365 Days in Horse Country – The Zorse
A horse is a horse, of course, of course…. except when it’s
a Zorse! If you guessed that a Zorse is
half zebra and half horse, you are correct.
There are also Zebroids or Zebrulas (any hybred horse with zebra
ancestry), Zules (when crossed with donkeys), and Zonies (when crossed with
ponies). They are the result of mating
between a male zebra and a female horse.
Female zebras mated with male horses, may be called Hebras.
The unusual hybrid was first created by geneticist James Cossar Ewart, a professor of natural history at Scotland’s Univedrsity of Edinburgh from 1882 to 1927. He used a zebra stallion and Arabian mares, with one goal being to produce a draft animal that could withstand the heat and diseases of South Africa, and that would be more tractable than a zebra or a mule. Other experiments with hybrids were made by the U.S. government and reported in science journls in 1929.
Zorses are said to be stronger and faster than horses, resistant to heat, and tireless. They resemble horses more, but they sport stripes on their legs and sometimes on the body or neck.
Although horses, donkeys, and zebras all belong to the genus equus, they are nevertheless different species. Because Zorses are a hybrid of two different species, they are infertile.
While Zorses have many good qualities, they are not as
docile as horses. Their strong,
aggressive temperament makes them unsuited to being handled by novice riders.
Michael