Mare Mounting Gelding

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Shoei

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Afternoon,

Does anyone have any experience of this. Both mare and gelding are 3/4 years old and he pretty much just stands theer and lets her get up!

I have known geldings do it but not mares!

Thanks
Shoei
 
I had a mare at one time who was turned out with my stallion and when she was a couple of months off foaling she started mounting the stallion quite often. He just stood there liking it because most of the time she'd see him off.
 
I have a mare who mounts other horses; male or female. She has previously been a broodmare so now she doesn't have babies, I suspect her urges are still there.
 
I have seen our cattle do it and to be honest wondered if she had seen it.

She is probably middle of the road regarding hyerachi in our heard of 6 she is probably 3 or 4 depending of my lads (leader) mood. He likes having her around because she doesn't tart as much or annoy him as the other mares. However the Gelding she is mounting is so mild mannered he just chills out and is down the bottom because they push him about.

Never had a foal either and like I said although she comes in to season, is the least tarty out of all 4 mares and generally a pleasure!
 
It's quite normal for cows to mount other cows - it's called bulling, and is used as a sign of oestrus. Although I know much less about the behaviour of bovines, I don't think it is a sign of dominance.
 
In cattle it's generally not dominance, although hierarchy will dictate who jumps on who. If you jump on someone higher than you you'll get battered, unless they are indeed 'bulling' (in season). It can be any combination of gender. They do it whenver they get excited about anything really, especially when young. Cows are thought to be genuinely bisexual - they show physiological signs of orgasm when jumped on and mount other females even when there is no bull to demonstrate season to. Could be the same for horses? I don't know if any research has been done on that.

My guess would be the mare is trying to incite the gelding into mounting her, but he's just not responding because he doesn't want to, but she is dominant so he can't exactly batter her, he just has to suck it up.
 
DanceswithCows said:
In cattle it's generally not dominance, although hierarchy will dictate who jumps on who. If you jump on someone higher than you you'll get battered, unless they are indeed 'bulling' (in season). It can be any combination of gender. They do it whenver they get excited about anything really, especially when young. Cows are thought to be genuinely bisexual - they show physiological signs of orgasm when jumped on and mount other females even when there is no bull to demonstrate season to. Could be the same for horses? I don't know if any research has been done on that.
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None that I am aware of - and I do try to follow all the research on equine behaviour.

My guess would be the mare is trying to incite the gelding into mounting her, but he's just not responding because he doesn't want to, but she is dominant so he can't exactly batter her, he just has to suck it up.
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I believe that such 'inciting' is normal behaviour for dogs, but it is definitely not normal for horses. A mare that is keen to be mounted will just show oestrus signs -- present rear end with stance, urinate, wink -- more, or less commonly will back towards the stallion (I have seen this more in donkeys than horses). As mentioned above, I don't think the usual equine dominance considerations apply in this situation because it is readily overridden by the willingness of both parties to mate. Thus, a dominant mare that easily displaces the stallion in day-to-day interactions when not in season invites and allows his approach after coming into season (although she may still be horrid to him after he has covered her!).
 
fburton said:
None that I am aware of - and I do try to follow all the research on equine behaviour.


I believe that such 'inciting' is normal behaviour for dogs, but it is definitely not normal for horses. A mare that is keen to be mounted will just show oestrus signs........and allows his approach after coming into season (although she may still be horrid to him after he has covered her!).
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This is one of the things I don't like about horses, all the violence. Cows are so gentle in comparison, if they want some they just do it, no fighting or anything!
 
I have a lot of mares - about 16 brood mares, a couple of retired mares, and all the fillies coming up. I have not seen ANY of them attaempt to mount although theydo 'flirt' with each other when in season. If I saw one starting to mount another the first thing I'd do would be to get the vet to scan their ovaries - this is a classic symptom of GTC tumour - they expel testosterone. You will usually get a bit more aggression from the mare than normal!
 
DanceswithCows said:
This is one of the things I don't like about horses, all the violence. Cows are so gentle in comparison, if they want some they just do it, no fighting or anything!
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Yes, but you should hear what they say about each other in private. At least with horses it's all out the open.

Seriously though, I don't think there is all that much violence, except in PBS documentaries and in domestic situations where horses are put under a lot of space pressure. I guess it's all relative though!
 
I agree horses are no more violent than cattle for eg. and that space is one issue but also many do not live in stable herds.
 
My retired broodmare now riding horse shared a field with a rising 4 mare (technically still does). My mare is quite laid back. The mare she shared with bullied her (and any human that went into the field and was very nasty about it)

I have caught the mare mounting my horse on several occasions..... And despite informing the mares owner of her behaviour he has fine nothing about it! I have now split the field (much to my shares disgust but with yo approval) as my mare was getting injured and I was getting injured on a daily basis.

i did mention the possibility of an underlying problem to its owner but he has not entertained the idea sadly..... However a hormone I balance due to tumours may account for her erratic behaviour....... Will have another bash to get him to have her checked out.
 
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luckyoldme said:
whats natural s not sinfull.
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Quite! Sin is irrelevant in regard to what animals do with/to other animals.

However, certain behaviours may be detrimental to animals' welfare and therefore we have a responsibility to address them, including by preventing them from happening. x-di-x was quite right to split the field to stop her horse being mounted continually. Although mounting is fine and necessary for mating, there is a risk of injury associated with it which can and should be avoided if a foal is not planned.

Maybe you weren't referring to x-di-x's post, but the same would apply to any case of mares mounting other mares.
 
DanceswithCows said:
Horses are def. a lot more violent than cattle around mating.
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While I think that is often (but not necessarily) the case in human-managed mating, in the natural setting there is usually very little actual violence. Indeed, the whole business can be surprisingly undramatic and even gentle. Okay, a mare's rejection of a stallion when she is not in behavioural oestrus is full of sound and fury, and when e.g. in-hand covering is intended requires special protective measures, but when a stallion is running with mares he will be able to judge their reproductive status typically with much less kerfuffle than is seen at the teasing board. That's because the stallion is living in proximity to the mares round the clock and can scent-test every pee and be aware of every subtle behavioural sign from hour to hour. Conversely, the mares will be accustomed to his presence and growing interest as they come into season and therefore be much less inclined to show extreme reactions. A stallion running with mares will simply know when they aren't in season and so not bother even to attempt courtship.

As for the actual mating act, I don't consider there to be a lot of difference physically. Both sexes are well-adapted to the mechanics of copulation.
 
I dunno, I've worked with stallions who ran with the herd and there was a heck of a lot of booting-him-in-the-chest going on. Never get a hint of that with cows, the bull will taste the pee, rest his head on her back and if she says no she'll just move away and he'll mooch off. very quiet and chilled. Cattle mating itself is also very quick and subtle - one jump, all done!
 
Okay, point taken! I won't argue that stallions win over bulls in the gentleness stakes, only that they aren't always as violent as people imagine. The stallions I've known who lived in the herd over a period of time (and were in all but one case, native ponies) learned to be pretty canny and sensible when it came to approaching and courting equivocal mares.
 
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