Riding A Moose Sounds Fun Until You Meet Their Temper

Sure, why not?

That's what I think about riding a moose.

Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of reasons not to, I just think they have to be overlooked in the spirit of the Wild West.

We all know moose, despite their serene, long-lashed appearance, can be aggressive. Especially bulls during the rutting season and mama cows with calves.

Unlike horses, moose are reportedly NOT easily domesticated. This has been proven.

Those who have tried riding them describe the moose gait as "awkward" and "uncomfortable." But hey, I had a donkey growing up and I would describe riding her as awkward and uncomfortable, too. Didn't mean she didn't get ridden by every kid in Sublette County, though. Not to mention she was practically evil. Plenty of us went flying through the air as a result.

Probably the most compelling reason not to mount a moose is because it's illegal. While Wyoming doesn't specifically mention "riding a moose" as legal or not legal, it is unlawful to possess big game animals, so that's a big deterrent.

But let's pretend the moose wants to be saddled.

When has this been done before?

One of the more famous accounts in North America dates back to the late 19th Century when an Alaskan mail carrier named Jack Carr moved to Washington and adopted two pet moose. One named for President Taft (Bill) and the other Taft's daughter, Helen.

Technically he didn't ride them, he trained them to pull a small carriage. And he lived to tell the tale. Moved back to Alaska some years later and nobody knows what happened to his moose.

There's also a famous image of Theodore Roosevelt riding a moose, wading through what looks like a lake or a large river.

"Teddy in his iconic white safari hat, perched atop an antlered beast as it fords a body of water flanked by evergreens. The legs of our 26th president dangled in the water" chronicles Wired.

But as it turns out, the photo has been doctored. The photo serves to mythologize the larger than life president whose list of pets in the White House include a hyena, a badger, a one legged rooster, miniature ponies, and most notably -- a bear named Jonathon Edwards.

This is the same man who thought it would be a good idea to start farming hippos in the Southern United States.

SEE: Lake Cow Bacon & How Americans Nearly Became Hippo Ranchers

There are other validated stories about men riding moose.

Both Sweden and the Soviet Union attempted to use moose for military purposes, but found that the long-legged deer cousins didn't have the right temperament. Furthermore, moose in captivity are prone to disease and parasites.

A CBC article highlights the famous "Moose Man" from New Brunswick named John Connell who apparently befriended a young moose after saving its life. Nursing it back to health, he was able to train the moose like a horse.

I'd like to say the moose, Tommy, lived a long and happy life, but tragically he was mistaken for regular moose and shot by a hunter.