Zebra's are wild creatures. How did they tame zebras in "Racing Stripes" to act?

Question

If any of you haven't seen the kids movie, "Racing Stripes", its about an accidentally abandoned Zebra that is found and brought up on a farm overlooking a racetrack. He grows up believing that he is a racehorse, and eventually(by the end of the movie) races on the track against other horses. Now I know the thought of a zebra racing in an actual race is ridiculous, but thats not my question.

That zebra was running and interacting with a lot of horses, and being ridden like it was any other horse. How did they do this?

Aren't Zebra's really really mean?

I understand that this zebra(or most likely many double stunt zebras) may have been brought up in captivity, and taught its whole life to never fear humans.

But in racing stripes, the zebras were in saddles and bridles like it was common place!

If they could do it there on the movie set, why don't we all just ride striped horses???( even though they don't have the glamorous callings of a horse, and are a lot shorter...)

Answer 1

great movie/stripes and all

Answer 2

they prob would have been hand raised zebras and they just got use to humans and being trained and told what to do...

Answer 3

They're still wild animals, trained the same way they train lions and bears for movies.

They aren't necessarily mean, just not domesticated and therefore unpredictable.  In the movies, they're handled by experts and get as many takes as necessary to make it right.  The other equines in the movie (which I haven't seen) probably had to be trained to accept - or appear to accept! - the zebras.

I've also heard that zebras don't have the kind of strength through the back that horses do, and don't have much endurance either...  but I don't really know.  Zorses (Horse/Zebra crosses) are an option if you really really want stripes.

Answer 4

come on now??

You should know movies can do anything with all the computers

They are hard to break ,, and are not liked by other real Horses,,

I have had one in my barn With in a week I had to ask the owner to find a new place for him

anybody and every horse spooked or went crazy when they saw him

One mare refused to eat for 2 days''

Oh well

I have ridden in a few movies and it amazing what they can do in cutting out shots and replacing them ,, You have to watch the movie closer,,

Well ponies are shorter too . Give me a bad pony to ride before a Zebra !!!

Answer 5

they had to train the zebra just like you would train a regular horse

p.s. i love that movie