# What is your experience with mares?



## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I have never really had a _problem_ riding a mare. Our personalities just don't seem to click, though. From my experience, mares usually tend to be more opinionated and obstinate than geldings and I am obstinate enough for both of us. I have ridden some spoiled mares and some really nice ones, even a hormonal one or two. With the proper handling, they are just as good as any gelding but they just seem to get along better with certain people. I am not particularly comfortable with mares as kid horses though. Not because they might cause a problem but if they are in season and they are out on a big trail ride or in a parade, there might be somebody on a stud that they can't control. That thought scares me.


----------



## Tina (Feb 2, 2010)

I personally own two mares that are very different from each other, that I have trained myself. However their behaviors around me are always the same no matter what time of the month it is. The only time that I see their grumpiness is out in the pasture when they are with other horses in a herd. I think that it is a training issue more than a hormone issue however believe firmly that their hormones do affect their moods. I know it affects mine : ) If my mares are in heat I just find them easily distracted by the boys.............sounds like some teenagers I know lol : )


----------



## themoshi27 (Jun 24, 2010)

I have a mare and gelding...my mare is a little mean she always nips me and wont listen when I ride her also when I have her on a halter she bites and sometimes wont move..even when i put her in her stall she bites


----------



## payette (Jun 3, 2010)

I've had more mares than geldings, and while they are, on occasion, rather b!#chy. . . I have had only good experiences.


----------



## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

i love mares ! they can sometimes be difficult to get through to at first, but once you win them over they are such triers ! i have never had problems with mares when they are in season, that is no excuse for bad behavior & they just have to deal.


----------



## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

In general, I _do_ find that mares can be more opinionated than geldings, but they _can_ also have a bit more heart and will at times as well. 
If you're worried about moodiness, there are some fantastic daily supplements, or even long-term solutions that can curb that side of things.


----------



## franknbeans (Jun 7, 2007)

I have found them to be a bit tempermental, but generally, I have to say for some of the sports (like reining) that require more concentration and "heart"-they do seem to step up more than geldings. For my personal use, I prefer geldings, for all the same reasons as SMROBS. I just like a more even keel, I guess.


----------



## Brighteyes (Mar 8, 2009)

I personally love mares and, when I get my own horse one day, I hope to get a mare. They are stubborn, opinionated, and sometimes just blatantly bitchy, but the hormonal mares I've known have made me a better, more patient rider. Mares will sometimes get bossy and will test you at random times. I've been told that if you beat a gelding once, he's beat, but mares will come at you and come at you every time you ride them. It's a never ending battle that calls for the rider to be patient and consistent.


----------



## ivorygold1195 (May 27, 2009)

The mare I show and lease has NO marish qualities AT ALL. She is super sweet and even when she is in heat she "shows off" a little bit around the boys but never moody.


----------



## MaggiStar (Mar 19, 2010)

Ah mares you have to love them.
My competition girl is lets just say testing at times, she is stroppy, stubborn, moody, frustrating, tempermental BUT thats only a few days a month and im the exact same so i dont mind! however i find mares are much more loving the geldings they are real triers.
I think with a gelding if you click its nice not exceptional with mares and stallions though it takes much longer so the connection is stronger and more substantial!!

I LOVe them if you can train a stubborn mare your a pretty good rider in my opinion!


----------



## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

I have a mare and only had mares. Now the mare I have right now is the most moody,b*tchy thing I have ever met. She is stubborn. Yet I love her veeerrry much. She can be a good girl but you have to treat her more kindly. She is tender hearted compared to the rest we have and we are both stubborn so sometimes we don't get along when we are riding but if I tell her what a great girl she is and praise her for trying even if she doesn't do it all the way(lounging is a good example..she has a fear bc of a bad experience but i've been working with her every day and if she stops I still tell her she is a good girl because she is trying and she is getting better everyday and I think she really enjoys knowing I'm not upset).

I don't think I would own a gelding although sweet I just don't like the thought of their man hood hanging around when you are riding...kinda disturbing if you ask me.

I love my horsie!


----------



## corinowalk (Apr 26, 2010)

When me and my best friend were on a horse search for the first time in years, we both said 'NO MARES'. Its not so much with the moodiness that I dont like, ive just never clicked with a mare...and all that peeing drives me nuts! Fast forward a year...we both have nut cases for geldings and the boarders with mares have the nicest horses. We laugh about it often! 

I wouldn't object to a mare if she was the perfect horse for me...but there are issues that come up.


----------



## Strange (Jan 11, 2009)

If I had my way, all I'd ever ride would be mares. 

