Many equine species are able to breed with each other. Although the offspring are usually not fertile, some of them can be quite interesting too see! Most people know that a mule is the cross between a horse and a donkey. (The above mule is a little fellow named Scooby. We used him for riding and packing the summer I worked in Colorado.)
But have you heard of some of these other strange crosses?
- Zebra x Horse = Zorse
- Zebra x Donkey = Zonkey
- Zebra x Pony = Zony
Zebroids (zebras crossed with other equines) tend to be a bit more wild and unpredictable than domesticated horses and donkeys. This is because half their genes come from a wild zebra. However, with careful training, zebra crosses can be trained and ridden much like horses or mules. Here’s a great video showing a woman working on a mounting block lesson with her zonkey. (and using clicker training, too!)
