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Man amazes locals by riding zebra | Man amazes locals by riding zebra |
(about 3 hours later) | |
A racehorse trainer has been causing a stir in Dorset by riding a zebra down to his local pub. | A racehorse trainer has been causing a stir in Dorset by riding a zebra down to his local pub. |
Bill Turner had always wanted a zebra after being told they were incredibly hard to be broken in and ridden. | Bill Turner had always wanted a zebra after being told they were incredibly hard to be broken in and ridden. |
He bought Zebedee from a wildlife park in Holland and after just two-and-a-half weeks amazed locals by riding him to the Kings Arms pub in Sherborne. | He bought Zebedee from a wildlife park in Holland and after just two-and-a-half weeks amazed locals by riding him to the Kings Arms pub in Sherborne. |
Mr Turner says he hoped to train Zebedee to jump in the future before finding him a new home as a pet. | |
He added: "The first two or three days I had him I thought to myself 'you silly old devil, I've bitten off more than you can chew here'. We were having real problems. | He added: "The first two or three days I had him I thought to myself 'you silly old devil, I've bitten off more than you can chew here'. We were having real problems. |
When people saw me me going down the road they were stopping, jumping out saying 'I don't believe what I'm seeing' Bill Turner | When people saw me me going down the road they were stopping, jumping out saying 'I don't believe what I'm seeing' Bill Turner |
"The landlord down the pub and customers reckoned it would take six months to train but after two-and-a-half weeks we did it. | "The landlord down the pub and customers reckoned it would take six months to train but after two-and-a-half weeks we did it. |
"When people saw me me going down the road they were stopping, jumping out saying 'I don't believe what I'm seeing'. | "When people saw me me going down the road they were stopping, jumping out saying 'I don't believe what I'm seeing'. |
"A few of the pub customers came out and saw him and quickly went back in saying 'I'll have another pint of that, it's better than I thought it was'." | "A few of the pub customers came out and saw him and quickly went back in saying 'I'll have another pint of that, it's better than I thought it was'." |
Mr Turner said he had always wanted to train a zebra after being told they were almost impossible to ride. | Mr Turner said he had always wanted to train a zebra after being told they were almost impossible to ride. |
"We have broken everything else, we've broken donkeys, ponies, race horses, carthorses, every other type of horse available, and it was just a challenge I wanted to do. | "We have broken everything else, we've broken donkeys, ponies, race horses, carthorses, every other type of horse available, and it was just a challenge I wanted to do. |
"They are hard to train as they panic very easily. | "They are hard to train as they panic very easily. |
"Also, everybody that has had something to do with them before tells me they have no brain, but I am not convinced with that because some of the things we've done with him shows he has got a brain." | "Also, everybody that has had something to do with them before tells me they have no brain, but I am not convinced with that because some of the things we've done with him shows he has got a brain." |
Mr Turner's daughter, Kristine Turner, said her father "was really impressed that it only took two weeks to break him in". | |
"But Zebedee won't stay here, he'll now go somewhere nice and be a pet to a family. | |
"He can have a nice life where he won't risk being attacked by tigers and other wild animals." |