of a lion, and a zebra has developed this attribute by itself owing to the predators it lives amongst.

Living in the deserts of Africa, zebras are an integral part of nature. Predators like hyenas and wild cats live in groups and attack herds of zebras.

In order to protect themselves, zebras either run away, but when necessary, also put up a fight due to which these animals have evolved such an aggressive nature.

Is it legal to ride zebras?

It is legal in most of the states of the United States to own a zebra as a pet animal but riding it like horses or donkeys is not a viable option.

Although zebras share their ancestry with these animals, they have evolved by living in African deserts due to which they are difficult to train and on many occasions have had dangerous interactions with people who have tried to tame them. This animal is infamous for biting and kicking humans.

It is not a good idea to keep them as pets.

There are various zebra species but none of them are fit for riding like horses. During the early parts of the 20th century, many people took it upon as a challenge to tame a zebra like a horse and use it as a means of carriage or for human transport but there were no positive results.

Interestingly, during the 19th century, a man known as Lord Walter Rothschild was a Victorian-era zoologist.

Mr Rothschild had trained zebras instead of horses to pull his carriage in which he rode and arrived at Buckingham Palace. This was never repeated by any other person, and in today's practical world, we do not see a human riding a zebra.

Can you ride a zebra like a horse?

A horse can be a part of a family, become friendly with its owner, and is never as dangerous as a zebra. Zebras tend to be aggressive and are just a moment away from biting or kicking.

A horse has been trained by humans for ages. Unlike zebras, they have not lived their lives as wild animals and have never been as aggressive as zebras.

Horses are also faster than zebras. A zebra, although is allowed to be kept as a pet in various American states, cannot be a part of a family due to domestication issues.

The answer behind why one cannot ride a zebra is the behavioral differences that exist between a zebra and a horse. You can train and discipline a horse but it is impossible to do so with a zebra.

Can zebras be domesticated and trained?

Attempts to domesticate zebras and use them as a replacement for horses have been made since the early 19th century but the results have not been fruitful. Despite belonging to the same genus as horses and donkeys, zebras have evolved as very different animals.

Zebras have evolved to become naturally aggressive animals owing to their predators who they have to fight and survive at every instant. If zebras do not show an aggressive nature, they would be hunted down by every other wild animal.

This dangerous behavior of zebras is not suited for human civilization due to which they cannot be domesticated and trained like horses.

Ethics Of Riding A Zebra

Forcefully taming an animal to serve your own needs is by far one of the worst decisions humans can ever make. When it comes to ethics about riding a zebra, unsurprisingly, there are not many as efforts of taming a zebra to be ridden have not produced any results.

In case one does ride a zebra, they should be careful about the way they handle the animal and not be cruel to them by using a whip. Moreover, humans should acknowledge the slightest of issues and keep them well-fed and nurtured at all times.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked discovering can you ride a zebra,then why not take a look at can you ride a llama, or zebra facts?