Does your mare play?

[Hippona]

Just pondering really.....

I was watching the 2 geldings (aged 5 and 20-ish) playing together this morning - chasing and running about, rearing up etc.......whilst the mare stood on the hay pile gorging herself.

It occured to me that the geldings always play- and she generally mooches around on her own ( unless she's in season when she is a complete tart). She will graze with them when she wants company, or when they are just chilling out she will be with/near them....but I've never seen her doing 'lads' stuff.

Is it a mare thing generally?

 

[KatB]

Hmm, mine hasnt been turned out with other horses in the same field, as it's just been the way with the yards Ive been on. However, I have had to lead other horses lead through her field when she's been in there, and she will canter upto them and dart about and try and play

She "plays" with you when you loose school her too, and dodges and darts about. I would love her to have a friend, as I think she would love it

 

[Moggy in Manolos]

No my mare doesn't play, I think its geldings who do it more than anything, deriving back to stallion type behaviour, our boys used to play but the girls never really did

 

[loz9]

both my mares love a good gallop around & play with each other, its the gelding who stands there lookin at them like they are idiots! he is 30+ tho!
out of the foals the colt is by far the most playful, constantly biting the fillies knees & hocks! little sod that he is!

 

[michellev123]

My little man plays with his frineds (other geldings and foals) whilst all the mum's just stand eating and watching. . . probably enjoying the rest!!!

 

[Chloe_CC]

I've noticed that my mare doesn't play either.. She just gorges on food too (Gannit!) it must be a girl thing

My boy loves playing with other geldings, but now he is in with 2 girlies.. and i think he quite likes being the stud.. bless him

 

[NeedNewHorse]

Funnily enough at our yard we have a Mares field and a Geldings field. The geldings are always playing. The Mares will gallop about (mind inc) but I never see them 'play'. They just tend to loon around alot. Whereas the geldings will always be rearing up and nipping each other.

x

 

[fatpiggy]

I do think that geldings like to "play" more than mares. Pretend fighting, nipping each other underneath, boxing. My mare is a bit too old for playing much now, but she used to particularly enjoy whizzing up to me, rearing up vertical, spinning on her back legs and scooting off again. I used to join in by doing the Boo! stance. She also loved sliding as far as possible and throwing herself on the floor (excitement makes her roll anyway, and rolling makes her excited) I was also told by a field owner that she used to gather up all the horses every afternoon and lead them in a gallop around the field. I was amazed, but since then other people have said they regularly saw her having a "mad half hour" so it must be true.

 

[scrumpygus]

My gelding plays for hours. If a horse even dares to go up to my mare though she will charge and attack it - she is a typical stroppy chestnut mare. If i ever saw her even run up the field in excitement i would be amazed - she is the laziest moody mare i have ever met. Even if i walk past a field with a horse that dares to come up to her she will try and kick it over the fence!

 

[Archangel]

No, she lives with two very rough and tumble geldings and occasionally she gets swept along looking all horrified.

She is a complete Princess and fnds it unbelievable that they would sneak up behind her and nip her bottom/steal her food/hang onto her tail flap - in fact she is in an almost permanent state of outrage.

 

[Hippona]

' a permanent state of outrage'......like it- yep, that just about sums Storm up

 

[jeanette0403]

No mine will never play even if the ponies are running around she looks at them like they are so childish. She is on box rest at the moment and i gave her a nut ball this morning to try she just looked at me in disgust as she was clearly far to grown up to play with it!!!

 

[vallin]

She likes a good hoon and a buck and skiding, but not the rearing boxing sterotypic boys play.

 

[SVMel]

The two mares will charge about but not 'play' so much and only when the boys start it. The geldings - 17yo anglo arab & 7 yo shetland - will play lots.

Must be a boy thing!!!

 

[little_flea]

Interesting! Maggie does definitely not play - but she loves bossing other horses around and is the more dominant mare with any horse and is very grumpy with them. However, she is very playful with humans and objects - loves attention, being scratched and scratching back, always tilting her head to get cuddles and throwing objects around. But never with other horses!

 

[exracerfan]

Its the same with men, still little boys at heart. How many buy "boys toys" like a train set for the kids, but play with it just as much if not more than the kids?

 

[lady_annabelle]

mine hoon around like idiots but its more that they fight than play just kick each other a couple of times then go back to eating