Geldings v mares....

[Acolyte]

I am horse hunting - hurray! But being impatient I want to start trying some horses soon, and the only ones I can find in my area are mares

I have always said I would only ever own geldings - when I sat and thought about it today (in a traffic jam!) I realised that there is no rational reason for this!

Would you own a mare? If not, why not? And is there any way if I can tell if a mare will be... well... mareish??

 

[Nailed]

yes i would own a mare.
I have owned a mare.

I would also own a stallion.

And i currently own a gelding.

Lou x

 

[_April_]

Mares all the way - We have had 6 of them

They are all in my signature.

lol actually I have nothing against geldings at all, just always seem to have found mares

 

[Honeypots]

I have 4 mares atm..did have 5 and none are at all mareish. I honestly see no different behaviour in them than in my gelding. I only ever notice 2 of them in season and with one its a slightly lifted tail and the occasional squeal and the other licks my gelding's legs from hoof to elbow...

 

[Abbeygale]

Have had geldings and mares - and much prefer mares on the whole. All the geldings that I have had - whether they are a lively sort or not, all seem to be a bit slower witted - probably something to do with having half their brains removed

.

All the mares I have owned have been really quick witted and much more intelligent. I would definitely stick with mares in the future if I ever come to buy another horse.

I like the more quick witted and stronger personalities of the mares

 

[jewel]

i prefer gelding, the only mares i ever had have been total cows.

 

[monica987]

I have had a mare, I have had a gelding...I am looking for a gelding, not a mare purely because there is no way I can put a mare out seperatly to all the others, and they are not a nice bunch atm

 

[dawnpetenathshir]

I think in all honesty it would depend on the horse. I've owned 2 geldings the first one was a pain in the arse but the one I have now is a sweetheart. I used to ride the most lovely mare when I was learning at a riding school. She's in her 40's now believe it or not!!

 

[Horseyscot]

Geldings for me. Had mares before that were very mareish and vowed never again......

 

[laurasj]

Have one gelding and one mare, gelding is great, mare is soooo mareish! But tbh i think it jst depends on the horse, u can get bad geldings and good mares too!

 

[rara007]

Geldings for us! We used to have mares, nothing against them, some were mareish, alit weren't but our herd of 9 geldings would be upset by ladies

.

 

[Chestnuttymare]

i have one of each. i love both of them. my boy is very affectionate and cuddly and cheeky. my girly is very loyal, intelligent,will really try for me but only cuddly on her terms.
depends on the horse really i suppose.

 

[seabiscuit]

A good mare is a good mare. Have known/had a good few mares and they were all just lovely, just so willing to please and not at all mareish....

However, I have known lots and lots of v.annoying and mareish mares that are complete tarts, and make life absolute hell!

 

[Cop-Pop]

Both of mine are girlies (as you know) - in fact I've never had a gelding. Love them both to bits - best thing is they don't look embarrassed when they're dressed in pink!!

 

[Acolyte]

Keep them coming everyone, thank you very much

I am reviewing the feedback regularly to see if it changes my mind about mares

 

[rockinghorse]

my daughters have always & still have geldings but I have only really bonded with mare. Think rather than gender this is down to me being a groom, hired hand & holder of their pc ponies whilst with my mare I built a really good 1-2-1 relationship. She looks down her nose at the boys and I find her more intelligent, i.e she will assess the situation before making a decision or trust me to make it for her, the boys when faced with something new will just seem to do or not do. On a winters morning when its chucking it down with rain and I open the stable door she wants to stay inside warm & cosy! the boys just think we're out!!!!! Find the right personality for you and enjoy.

 

[Sunny08]

My mare is LOVELY and one of the bestest horses I have ever owned! I've had geldings before who were lovely aswell but I don't think a gelding ever loves you so completely and utterly as a mare. M feeling is geldings can be nice to anyone, but you have to win over a mare and when you do it is well worth it! Very generalised I am aware!

 

[katie_southwest]

I have a mare and I wouldnt swap her for anything...especially not a boy

he he. The most sweet,gentle natured horse (but cheeky) I have ever known...and she is mine

and always will be

 

[merlinsquest]

I have looked after a mare when I was younger and didnt find her to be a problem..... but I was so young and smitten with her that I wouldnt have seen it anyway!!

Only other horses I have had have been geldings...... I need them to be slow witted and dim, to make me look a bit more intelligent!!!!!

Merlin is such a sweetie, he loves his cuddles and is so affectionate...... I cant imagine any other horse being so lovely!!!

