Mares V's Geldings

Love both!! Love my mare, occasionally wish she was a gelding
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but I can't tell when she's in season anyway. But on the other hand, I adore my friend's gelding and all the RS geldings, so when looking at adverts, I am completely neutral with both.
 
Our first horse was a gelding, who was very good at his job, but a bit of a taciturn fellow, we always imagined him in a flat cap with a roll up in the corner of his mouth (very much like our then farrier) We have had mares since then and the current Appy mare is a total tart! She can be nappy when in season, but is a wonderful creature with loads of personality. I think you ge tmore back from a mare, but you have to remember that they are entire horses.
 
I have had 4 mares over the years, 2 totally sane, non hormonal and would put their heart and soul into everything they did, 2 stroppy, hormonal, difficult and at times totally horrid ( but talented all the same) On balance I will always go for a gelding (current count 3 to 1 mare who is so difficult I ended up keeping her as a field ornament which she loves) I know I get hormonal and there is nothing worse than the clash of mare -v- human hormones!
 
Well, I used to be a bit anti mare because of one that my friend owns who really is a nightmare (no joke intended). That said, I've been riding two mares owned by my neighbour of late and I have to say that they are darlings - great fun, character, and lovely to ride.
 
I had a mare on loan for a year. She was a good horse and not in the least mareish and although I was very fond of her I just didn't bond with her in the way I have with the geldings I've had. It may have had nothing to do with her being a mare, but it has put me off having one.
I'm not saying I'd never consider a mare, but she'd have to be something really special. I like my boys
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Ive had mares and geldings and my current horse is a mare.

In my experience its harder to bond with a mare but once you do that bond is MUCH stronger.

I also think that a good mare is a very very good horse, they have this tough attitude which when the chips come down to it and theres a difference between winning and losing they will put their ears back, swish their tail and put 100% into winning that competition for you.

They are harder to get on your side but once they are they're amazing.

I think you rarely see mares at the top level in competitions because they reach a certain level and then they are used for breeding. For instance you dont often see stallions at badminton either do you??? Lots of mares and stallions SJ tho...
 
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In my experience its harder to bond with a mare but once you do that bond is MUCH stronger.


They are harder to get on your side but once they are they're amazing.



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Our mare just seems so intuitive - she can tell if she has a good rider, a 7yr old who's never sat on a horse before or someone in between on her back & adjusts herself accordingly.
Can't imagine a gelding being switched on enough to act as she does.

Dad's wife has a gelding who is so chilled he's horizontal (until he spooks) & he's more "conventionally" friendly but he doesn't differentiate, unlike stell who's nosy but quite aloof until she learns to like you & gives lots of kisses.

bless.
 
My mare was fantastic and it gutted me when we had to sell her (had a huuuge growth spurt). She was cheeky and had real personality but was no worse or more stroppy than any of the geldings we had
 
Well, I agree with chillidragon above - mares are entire and are therefore comparable with stallions, not geldings.
Neither stallions nor mares should really be owned by novice, inexperienced riders as they are far sharper than neutered horses (geldings)....although this also means they can be much better.
I have three mares...actually slightly prefer them, although I have no problem with geldings or stallions either (although the latter would be impractical for me). I can't usually tell when my old mare is in season...and have worked her in schools next to stallions all her life - and she has ignored their advances pointedly
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I think she's also more intuitive, and more caring - she looks after me more than a gelding might.
In fact, of my three, I don't usually know when they're in season as their behaviour doesn't change. And they're out with geldings on both sides of them.... none of them are grumpy, or moody, either.
S
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I know some lovely mares and do not dis like mares as a rule, however I would not choose to own one and especially as when I bought my lad I was after a first horse for a novice and decided that a gelding would be better suited.

Although grumpy on occasion I have found in my experience that geldings are more consistent in their moods and more malleable than mares.
 
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