A horse of a different color.

A pinto Zorse? Eclyse's stunning color makes her a prime attraction.
A pinto Zorse? Eclyse's stunning color makes her a prime attraction.

No, this image is not photo shopped. This amazing but natural coat belongs to Eclyse the zorse. I’ve seen Zebra-Horse crosses (also called a Zorse) before but never one that looks like this one.
Eclyse is the result of a summer romance when her dam, Eclipse (a horse) was taken from her home at a German safari park to a ranch in Italy. At the ranch she was turned out with a mixed herd where she caught the attention of Ulysses, a zebra.

When Eclipse returned home, she surprised her keepers by giving birth to the baby zorse. The foal was promptly given a name that is in itself a hybrid, of her parents’ names. Her temperament, too, displays her parentage. While she is usually tame, like a horse, she also has episodes where her fiery zebra side comes through!

Hardly surprising, Eclyse is a major attraction at the safari park, Schloss Holte Stukenbrock, near the German border with Holland.

What I didn’t know is that zorses are often crossbred in Africa and are used as trekking animals on Mount Kenya.

3 thoughts on “A horse of a different color.

  1. wow. Seems like this horse could be used as a mascot for a major company. “Old tradition… now excitingly different.” Sell her to Apple

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