how are zebras and horses alike
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Many people think that zebras are just wild horses with stripes. However, many people don’t realize the differences between a horse and a zebra. Is a zebra a horse?
Zebras and horses belong to the Equidae family, but they are different species. Zebras are smaller, slower, weigh less, and are harder to tame compared to horses.
Zebras are more closely related to donkeys than horses. They have mohawk manes, short tails, flatbacks, and long ears, making them more like donkeys than horses.
Visually, the main difference between a horse and zebras is their appearance. Zebras have a black and white striped coat whereas horses tend to have a one-color coat.
Zebras are native to the plains of Africa. Just like horses, zebras are herd animals and spend most of their day grazing. They are social animals, often living in family groups.
A Zebra’s unique black and white striped coat pattern are thought to be a natural defense against predators. When a bunch of zebras are together, their striped coat pattern makes it difficult for predators to pick out an individual zebra.
Horse vs Zebra Size Comparison
Zebras are smaller and stockier than horses. Zebras range from 10 to 14 hands in height whereas horses 16 to 16 hands high. Additionally, Zebras typically weigh around 550 to 990 pounds, whereas horses generally weigh 900-1,100 pounds.
Grevy’s zebras are typically the largest zebras, followed by the mountain zebra, with the plains zebra being the smallest.
Can You Ride a Zebra like a Horse?
Zebras can be ridden, but they are very difficult to ride compared to horses. Due to their flat backs, unpredictable nature, and lower strength, zebras are not an ideal animal for riding and only a handful of people have ridden them.
Additionally, zebras are small and can only carry a small rider. They do not have even temperaments like horses do, making them unpredictable. Even the most experienced horseman will advise against riding zebras. However, as you’ll see below, people have ridden zebras.
Famed American Explorer Osa Johnson Rode a Zebra
Throughout history, there have been instances of people riding zebras. Famed American explorer, filmmaker, and author Osa Johnson rode zebras on multiple occasions while traveling through Africa with her husband during the early 1900s.
Horse trainer and veterinarian Horace Hayes travelled extensively for his work with wife Alice.
During their time in Africa in the late 1800s, Horace trained a zebra for his wife to ride. Alice claimed the zebra was too headstrong and would not make a good mount for a lady rider.
Perhaps one of the most famous examples of a zebra being ridden is in the movie Racing Stripes.
A zebra named Sammy, who had already starred in other films, was used for all the riding scenes. Sammy was said to be very easygoing for a zebra, with a personality more like a horse.
Are Zebras Faster Than Horses?
Horses are faster than zebras. Horses can run up to 54 miles per hour, whereas zebra’s top speed is only 38 miles per hour. Although zebras are slower, they very agile and change direction quickly while running which enables them to evade predators.
Zebras have even been ridden and raced in recent years. In 2016 at Paradise Turf race track in Pheonix, Arizona, a handful of zebras were raced, as well as camels and ostriches.
Can Zebras be Domesticated?
Zebras can be domesticated and tamed, but they are not as easy to work with as horses are. Zebras tend to be more aggressive and unpredictable than horses, so it is not always practical or humane to tame them.
A zebra is much more likely to bite and kick than a horse, due to their many natural predators in the wild. When zebras are confined, their natural response is flight.
Though you can tame a zebra, lots of time and patience is needed. You need to practice a lot of caution when working with zebras.
What is a Cross Between a Zebra and a Horse Called?
A zorse is the offspring of a zebra stallion and mare horse. The reverse pairing is known as a hebra. A zorse is sterile and can’t reproduce. Zorses compared to zebras are bigger, have a calmer disposition, and vary more in color.
Since zorses are easier to work with and bigger than zebras, they are more often used for riding than zebras. They generally are only born in domestication, but there are a few rare cases of them being born in the wild. Zorses are a unique balance between zebras and horses.
Horses and zebras have hooves.
