Zebras?

Laputyn

Laputyn

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After searching for the millionth time about finding Zebras in the UK, and after finding a couple of outdated threads on here, I've decided to ask outright.

For the past 4 years I've been looking for a Zebra stallion either in the form of the animal itself (after applying for a DWAL) for live cover or in the form of semen straws.
I've seen various things on here about Zebras collecting at studs and in short, I want in!

Does anyone have any advice or what direction to point me in?
 
Where exactly are these studs? What do they do with them? Suppose they would be quite like a donkey and able to pull. Id love to see zebra classes at a show lol
 
Landcruiser said:
I have to ask....why????
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For the exact same reason I ask "Why not?"

equi said:
Where exactly are these studs? What do they do with them? Suppose they would be quite like a donkey and able to pull. Id love to see zebra classes at a show lol
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That's what I'm wondering. A few years ago there was a thread on here (now in the archives) where someone said they knew of studs collection at a place in...Berkshire? I think?
I saw a long time ago a Zorse be put out on loan and it claimed to be the first and only one in the UK. They seem to be popping up in auctions in the States but have also proven to be good riding animals, they have classes for them over there. It's shame it's not more widely spoken about here.
 
There are a lot about in the UK now, i don't know whether you need a DWAL for a zorse though, as its a zebra hybrid, worth checking! I know there was a breeder here in dorset who bred zebras and their hybrids, but i cant for the life of me remember the name! Might be worth googling?
 
JamOnToast said:
There are a lot about in the UK now, i don't know whether you need a DWAL for a zorse though, as its a zebra hybrid, worth checking! I know there was a breeder here in dorset who bred zebras and their hybrids, but i cant for the life of me remember the name! Might be worth googling?
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You don't need a DWAL for a hybrid of any sort, thankfully! I will have a look for them as I would rather buy than breed for now :) Thank you so much!
 
Good luck! And keep us updated, would be really interesting to see! Whether you buy or breed, if you buy would you train? I've heard of them being broken to ride, apparently its difficult though as they have that 'wild instinct!'
 
Im sorry for being nosey op! Im not here to cause trouble just to expand my knowledge.
Do people breed Zebras outside the zoos and what are they like to work with, will you cross with a horse, and what can you do with it.
We see so many posts on here covering the same ground its nice to see something new and interesting!..
 
There is a small wildlife type place locally to me and apparently zebra's are incredibly difficult to keep - mind you these are technically "wild" zebras.
I've been told they apparently need sedation for farrier visits and the like and according to what I was told don't cope very well with either sedation or the handling they get. It must be pretty stressful for them :(

Would there likely be a market for full or part bred zebras in the horsey general public?
 
Laputyn said:
You don't need a DWAL for a hybrid of any sort, thankfully! I will have a look for them as I would rather buy than breed for now :) Thank you so much!
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I don't think this is true, I believe that any hybrid with one parent listed under the DWAL act still needs a license, including zedonks, zorses and wolf-dogs. This may only apply to first generation crosses and I may be mistaken, but its something to check before buying.
 
Tobiano said:
The place in Dorset has closed. I bought my curly horse from there. Vale Farm it was called but it closed down.
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Ah, that'll be why when I tried to look for it I couldn't find anything :(

luckyoldme said:
Im sorry for being nosey op! Im not here to cause trouble just to expand my knowledge.
Do people breed Zebras outside the zoos and what are they like to work with, will you cross with a horse, and what can you do with it.
We see so many posts on here covering the same ground its nice to see something new and interesting!..
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Not at all!
I'm not sure about in the UK but I know there is a lot of people breeding Zebras in the US to horses and donkeys (as well as fellow Zebras). It's not massively common but it is done.
While you can ride Zebras they are difficult to train. Zorses/Zonies have successfully been backed and are used on trails and as packing animals. I couldn't say if anyone has successfully competed them over fences or anything but they are capable of doing most if not all things that horses and mules can do :)
I would, ideally, like to cross it with a horse. My aim would be to produce a Zorse that matures to over 13.2hh as Zebras are quite small.
I've been looking into it since I knew it could be done but I thought since I'm at a stage where I will be obtaining my own land, why not! So long as I can get a DWA!

JamOnToast said:
Thats not the one i was thinking about, There was a bloke who bred and sold them! I know theres an ad on DD somewhere, i'll see if i can find it!
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Thank you! Any links/info would be much appreciated :)

sandi_84 said:
There is a small wildlife type place locally to me and apparently zebra's are incredibly difficult to keep - mind you these are technically "wild" zebras.
I've been told they apparently need sedation for farrier visits and the like and according to what I was told don't cope very well with either sedation or the handling they get. It must be pretty stressful for them :(

Would there likely be a market for full or part bred zebras in the horsey general public?
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I've heard they are extremely hard to train. People don't tend to realise just how "wild" captive bred animals still are!
As for the market, I've no idea. My first step would be to successfully get zorse foals on the ground.
I'm sure if they were proven to be just as capable as horses that people might like the thought of a stripey pony :P Imagine how they'd look clipped!

