Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
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.”
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
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.
“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.”
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
Rachael joined Horse & Hound in 2014, initially as a digital sub editor then became part of the news team as a writer in 2015. The philosophy graduate studied journalism at the Press Association before working as a local reporter at the Brentwood Gazette. Rachael is now a mum of two and still loves all things equestrian, including hacking, dressage and jumping with her cob Bert. Rachael left the H&H staff to go freelance in June 2019, but still contributes to our magazine and website, as well as our sister magazine Country Life, among others.