PapaverFollis
Well-Known Member
😠Love a good typo. My mare is a bit like a bear when she's hungry!
Of course it goes without saying that all horses should be treated with respect. My experience is that a gelding is more likely to shut down if being treated unfairly, whereas a mare is more likely to meet fire with fire. One of my mares could be called a typical mare (and she’s a chestnut Welsh!) but in actual fact she just has more facial expressions than my geldings. This is why I like having a ‘typical mare’ because I always know what she’s thinking and how she feels about something.
Ive had 5 mares over the years and theres only one that I would have considered had a stereotypical mareish attitude, but I do wonder how much of that was due to her previous lifestyle. She used to attack people when they went in to feed her and had to be held back with a yard brush (this was many years before I got her).
I spent my childhood and teens hanging off this pony and cuddling and kissing her! I’m not entirely sure she was particularly happy about this but neither of us came to any harm and we ended up having the most incredible relationship. She was definitely the pony of a lifetime. She was grumpy in the stable but perfectly fine outside of it. But yes, people used to comment on her mare-ishness. I preferred to call it spirit!
My most affectionate pony was a mare. There was not a grumpy bone in the Divas body, she was the sweetest person I’ve ever met.[/QUO
When I am relaxing in my bedroom and various children come in to seek attention....I pin back my own ears.
Me too I dont recognise any of these so called typical mare behaviours mine you can do anything with, for or without question. Mind you I have owned them all from a young age so understand boundaries.Do I live in a weird parallel universe? Even Lady G's description of a 'typical mare' does not describe mine.
My grey loves being centre of attention all the time for hours. Fuss and groom away for as long as you can stand it, personal space? I don't get any when she's around. CM is a bit quieter and is stand-offish with strangers, but once she knows you she's a total sweetheart. My old TB was also an absolute darling and had a wonderful, affectionate temperament.
Discipline? What's that? (ETA - I suppose I mean the association of discipline with force) I correct undesirable behaviour and praise good behaviour. They soon try to get things right and indeed get things right when I mess up and roll their eyes at the silly human.
Girthy? No not at all even when in season. If one was girthy I would know that something was wrong even if it was just my mistake catching skin when doing the girth up or maybe something bigger.
CM is boss and she flicks an ear and they fall into line. The grey was a bit narked with the gelding when he first arrived but it quickly passed and they are best buddies. If he nips her bum she will wave a leg or pull a face at him, but frankly he deserves it.
I think we need to stop being so sexist and treat horses as individuals. Most horses are extremely biddable by nature, so unless a human messes them up, you have an animal that is ready and willing to learn.
I wouldn't expect any horse to just stand in a field to have a rug put on without a headcollar, I only ever do it with mine when there eating from a Hay net out there and I have geldings, it's actually quite a dangerous thing to do if the horse runs off and the rugs not secured properly the horse can get caught up trip over and hurt themselves.
A friend of mine patiently explained to me some years ago the importance of putting on a headcollar (and lead rope of course) on a horse at grass before taking off or putting on its rug.
Believe me, I asked lots of questions.
If for some reason you cannot 'secure' the horse, then it is much safer to undo/do up the straps in a certain order.
If putting on, the chest strap needs to be done up last. If taking off, obviously the chest strap would be undone first.
This is because if the horse gets away and takes off with all straps undone except the the chest strap, the rug can fall down in front of the horse like a giant bib. The horse of course can then trip and break its neck or leg.
It's such a simple thing. And big huge accidents can be caused by simple little things.
I've never forgotten her advice.
Another thing I was told was to never loop a lead rope in my hand. I always thought big huge loops were safe, but no. So since hearing that, I now hold a lead rope in a different way so that no round loop is formed.
I was taught to always do the rug up in that order as well to prevent it slipping or getting caught, unfortunately a lot of people are not aware of the sequence.
Me three. I’ll admit that mine rarely have headcollars on. I usually do rugs after tea when they are eating hay but sometimes not. I’d be very shocked if they did move, but if the rug is done up in that way it minimises the risk somewhat.Me too
https://www.newrider.com/threads/update-new-mare.127041/
The link is about a difficult mare I bought some years ago, I blogged my progress with her, it's a long read granted...
