# What makes animals ride-able? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 3, 2003, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-animals-ride-able/211163 "2003-11-03T15:29:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-animals-ride-able/211163/21 "2003-11-04T14:04:19Z")
Well for me, a nice perfume, some lipstick and just a dash of rouge… What? ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-animals-ride-able/211163/22 "2003-11-04T15:04:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lissener \* > \*\*Mostly it’s a question of trainability. Horse’s are herd animals and used to a hierarchy, like dogs and dog packs. So they’re “hardwired” to obey a leader. Zebras, for example, prove largely too attitudinal to train like a horse. \*\* Zebras dont live and travel in herds? ---
**Author:** ![edwino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@edwino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwino)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-animals-ride-able/211163/23 "2003-11-04T15:41:05Z")
I’ve ridden an ostrich. They are really stupid. When I got on it, they put a bag over its head to confuse it (no shit). You steer basically by grabbing them by the neck and pointing their head in the direction you want to go. I’ve even seen people in South Africa have ostrich races. Their brain is the size of a lemon so I’m unclear if they actually understand what is going on. I’m not sure how long of a ride would be feasible on an ostrich, because, as others have mentioned, they do have a bit of an ornery streak in them. I would think at least some level of domestication is necessary for riding. This neatly explains why cattle, horses, and donkeys can be ridden but wildebeest and zebras cannot. Ostriches are probably an exception, because they are not wholly domesticated but they are really stupid. ---
**Author:** ![liirogue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dbc845/32.png) [@liirogue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liirogue)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-animals-ride-able/211163/24 "2003-11-04T16:00:24Z")
I have nothing to add except this thread is absolutely hilarious! ---
**Author:** ![Gulo\_gulo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bcef8e/32.png) [@Gulo\_gulo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gulo_gulo)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-animals-ride-able/211163/25 "2003-11-04T16:29:07Z")
I plan on having yaks at some point and now I’m going to have to try and ride them! (I had just planned on using them for packing.) Anyways, have some [Camel races!](http://www.allcamels.com/camelraces.html) I was told once that there were a people somewhere in Russia that used to ride moose. It was word of mouth and I’ve never seen anything in writing about them. No idea how far back in history this is either, but I’d love to know more. (I’ve seen a Scythian headress for a horse that had antlers, so maybe that’s where the story came from?) I’ve seen people ride reindeer but I always feel sorry for the deer since they’re so small! ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-animals-ride-able/211163/26 "2003-11-04T16:46:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Blake \* > **Cattle of various kinds are and have been ridden for millennia. Water buffalo are still a common riding animal throughout SE Asia and India.** I took a great photo in the Mekong Delta of a guy standing on the back of his water buffalo as it walked down the bed of a river. Looked like he was surfing it. Clearly Lieutenant Colonel Kilgore was wrong… ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-animals-ride-able/211163/27 "2003-11-04T19:10:25Z")
Who was the first to decide that horses need to be saddled to make them more rideable? What is it that horses don’t like about being bare-backed? ---
**Author:** ![OxyMoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9a140/32.png) [@OxyMoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OxyMoron)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-animals-ride-able/211163/28 "2003-11-04T19:18:17Z")
I thought the saddle wasn’t so much for the convenience of the horse as for the rider. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-animals-ride-able/211163/29 "2003-11-04T21:46:27Z")
[Here’s](http://www.rferl.org/nca/special/evenks/) a picture of a Siberian herder riding a reindeer. Note that he is riding on the shoulders, possibly because the back may be weaker than that of a horse. I think ride-ability is largely a matter of size and trainability. If an animal can be trained, and is large enough to bear a human’s weight, then usually it can be ridden. Some hoofed animals, however, may have relatively weak legs for their size. I have read that llamas are not ride-able, but they’re pretty small. And even if a large carnivore could be trained, they are probably not built well for carrying much weight on their backs over long distances. (I have seen circus acts in which monkeys rode dogs, however.) The largest antelope, such as eland and nilgai are probably ride-able if they could be trained. Mid-sized antelope might be ride-able for smaller humans. ---
**Author:** ![Wyatt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b19c9b/32.png) [@Wyatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wyatt)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-animals-ride-able/211163/30 "2003-11-05T16:50:54Z")
I know my neighbor’s kid used to ride their Saint Bernard … just sayin’… ---
**Author:** ![SSittser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f4b2a3/32.png) [@SSittser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SSittser)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-animals-ride-able/211163/31 "2003-11-05T18:08:53Z")
At a Renaissance festival we regularly visit, there’s a “pony ride” that includes, along with the ponies, a zonkey (half zebra, half donkey), an alpacca, and another non-pony or two. My daughter particularly likes riding the zonkey. ---
