The zorse is a cross between a zebra stallion and a domestic mare. It is also possible to use a zebra mare and a domestic stallion, but owners of valuable zebra mares don't want to waste a year of their breeding
life producing a hybrid when they could be producing a zebra foal
instead. The crosses were originally done in England and Africa to try
to produce a domestic horselike animal that was resistant to
diseases spread by the tse tse fly in Africa. Zebras have natural
resistance, where domestic donkeys and horses do not.
Mares of quality, especially Quarter horses and
American Paint horses, produce some very beautiful zorses that have a
good working attitude. If the mare has a pattern, such as pinto spotting
or Appy spots, the zorse often will also. You only see the striping
pattern on the pigmented areas, never on the white areas. Breeders avoid
using gray mares because the zorse can inherit the graying gene and
lose all his stripes in a few years! You can still see the stripes on
the skin.
Like mules, zorses are born anatomically normal males or females. They exhibit normal breeding
behaviour. But like mules they are sterile. Males should be gelded as
early as a few months old to prevent dangerous studdy behaviour. A
breeder in KY keeps two zorse mares in the pasture with his Paint stallion to keep him company. He has bred them both hundreds of times over the years but no offspring have ever resulted.
Zorses tend to be very
hardy and live into their 30s with good care. Their temperaments are
generally similar to those of their mothers, but like the zebra they do
have a strong flight response. Because of this it's best for a first
time hybrid owner to get a zedonk instead. When a zedonk startles he
freezes up like a donkey rather than bolt blindly like a horse or zebra. Source
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