Are you a mare or a gelding person?

I've owned 3 geldings, I don't have much choice really because thats all my yard will have. They say that it cuts down on field injuries etc.
 
Tell a gelding, ask a mare and discuss it with a stallion....

It's nice to see more mares competing at top level SJ now, you rarely used to see any.

I currently have a gelding, but have also had some cracking mares. My mother swears on mares for small kids, says they're more maternal, somy sister and I always had mares when we were growing up.

I think a good mare would beat a good gelding for me as they do seem to have an extra edge, BUT do think you need an established relationship with a mare more than you need one with a gelding. Geldings seem to have have less extremes of mood. Difficult to generalise though as have also known some very moody geldings (in fact I have one now - he's welsh...say no more!)
 
Yep, after losing Dillon I just looked for a gelding as the affection-thing was a very high priority for me.
Of the 6 mares on our yard, only the connemara mare is truly affectionate whereas most of the boys are; though none as much as my boy
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Ahh but the real beauty about mares is that when you do get an affectionate one - she will be better than any boy horse!! Mares like this love you forever - geldings will love anyone.
 
Both my boys have pased away in the last 15 months and I miss them both but I really prefer mares. I have my girl left and she can be a stroppy old so and so but I love her for it - it gives her depth of character. Am horse shopping at the moment and initially I enquired about a couple of geldings but now I'm set on a mare - I'm sure thats what I want. Have had quite a lot of experience with stallions and loved them too, but thats not really practical as a next horse so a mare it is.
 
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Ahh but the real beauty about mares is that when you do get an affectionate one - she will be better than any boy horse!! Mares like this love you forever - geldings will love anyone.

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Absolutely Tia. My boys were lovely, but anyones' friend, what I love about my mare is she is a b***h to anyone she doesn't know but shes a baby to me. A big soppy baby. Isn't there a saying I think I heard a showjumper quote that a good gelding is easier to find, but a good mare will beat a good gelding any day. I think it's very true.
 
Yes I have heard that saying too and I would agree with it. Mares are definitely very special creatures.
 
I've had both.
Unless I specifically wanted to breed, gender would be last on my list of "Must haves" if I was buying a new horse.
 
I get on well with both, when I was looking to buy I didn't care which I got but ended up with a mare as they are cheaper, and there was something about her that said 'buy me' I am much more interested in temperament than the sex of the horse, but if you have a mare that wants to work for you they will (generally) give that that extra bit compared to a gelding.
 
I used to love mares, but have rapidly gone off them due to a homebred grumpy half hanoverian mare (well she didn't get the attitude from her mum!)

Now bringing on full brothers; but one of those is sweet and the other is a chavvy Kevin type. So should be no difference in Nature/Nurture

I don't think there is any difference in sex, I think breeding and temprement are more important. Given a choice I'd buy a mare, because at least if they do a tendon you can put them in foal (although never choosing a warmblood stallion again!!
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I don't know why it was, I had a price range, and most of the comparable geldings were more than I could pay, the ones that I did try were certainly lower quality than the mares were.
Its possible it was just the market at the time, I really don't know why it was
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I have always had geldings, my friends have mares and to be honest it has put me off. I know there are some cracking mares out there, if i was looking to buy and a good one came up it wouldnt put me off.

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Got to say that Motos Mare Millie absolutley loves him and he adores her (she can be a bit of a begger with strangers), when he had Benson rear and fall on him he could not walk never mind ride but we were 2 miles from home so he got on Millie and bless her she knew he was ill and never stepped a foot wrong, she just knew she had to look after him. This mare is just so blooming clever, she poos in the barrow when you poo pick the field, she breakes the ice in the water trough and she can even pick her way through the electric fencing.......what a mare!
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mare person
good mares have more about them generally.
my mare is very very strong willed but once shes bonded to you she will do anything. and i find mares think for themselves abit more which can be more challenging but can get you out of trouble more. geldings tend to need constant directing and telling which i dont like! lol. in my experience geldings tend to be abit slower and thicker than mares but not always!
my mare loves being scratched and follows me round the field like a puppy wanting attention.
awww.
 
I have had 4 mares (not by choice - they just came along) and they have all been fantastic. If I were to look for another horse and a gelding came along I would end up with a gelding.

I think horses find you anyway so I am maybe I attract mares.

My current girl is a real wasp in the stable (nothing dangerous - just threats) but tries her heart out when ridden.
 
I have had 3 geldings and 2 mares. My first mare was a very very special horse, but when I started looking again recently I wanted a gelding as then you rule out buying "hormonal" problems. However I have ended up with another mare
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and love her to bits
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Personally for a general riding horse, I think sex is irrelevant, it is the horse you are buying and the personality should match yours. Ruling 0ut one sex or another means you miss out on 50% of the horse population where your ideal horse may be.
 
funny i happened to stumble across this thread!

have been looking for a horse and mum has been adiment that we arent even going to look at any mares due to the attitude my sisters mare has- she put us off mares. however, we have been to see a mare this morning and it looks like she is coming back with us next weekend if she passes the vet. she is nothing like my sisters mare- infact she had a nicer temprement than some of the geldings we have owned, and was just as nice under the saddle!
 
I have owned a total of 5 horses - 4 geldings and 1 mare. Out of them all I clicked completely with 1 of the geldings and the mare !!! (the grey and the bay on my sig) Always avoided mares until this one ! She's great and completely soppy ! I wouldn't hesitate in looking at mares if I ever wanted to buy another horse.
 
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Ahh but the real beauty about mares is that when you do get an affectionate one - she will be better than any boy horse!! Mares like this love you forever - geldings will love anyone.

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I completly agree with you Tia. Geldings are anyones horse whereas mares tend to like to build a relationship. Alot of professionals tend to ride geldings for this reason. They dont need to spend as much time bonding.

My mare is fantastic and so affectionate, we have such a strong bond although she can be very highly strung. I would consider having either so long as it does the job.
 
I have only ever had one mare and we didn't bond at all.

When i shopping for my most recent horse i didn't bother with gender but ended up with a gelding. however, he doesn't act like a gelding and has massive mood swings a solid bond with only me and will try his heart out to please me - bless him. i do sometimes wonder if he is a mare trapped in a gelding's body though
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im a mare person - so much so i was praying Ebi had a filly foal rather than a colt last year - and I got a filly. Give me a mare anyday. All 5 of mine are girlies
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