Members of the Equidae family, including horses and zebras, have a single toe surrounded by a hoof. These are the only group of animals with just one toe.
Horses and zebras hoof walls are made of keratin, the same material in humans’ fingernails and hair. Wild horses and zebras hooves are extremely tough and durable.
Equids haven’t always had just one toe their smaller ancestors, the Hyracotherium, had four front and three back toes. As horses migrated from the forest to the grassy region, they grew larger and needed greater stability.
Horses and zebras have long heads and similar teeth.
Horses and zebras have large heads with long nasal bones. And they both use their front teeth to nip off the tops of grass and then move the food to their back to crush and grind it before swallowing. They have between 40-42 teeth, and male zebras have sharp canines they use during fights.
Horses and zebras have manes.
The mane of a horse or zebra provides shade on hot sunny days and insulates the horse’s neck on cold days, plus it acts as a fly screen. Manes also shields the animal’s neck from a predator’s bite, and long forelocks shade its eyes from the sun and insects.
Zebras with upright manes are typically in good shape, and they have a strip of fat below their manes, which keeps their hair standing up straight. But if the animal begins to lose condition, it depletes this fat reserve, and the mane starts to fall over.
The mane is a useful indicator of fitness because zebras bellies stay swollen with gas and make the animal looks fat, but it could be starving.
Horses and zebras are fast.
Horses and zebras have long thin legs and powerful hindquarters, they are built to run fast to outrun predators, like bears and lions. Racehorses have been clocked running 55 miles per hour, and zebras can run over 40 miles per hour.
5 differences between horses and zebras.
Zebras have a distinctive striped color coat pattern not found in horses, but there are more differences between horses and zebras than just their coat patterns.
Zebras are smaller than horses.
One of the other apparent differences between zebras and horses is their height. Horses typically stand over 14.2 hands tall but can reach heights above 18 hands.
There are three species of zebras, and they range in size from 10 to 13 hands. Grevy zebras, which is the largest reaches 13 hands, the mountain zebra, famous for the gridiron stripes on its rump and the Burchell’s zebra recognized by its broad stripes, are typically ten hands tall.
Zebras have a different style of mane and tail hair than horses.
Most horse breeds have long, thick and luxurious manes, and this is especially true of Andalusians and Friesian horses. Zebras, on the other hand, have manes of short thick hair that stick straight up from their necks.
Horses’ tail hair grows from the base of its tail, but a zebra’s tail is void of hair until it bushes out at about midway to its end.
Zebras can make more sounds than a horse.
Zebras make all the sounds of a horse plus a couple not found in the horse’s vocabulary. For instance, zebras produce a high-pitched bark identical to the sound of a small dog, and they also hee-haw like a donkey. The zebra’s bark is used to alert the herd of predators and to call out for lost members.
A zebra is built differently than a horse.
Horses have longer legs in relation to their body than zebras. Horses have whithers and a sloping back, perfect for fitting a saddle. Zebras have no withers, and their back is straight, more similar to a donkey than a horse.
Zebras are mean.
Zebras may look peaceful grazing open ranges, but under their calm exterior is a warrior. They fight each other for dominance over herds, and to protect themselves from predators.
When escape is not possible, zebra herds collect themselves and get into battle formation, which is a semi-circle facing the predators. Their powerful kicks can cause severe damage and even death to some would-be attackers.
Zebra stallions fight for dominance of a herd. When a young stallion stops being submissive to the herd leader and attempts to mate with females, the leader will fight ferociously to keep their mares to himself.
When a stallion challenges the dominant male, it can turn into a bloody battle. They kick with their powerful hind legs and tough, sharp hooves that easily cut through animal hide.
The zebra race at the New Orleans Fairgrounds was fun.
The annual exotic animal races at the fairgrounds was a fun family day. We watched ostriches, camels, and zebras race. None of the zebras crossed the finish line, and most of them were able to buck off the jockey. The kids had a great time laughing at the riders trying to ride the zebras.
