A rare zorse is looking for a new home.
Eight-year-old Zulu was sired by a zebra and is out of an Arab. He was bred in the US and imported to the UK four years ago, before his previous owner became unable to cope.
The 13.2hh gelding, believed to be the only zorse in Britain, was rehomed by donkey sanctuary Severn Valley Rescue in Bridgnorth in Shropshire.
Sanctuary owner Amanda Ball is looking for a new owner for the gelding so he can can continue with his specialist training.
“People do double-take when they see him,” Ms Ball told H&H.
“He is a real character — he is friendly but he has his days. People think his personality would be a combination of horse or zebra, but he always behaves like one or the other.
“He’s a bit more than I can handle. He is very focused he just needs someone who will continue his work to keep him in the public eye.”
Zulu has been in training with Rebecca Townsend of equestrian display team Jive Pony where he has been taught many tricks.
“They have trained him to ‘count’,” said Ms Ball. “When Rebecca does certain movements he taps his hoof a specific number of times so it looks like he’s doing maths.
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“He can also to do a Spanish walk and he can reverse on command.
“He likes one-on-one bonds with a person and responds really well to clicker training.
“Riding isn’t his best feature because of his shape — he has very narrow withers. But he may be able to be driven, as he is very good about having things behind him.”
Ms Ball said her priority is to find Zulu a knowledgeable home.
“It will be more about the home than the money,” she said.
“I want to make sure he will have the right training — I feel like we have that responsibility to him.”
Severn Valley Rescue has 60 donkeys in its care, as well as zonkey Zee (pictured right).
“She is just part of the herd and is more donkey than zebra,” added Ms Ball.
“Zulu however doesn’t like animals that are smaller than him, so he can’t go with miniature ponies or donkeys, but he gets on brilliantly with bigger horses.”