 

[lauraanddolly]

Another mare owner here, and mines a chestnut mare at that. I wouldn't swop her for the world, and I would definatly have more mares. Out of all the horse I have known its the mares that have have been the special ones.

 

[Ebenezer_Scrooge]

I have had good and bad experiences with both.It depends on their personality my first horse was the most loyal mare ever and I loved her to bits. After she passed on I had bad experiences with another mare followed by bad times with two geldings. My current horse is a sweetheart and a gelding.

 

[TiaPony]

Every incredible horse I've ridden has been a mare. They have the hormones to give you that little bit more performance and they are incredibly loyal. Mine is very intelligent, cheeky, stupidly sensitive and a delight to own and ride but only cause of her quirks - she makes me ride rather than looking after me, although she's quite good at that too as she is honest as can be

 

[Bounty]

I love my mares and will choose mares over geldings every time

Seeing as the yard has individual turnout I can't see the issue with having a mare TBH, as mostly if they are marey it shows up when they are turned out in a group!

 

[Donkeymad]

I have owned 6 mares, still have four, and will only have mares - unless something very special comes along. I have had geldings, and currently have one, but they are just not right for me. I have to say that not one of my six mares has ever shown any signs of being mare-ish.

So, mares all the way

 

[DBrasnett]

I love my mare. She can be mareish and a pig, but as a women I totally understand and don't mind the odd out burst from her. When her back is sore, I kind of get it!! She can also be the biggest love and so huggable.

I feel mares have the need to bond with their person more then geldings do. Several others have posted about this too (sunny08 and Rockinghorse).

Every horse is different, every mare is different. As some people have posted, they have zero problem with their mares. But my old trainer used to sit people down before they purchased a mare and asked them a couple of questions.
1) Are you the sort of person to understand/be patient with a mare on her off days and work with her
2) How would you feel if you we competing and she had one of her off days?

 

[Hullabaloo]

I've looked after and ridden some very nice mares, but still much prefer geldings. Knowing my luck I'd get a moody one and I can live without the hassle. Saying that. if I found one that was exactly what I was looking for I might be persuaded.

I also firmly believe that a good gelding will try just as hard for you as a good mare - its just a matter of getting the right relationship going with them.

 

[Nudibranch]

I've owned 3 mares and never a gelding, but the next horse I buy will be a gelding (well a colt technically, but he'll be gelded!).

All 3 mares were/are lovely, only one was really mareish and tarty in season but still very easy to do. Always wanted a gelding; the horses I've ridden and really clicked with, but not owned, have always been geldings.

Either way though, if the perfect horse came up and it was a mare/filly, I'd still buy her.

 

[RunToEarth]

I would never rule a horse out based on its sex, mares have pros and cons I suppose. We have 2 mares and 3 geldings at the moment, my mum has always leaned towards mares, and my stepdad towards geldings.
I love how laid back the boys are, rugs on, rugs off, stand still, washed off, brushed off, faffed about with- my coloured is headshy but otherwise stands, dozes, and is easy as apple pie.
My oldest mare, Bertha, taught my the cons of mares from an early age- she has bitten, kicked, and generally bullied me for many years. Have to admit she always "threatens" when I do her girth/rug, but is always mortifed if she actually catches me and bites me, and knows before I growl at her she has done something wrong. We always put up with her marishness because she is simply a wonderful horse. Hunted from a young mare until the grand old age of 24- never lame, never off, she had a couple of seasons off due to mum being pregnant, where she used the obvious advantage of having a mare and put her in foal.
Not all mares are grumpy, and not all geldings are as easy as ours are either, but I can honestly say that every marish moment bertha has ever given us has been redeemed by a million wonderful ones.

 

[Swift08]

Im quite open tbh although i would try not to by a mare that is mareish! My mum is anti-mare she never seems to get on with them especialy grey welshies! I used to ride a few grey welsh mares and they always used to bite her

yet she would go up to a gelding and she would never have a problem. My gelding is very affectionate towards me and calls to me and will only do certain things for me (sounds odd but its true). Unless i find a mare i really got on with when i move onto horses my mum would make me have a gleding lol.

 

[0ldmare]

I will always buy a mare over a gelding.

Although I have owned a number of horses over the years, 3 of them have been extra special horses and, guess what, they have all been mares. I just find that once you have bonded with them they will do anything for you. By contrast although I have owned some geldings and was fond of them, they didn't have that special something (apologies to my lone gelding in the field with the 2 mares!)