And in short the mare had a poor start in life and what it took to bring her round a few people said it was because I liked her...sounds crazy but you need to read the thread to understand.
Its really not. Its an old fashioned stereotype trotted out by people who should know better.
I think that's the key bit, regardless of what experience *anyone* has had, it's a cliched saying that people can and do interpret as saying you can bully geldings (just read this thread for examples).and with ANY horse, asking is better.
Funnily I was always taught the opposite to do te rug up front to back and undo back to front as it means the hair lies properly and it is less likely to slip so even that has changed in 50 years
A friend of mine patiently explained to me some years ago the importance of putting on a headcollar (and lead rope of course) on a horse at grass before taking off or putting on its rug.
Believe me, I asked lots of questions.
If for some reason you cannot 'secure' the horse, then it is much safer to undo/do up the straps in a certain order.
If putting on, the chest strap needs to be done up last. If taking off, obviously the chest strap would be undone first.
This is because if the horse gets away and takes off with all straps undone except the the chest strap, the rug can fall down in front of the horse like a giant bib. The horse of course can then trip and break its neck or leg.
It's such a simple thing. And big huge accidents can be caused by simple little things.
I've never forgotten her advice.
Another thing I was told was to never loop a lead rope in my hand. I always thought big huge loops were safe, but no. So since hearing that, I now hold a lead rope in a different way so that no round loop is formed.
Allowing time to make a decision is probably the key to actually training these slightly difficult horses, if they figure out the correct response then they've learned something and you're step further along
If you barge in too quickly trying to manhandle them then they think only about you and not about the question posed. So even if they do the correct thing they haven't actually learned what you needed them to.
I know it makes all the difference with my tricky girl but it does require genuine patience when they seem "stubborn"
well I would agree, but given that there aren't any entry exams for either, I think there are plenty of people with both who are a bit short on itIf you don't have patience, you shouldn't have horses!
Or indeed, any animal, or children.
well I would agree, but given that there aren't any entry exams for either, I think there are plenty of people with both who are a bit short on it
I think that's the key bit, regardless of what experience *anyone* has had, it's a cliched saying that people can and do interpret as saying you can bully geldings (just read this thread for examples).
It also perpetuates the "stroppy mare" stereotype when lots of us find that to be absolute bunkum.
Well I'm glad to hear they got happy endings, for sure not every horse is so lucky. But to me that shows is that every horse needs asking, not just a mare, not discussing with a stallion, and not telling a gelding... therefore the saying is outdated
The headcollar mine have on is a bucket feed - and training. But they have been with me for many years, a new addition would be a different matter until I had desensitised it. And they are in separate paddocks which helps - just shows you generalisations are not a good ideaMe three. I’ll admit that mine rarely have headcollars on. I usually do rugs after tea when they are eating hay but sometimes not. I’d be very shocked if they did move, but if the rug is done up in that way it minimises the risk somewhat.
Thank God for some sense.....Totally agree
I have 4 mares at the mo and none of them fit the "typical mare" descriptions on this thread or others. They are all different, all have their own *normal* in terms of flirtiness, hormones, whether they enjoy cuddles or prefer their own space, none are aggressive or moody or girthy unless there is something wrong with them that needs attention. All of them have been willing partners and highly rewarding to have around.
I also agree with a previous poster that if the OP's reaction to undesirable behaviour is to start yelling or hitting the horse then a gelding is not deserving of that either. Time to take a bit of time out and learn how to train horses in a constructive way
View attachment 33323
I adore mares, I find geldings a bit dull.
My two year old filly was admitted to the hospital and let in the care of someone that didn't like mares, and I ended up with this. It took me months and a new brush to get near her mane or tail. I'm assuming one of the students smacked her with it. I wasn't best pleased.
We have 2 mature stallions in the yard, and three colts. One stallion is in charge of his herd, the other is generally beaten into submission by the lead mare. She's due to foal any day now, and is getting exceedingly cranky.
Well that's not a happy herd the stallion should not be subjected to bullying everyday that is just cruel, and she is obviously not feeling safe and happy or she wouldn't be so aggressive towards him, not my idea of how to keep horses poor bloody foal being born into that situation that's quite sad.