**Author:** ![Corner\_Case](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/corner_case/32/234_2.png) [@Corner\_Case](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corner_Case)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-animals-ride-able/211163/32 "2003-11-05T18:31:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by radar ralf \* > \*\*I have several vintage photographs of people riding moose and caribou in Alaska. There was even a plan in the earl 1900s to turn moose into draft animals. Dunno why these plans failed. \*\* I hate drinking moose. It has a good head but the antlers keep getting stuck in my moustache. But now, for something you’ll _really_ like, give me a Flying Squirrel… ---
**Author:** ![Hoopy\_Frood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoopy_frood/32/8452_2.png) [@Hoopy\_Frood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoopy_Frood)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-animals-ride-able/211163/33 "2003-11-05T19:40:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Corner Case \* > \*\*I hate drinking moose. It has a good head but the antlers keep getting stuck in my moustache. But now, for something you’ll _really_ like, give me a Flying Squirrel… \*\* You could always try drinking Moosehead. > **[Moosehead](https://www.moosehead.com/)** > > The last major independent Canadian brewery. Owned by Canadians. Since 1867. Discover your next beer and more here. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-animals-ride-able/211163/34 "2003-11-05T21:50:22Z")
And people think the Great Canadian Moose Cavalry is a myth…! ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-animals-ride-able/211163/35 "2003-11-05T23:56:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Gulo gulo \* > \*\*I’ve seen people ride reindeer but I always feel sorry for the deer since they’re so small! \*\* Well, of course. It’s common knowledge that [reindeer are draught animals.](http://www.jardinpuzzles.com/gallery/galmelindamisc_files/xmassleigh.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Waenara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@Waenara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waenara)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-animals-ride-able/211163/36 "2003-11-05T23:57:03Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by OxyMoron_ > I thought the saddle wasn’t so much for the convenience of the horse as for the rider. [This site](http://www.newrider.com/Specialisms/Western/Saddles/western_saddleintro1.html) gives a brief history of the saddle. > [@](#): > > A tribe called the Sarmatians who lived by the Black Sea are credited with having invented the first saddle in 365 AD, as well as the metal stirrup and spurs. The Sarmatians were well known for their horsemanship and use of horses in battle. > > _\_ > > It appears that people had ridden horses for around 1,500 years before they had devised a method for achieving greater stability in the saddle. An early form of the stirrup has been traced to India in the second century BCE. It consisted of a simple loop through which the rider placed his big toe. This was of limited value for stabilizing a rider and of no real value whatsoever as an aid in mounting a horse. Some scholars believe that the first true stirrups were devised in Central Asia during the first century BCE by a nomadic group known as the Sarmatians. This innovation soon spread to other Central Asian peoples, who would have quickly noted that bracing one’s feet in a set of stirrups made it much easier to shoot a bow from the saddle. > > Invaders from Central Asia, such as the Huns, brought the stirrup to Europe, where it seems to have been valued as much for aiding in mounting as for stabilizing a rider in the saddle. In fact, the words for stirrup in Old High German, Old Saxon, and Old English are all derived from words for climbing. When used with the contoured saddle, stirrups afforded a mounted warrior considerable stability, thereby allowing him to deal powerful blows with a sword, axe, mace, or lance. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2003, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-animals-ride-able/211163/37 "2003-11-06T00:07:07Z")
This thread reminds me of the King of Id with his “steed”. ---
**Author:** ![Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2003, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-animals-ride-able/211163/38 "2003-11-06T01:55:38Z")
Rather than come up with another anecdote about this or that animal which has been ridden, I’d like to submit a hypothesis. We don’t ride cats because cats have flexible spines, yes? Is there some anatomical difference which makes equine-type animals more ride-able (as per the OP) than, say, canine or feline or ursine? FISH ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2003, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-animals-ride-able/211163/39 "2003-11-06T17:55:17Z")
I thought we don’t ride cats because we would squash them as soon as we sat down on them. ---
**Author:** ![LifeFucU](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7feea3/32.png) [@LifeFucU](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeFucU)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2003, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-animals-ride-able/211163/40 "2003-11-07T04:07:34Z")
i thought the side with teeth was a proper deterrent aswell… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-animals-ride-able/211163.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-animals-ride-able/211163.md?page=3)