Stallions competing against mares and geldings?

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soloequestrian

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Came up in conversation today - men and women don't compete directly against each other in sport unless they have a horse to provide the power. Stallions do compete directly with mares and geldings - presumably the extra testosterone they have does have an effect on muscle mass.... so do they have an advantage?
 
meleeka said:
Horses aren’t really relying on strength which is what puts women at a disadvantage. Stallions are separated in most showing classes, but in ability disciplines, mares can be just as talented as stallions.
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Not ridden classes. They go up against the mares and geldings in the majority of Open classes. They tend to do better ourely because of their presence. There are a lot of stallions being shown that are not good enough to be bred from and won't ever see a mare anyway.

The fillies do find it tougher in racing to beat the boys. You do have to have an exceptional mare to take on the boys with. But to be fair that's usually more so in the Juvenile ranks. Quite a few mares have won the Arc in recent years beating the boys. The last 2 Champion Hurdles have been won by a mare too.
 
Unfortunately a lot of people seem to think they require a stallion to do well in ridden showing classes but a correctly schooled and well mannered obedient mare or gelding can do equally well. Unfortunately gone are the days when judges used to say, ‘lovely gelding, would have been a good stallion’ these days the comment should be ‘conformation isn’t really good enough why not geld and everyone would be happier’ but imagine the comments on FB for anyone brave enough to comment.
 
gallopingby said:
Unfortunately a lot of people seem to think they require a stallion to do well in ridden showing classes but a correctly schooled and well mannered obedient mare or gelding can do equally well. Unfortunately gone are the days when judges used to say, ‘lovely gelding, would have been a good stallion’ these days the comment should be ‘conformation isn’t really good enough why not geld and everyone would be happier’ but imagine the comments on FB for anyone brave enough to comment.
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Thats actually very true the Hoys Arab class is mixed now but it used to be 3 individual classes and I can't remember the last time a stallion won it at Hoys certainly not for the last few years I think its been geldings.
 
Fieldlife said:
I think it’s a marginal disadvantage to have a stallion in dressage.
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It's a massive disadvantage to have an entire in national hunt racing. They are very few and far between, the odd few go hurdling until they are 5 or 6yo but you will rarely see one go chasing. The boys don't like dragging their crown jewels through Birch so they become too careful and protective of themselves which then makes them too slow in the air over a fence.
 
gallopingby said:
Unfortunately a lot of people seem to think they require a stallion to do well in ridden showing classes but a correctly schooled and well mannered obedient mare or gelding can do equally well. Unfortunately gone are the days when judges used to say, ‘lovely gelding, would have been a good stallion’ these days the comment should be ‘conformation isn’t really good enough why not geld and everyone would be happier’ but imagine the comments on FB for anyone brave enough to comment.
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4 or 5 years ago at Olympia 42 ponies qualified in total. 3 mares, 2 geldings, 37 stallions. It is a real problem in the Native Pony world. Not so much in the other sections - coloureds have to go through a grading, Arabs don't seem to care what gender the animal is and actually the rest aren't allowed in any other section now I come to think of it.

I have also told someone in the ring that I was judging that their Colt would make a better Gelding. Granted I did it under the guise of "he will make a cracking kids lead rein pony when he is old enough".
 
I guess it depends on which equine sport, however I think if it was clean cut that stallions have an advantage, stallions would win everything- which they don't.

Successful stallions are rare eventing so I would actually assume a disadvantage (for whatever reason) in that sport.
 
millitiger said:
I guess it depends on which equine sport, however I think if it was clean cut that stallions have an advantage, stallions would win everything- which they don't.

Successful stallions are rare eventing so I would actually assume a disadvantage (for whatever reason) in that sport.
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I'd say it would be the same as racing - their don't want their tackle being whacked off of fences so are more careful when jumping.
 
I think for most sports if anything it’s a disadvantage. 1 won the single driving world championship, 6 years ago, but usually in a field of 40 there will only be 1 or 2 entires. The ponies seem slightly more even. My pony stallion was lovely, but relatively weak for his bulk and not interested in getting himself tired..!
 
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