This is my very first zebra and it took several days just to get aquainted.
I have named him "I Ain't A Paint" but I simply call him "Zee".
He is 5 months old and had him gelded right away. Stallion zebras are not something to be messed with and many people have been hurt by them when they reach maturity. No thank you!
Zee has calmed down quite a bit since I brought him home. I can now lead him around and handle him much like a horse.
He is still very jumpy around strangers but loves for me to scratch his face and neck.
The other horses here on the farm are very curious about the zebra and they will sniff each other through the fences.
Zee is growing calmer every day. He will follow you around the yard just to see what you're up to.
Zee is now 7 months old
Zee has made friends with Sunday and the both of them stay together now. Sunday will travel in the trailer with the zebra and she helps him learn to relax around strange sights.
I pony Zee when I ride Sunday and we have made several trips around the rural roads. Loud noise and traffic do not seem to bother Zee but he jumps at any sudden movements.
I was thinking of painting black stripes on Sunday for Holloween?
It's now mid-January and Zee is a bit fuzzy. He is now 10 months old and has made friends with all the horses. Even the goats hang out with him.
Zee is now 11 months old and is friends with most of the other horses. I ride Sunday and pony Zee down the roads for exercise and training.
Zee is now a year old. We took him to the vet to get a complete physical: Trimmed his feet, removed his wolf teeth, cleaned his sheath, new coggins test and annual shots.
We had to sedate Zee in order to trim his feet. I have been able to handle his front hooves but he still will not allow his back feet to be picked up. I wanted to avoid sedating him but in the end it was the only way to get the job done properly without getting Zee upset.
We took Zee along with Sunday and Ranger to a public ride. There were about 300 riders and many buggies and wagons. I was a bit nervous but Zee seemed right at home. He was a big hit!
My favorite question from the public: "Is it real?" Hmmmmm, as oposed to "fake"? :o)
The ride was 15 miles and Zee was definitely tired by the end. It was a great ride and another positive training oportunity for the Zebra.
Zee has become very friendly towards children
Sunday has been such a good teacher and buddy to Zee. I think he has remained so calm because he has her to look up to. Here they share a quiet moment of mutual grooming.
Zee also has Sunday's little weanling sister to play with too. All three stay together in a 10 acre field along with goats, ducks and geese.
I have been working very slowly at trying to handle Zee's feet. He has let me handle and trim the front hooves for some time now but he gets very nervous if I try and touch his back ones.
Persistance has paid off! Zee will allow me to pick up his back feet as long as he feels secure. I don't even put a halter on him while doing this!
We participated in another trail ride in which we took Zee along. He showed much more interest in "strange" sights and he kept up alot better. During a rest stop, he nearly went to sleep he was so relaxed!
He is such a cool little guy!
At 19 months old, he is starting to fill out and get that rotund butt that zebras are famous for.
We took a picture of him stepping up into our brand new trailer. He stepps up pretty well but he still turns around to unload instead of backing out.
Ready for the show ring???
Zee like to play rough with the young horses. We have a Paint colt that just loves to hang out and play fight with Zee. This has got to be one of my favorite photos!
I will be posting more pictures as he grows up!
Zee is 3 years old this month ~ March 2003!
He went to the vet again for his yearly check up. I didn't take pictures this time because I was busy working on him along with the vet. We sedate him for his annual exam because it is much easier to check every inch of him. We even floated his teeth this time.
He woke up with smooth teeth, a cleaned sheath, trimmed hooves, a clean coggins test and a handful of vaccinations including WNV.
Summer is meant for just hanging out by the pool and trying to keep cool!
Well, 2004 has started out on a rather sad note. Due to several pressing factors, I'm sad to say I had to make a very hard decision to sell Zee.
His new home is an exotic deer ranch up near College Station, Texas (close to Texas A&M University) where a new family will have the opportunity to love him as much as I did. I will be keeping in touch to be sure everything settles into place. They have kids which I'm sure Zee would love taking treats from.
I have alot of emotional memories with this little zebra! It has been the experience of a lifetime :o)
March 30, 2001
Zee just completed his very first Trail Ride!