Lacuna said:
I don't think this is true, I believe that any hybrid with one parent listed under the DWAL act still needs a license, including zedonks, zorses and wolf-dogs. This may only apply to first generation crosses and I may be mistaken, but its something to check before buying.
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I'll give DEFRA a call tomorrow and see what they say :) I'm only going by what I've heard but now I'm going to ask on the Zebra groups.
 
There used to be a company who advertised on the inside front cover of Horse Deals - think they imported from Holland and they often had the odd zebra advert... haven't bought HD for a while but they might still be in there. Is there really enough demand for a zebra hybrid??
 
FestiveFuzz said:
As for Zebras jumping etc. there's a video here of a girl who trains and I believe competes her Zebra - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhlOkEpvFgQ
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I'd love to see it in the ring :) She is a fantastic trainer and gives a lot of great advice.

Dizzy socks said:
http://waveneywildlife.com/wildlife...st_anglia_east_monkey_trevor_lay_hire_for.htm

Having a quick look, this place do Zebra?
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I will pop him a message today. If I were to buy a Zebra stallion for myself I would ideally want a tame one as I've heard horror stories about wild ones not getting along with horses.

JamOnToast said:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/dorset/8084964.stm
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I have sent Bill a message, just awaiting a reply :)

MagicMelon said:
There used to be a company who advertised on the inside front cover of Horse Deals - think they imported from Holland and they often had the odd zebra advert... haven't bought HD for a while but they might still be in there. Is there really enough demand for a zebra hybrid??
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I'll have a look, I'm sure there's something floating around on the net even if the advert is old.
I'm not really sure. My plan was to only breed a few and keep them with me until I gained enough interest. I haven't really thought about what selling tactics I'd have as, for now, it would be a personal "project" as it were.
 
I have to say, I find the whole thing rather distasteful.

Zebras are wild animals. Yes, they have been bred in captivity, traditionally in zoos and wildlife parks as they are wild animals. Now people are breeding them as a novelty.

There is no need for them as a work or leisure animal. They will never move or jump like a domesticated horse, so will not replace them, and they will inevitably fall into the hands of inexperienced people who will have them as a novelty and then get bored of them or not be able to cope.

People struggle enough with horses, who have been domesticated over thousands of years. How long will it take the breed the "wildness" out of the zebra, and what is the physical and psychological cost to the zebra in the process?

To contemplate this is, in my opinion, worse than the discriminate breeding we see of horses already. And for what gain? One can only assume it would be financial.
 
One of my friends owns a zebra stallion. He is trained for movie work and has been in many films. She also offers him up for stud services. Her small children ride hers and he's a real softie.
 
Mamamia said:
I have to say, I find the whole thing rather distasteful.

Zebras are wild animals. Yes, they have been bred in captivity, traditionally in zoos and wildlife parks as they are wild animals. Now people are breeding them as a novelty.

There is no need for them as a work or leisure animal. They will never move or jump like a domesticated horse, so will not replace them, and they will inevitably fall into the hands of inexperienced people who will have them as a novelty and then get bored of them or not be able to cope.

People struggle enough with horses, who have been domesticated over thousands of years. How long will it take the breed the "wildness" out of the zebra, and what is the physical and psychological cost to the zebra in the process?

To contemplate this is, in my opinion, worse than the discriminate breeding we see of horses already. And for what gain? One can only assume it would be financial.
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Could say the same about donkeys.
 
JamOnToast said:
Good luck! And keep us updated, would be really interesting to see! Whether you buy or breed, if you buy would you train? I've heard of them being broken to ride, apparently its difficult though as they have that 'wild instinct!'
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Any equine other than the domestic horse or demestic donkey (or a hybrid between them) requires a DWA licence in the UK so practical considerations make having or breeding zebras or their hybrids problematic.
 
Mamamia said:
I have to say, I find the whole thing rather distasteful.

Zebras are wild animals. Yes, they have been bred in captivity, traditionally in zoos and wildlife parks as they are wild animals. Now people are breeding them as a novelty.

There is no need for them as a work or leisure animal. They will never move or jump like a domesticated horse, so will not replace them, and they will inevitably fall into the hands of inexperienced people who will have them as a novelty and then get bored of them or not be able to cope.

People struggle enough with horses, who have been domesticated over thousands of years. How long will it take the breed the "wildness" out of the zebra, and what is the physical and psychological cost to the zebra in the process?

To contemplate this is, in my opinion, worse than the discriminate breeding we see of horses already. And for what gain? One can only assume it would be financial.
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Ditto
 
Yes, I'm not quite sure why, but this doesn't sit too comfortably with me either. Speaking as an ex zoo keeper (although I never worked on the Zebra section) I have heard that they can be quite difficult to train. It can be quite hard to keep them straight as apparently, they prefer to canter or gallop in zig zags (an in bred reaction as it helps evade predators) and they can be truly lethal.

Surely a domesticated horse, that has been bred for millennia, to carry and serve humans would be a more sensible option - or is it just about wanting to be different for all the wrong reasons? Essentially, they are wild animals...proceed with caution!
 
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