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Message: <blockquote data-quote="mythusmage" data-source="post: 547909" data-attributes="member: 571">A relative of the zebra. Solid brown on the front, shading to stripes on the back. Genetic tests on an old quagga hide has shown that it was a type of zebra, and not a zebra/horse hybrid as some had thought.Please note that most species Man has tried riding really didn't work out. They were either too intractable to be trained as riding animals, or too uncomfortable a ride. The best riding animals (horses, camels, and elephants) are trainable, large enough to comfortably ride, provide a good seat, and readily bond with humans. Something not true of all the others. For example, the eland is large enough for an adult human to ride, but they're near impossible to handle.It comes down to, is it a true herd animal? A true herd animal will gather together in herds for mutual protection. A good example of this is the Cape Buffalo. Members of a herd will assist any member in distress, and will cooperate against predators. Gazelles don't do this. Gazelles only gather into groups when a male puts together a harem. And when he's done with getting the ladies pregnant, the harem breaks up. We were able to domesticate cattle because they were able to accept us as surrogate herd leaders. Gazelle can't be domesticated because they have no real herd leaders.Cats and rhinos (We're now finding out) apparently accept us as surrogate mothers. House cats and lions will share parenting of the young, which could be why house cats look upon us as stand-in parents, but why rhinos bound with people remains a mystery.So when designing a fantasy riding animal here's a few questions to ask yourself.Is it a herding animal? Or one that gathers in some form of mutually supporting group?Do such groups have a leader?Does the animal bond with people?Is it large enough to carry the prospective riders comfortably?Can it be trained well enough to be trustworthy while carrying a rider?Does it perform well enough as a riding animal to be worth keeping as a riding animal?Finally, I end this posting with a trivia question. Three species of mammal have been to the south pole. Two of them are humans and dogs. Can you name the third?</blockquote>

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