Because of their resemblance to the familiar horse, there has always been great interest in taming and training zebras as riding and harness animals. In the 1760s, French naturalist Buffon belived that zebras could replace horses and there were rumours in Paris that the Dutch had already trained a team of zebras to pull a cart. Eccentric aristocrats around the world had zebr-carts at various times in the 19th Century.
Why was there such an interest in taming zebras in the late 1800s/early 1900s? There are several reasons. Britain was a colonial power and colonists tried to turn local fauna to their own use, often because imported European livestock didn’t thrive in the new conditions. Acclimation societies wanted to add new animals to the list of animals “useful to man;” the prevailing view was that the Christian god had made the animals for humans to use. Acclimation societies imported new species into European countries as potential additions to useful livestock. Circuses and showmen wanted to present something exotic to the paying public. Accomplished horsemen, eager to demonstrate their prowess in the saddle, wanted the challenge of taming and training the seemingly intractable zebra. One zebra four-in-hand was the result of a bet and took 2 years to accomplish, indicating a social class with plenty of leisure time. Aristocrats and rich eccentrics sought novelty.
Imported horses fared badly in Africa due to the climate and endemic diseases. The obvious (to colonists) solution was to domesticate native African equids. Horses had co-evolved with Europeans for thousands of years and had become domesticated, but zebras had never undergone that process and regarded humans as predators. They were also anatomically different from European horses, having stiff necks and very low withers. Nevertheless, many were successfully broken to saddle or harness. Once broken, they were tractable in harness, but their wild instincts made them easily spooked and they couild be ferocious kickers and biters. Many zebra teams included pairs of mules which had steadier temperaments. Hybrids were also bred, particularly in German East Africa where they were used for hauling gun carriages.
In the late 19th century, it was fashionable to train zebras to pull carriages. In the top photo, the three zebras are kept steady by a pony harnessed at the front. In the lower picture there are four zebras and the story of a wager. In the year 1898, in one of the many mews just off Cromwell Road, Kensington, lived Mr Hardy, who was a noted horserider and trainer, being one of the three men who had succeeded in riding the “French Rocking Horse”. This was a device used by the French Cavalry. It had every possible movement of a wild horse not in the best of tempers. Leopold de Rothschild, who knew of Hardy’s ability, was talking to friends of this achievement and said that he was willing to make a stake on his ability to train any animal resembling a horse. One of his friends took up this boast, and a stake was made that Hardy could not train a team of zebras to pull a coach through London. When after much trouble, the necessary beasts were obtained, Rothschild went to Hardy and told him the conditions of the wager. Hardy agreed to train them. The zebras were taken to Kensington and after 2 years hard work, Hardy informed Rothschild that his task was completed and that the team were ready for the road. At six o'clock one morning a strange sight was seen in London when, for the first time, a team of zebras were seen pulling a coach through London.
A number of colonial powers experimented with zebra-horse hybrids in Africa. It was hoped that the hybrids would be better suited to the African climate and better suited to saddle or harness. Others, such as zebra-ass hybrids, were bred by circuses or purely to give a stylish carriage mule.
A famous pair of harnessed zebras in the USA were Hans and Tanta who belonged to the Pevely Dairy Comapny. They were captured in Southwest Africa, near the city of Windhuk, and trained at the Hagenback Circus at Altona-Stellingen in Germany. In July 1929, at the age of 3 years old, they went to the Pevely Dairy Company in St Louis. Due to their early capture and training, Hans and Tanta were exceedingly gentle and well trained. In the 1930s, they became a familiar sight pulling the Peverly Dairy Co milk delivery wagon through the streets of St Louis.
There are many more fantastic pictures and much more information on messybeast.com, but these are some of my favorite tidbits.