When people have issues with a mare they generally just whine and complain about "how she's just in heat." My experience is that the mare has just been allowed to get away with bad behaviour and/or that the person in question is just incompetent. When mares are trained and treated correctly they are just as good as a well trained gelding. It's like saying that when a woman's mad "it's just because she's on her period." It's an excuse and one I don't like hearing. YOU are the person, THEY are the horse, end of story. I find that mares are more opionated, as others have said, but I also think they're also more willing to THINK than some geldings (not all, obviously.) IMO, a good mare trumps a good gelding any day of the week. There was a reason that the Bedouins treasured their mares above all their other horses. And I, also, love mares.


----------



## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

We have all mares and have never had mare-ish problems. They all have lots of personality, are well behaved, and always give you 100%. Perhaps we're just lucky, but I've never understood why folks think mares are a problem.


----------



## Skutterbotch (Dec 1, 2009)

I have two  Never thought a gender was a bit factor, I've always thought that it's the independent personality.


----------



## SorrelHorse (Apr 9, 2009)

I think everyone has already covered that they can be opinionated, so I'm assuming I dont need to say it? 

I have had god mares, bad mares, lazy mares, happy mares, red mares, blue mares, one mare, two mare.....AND every Dr. Seuss comparison in between ^^

For show horses, I like fillies a lot. I have shown many a mare in the reining arena and find it easy not to deal with stud horse hormones....Although I do still like the geldings better for everything.

Mares are very picky creatures. if they don't click with your personality then you'll end up on the ground more times then any bull rider. However, if they do click with you then you have a forever companion.


----------



## sarahver (Apr 9, 2010)

I am firmly in the 'I love mares' camp! The ones I have had have been fantastic horses - bold, willing and hard working. I honestly think mares unfairly have a bad reputation, perhaps stemming from the fact that they have a little more personality and spunk than the average gelding, however that is a quality that I really like about them.

Although many of the mares I have worked with wouldn't be classed as beginners horses, I have found them to be reliable and that they have that extra spark that makes them stand out from a crowd. Also, I don't know if it is related to gender or not but I have mares to be much more bold and careful jumpers, could be just the individual horses that I have had. Interesting to hear what you all think though!


----------



## A knack for horses (Jun 17, 2010)

I have met jekyls and hydes and inbetween when it comes to mares.
Currently, there are 4 mares, one filly, and one gelding yearling where I ride. 
Two of the mares and the filly would never even hurt a fly and consistantly quiet.
One is "self consious"
And the last one is a hormonal mare complete with a witch hat. I actually think she has a hormonal imbalance, but she comes into heat almost every 20-23 days and stays in HEAVY heat for 5-6 days. She contantly is searching for a boyfriend. And she is the bossy one in the herd. 

I personally love mares, because they have opinions, and because of it I believe it means that much more when they do comply.


----------



## erikaharmony (May 25, 2009)

Hmmm what can i say about my horse Harmony...

Well i'll start off with when i first got her, she saw the herd go out for food so she decided to take me through the barn... i obviously let go because im not about to risk my own life. 
So i'd say #1 extremely herd bound. 

She's a whole new horse now i must say after a year but i'll tell you i could probably write a whole book on our one year together and the experiences shes given me.

She use to act like she was in heat EVERY SINGLE day for about 6 months, then i finally decided to try a product call pre-mare, and let me tell you, life saver. She is like night and day when she is in heat. Most loud rude horse ever, compared to when she is not in heat and is like a puppy dog(for the most part) i find when she is in heat she is even more herd bound then she is to begin with. 

Now the horses are out to pasture so all she thinks about is going back out to the herd from when i bring her in to when i finally put her back out. But i must say once i get on her and ride her she focuses on what she has to do, but right when i get off of her, once my feet touch the ground she goes back to wanting to go out to the herd. 

I could go on and on and i have to say my horse is lucky i love her because i think it would be hard for anyone to want to keep her. She's not your "ideal" horse when it comes to moods. I sometimes think she's bipolar or something lol. But if i didn't have her, i would not have the same amount of experience as i do now!


----------



## Plains Drifter (Aug 4, 2009)

I love my mares! I haven't found myself having any issues with any of them.


----------



## upupandflyaway1 (May 10, 2010)

I go by the "Ask a Gelding Tell a Stallion Discuss it with a Mare" thing. Yup. That about sums it up.


----------



## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

I went to see my girl tonight(always do) and she was being a brat! She hates being caught because she knows she has to "go to work".She would rather eat all day. But when I was working with her she was a good girl and she has been improving.
She is opinionated but I find it good sometimes because I will know what she likes and dislikes. I use to tap her with my leg for turning her left or right and she would get sooo annoyed and upset so I was messing around one night and decided to not tap but put complete leg pressure into her and she moved with no problem and her ears were up...picky picky but I figured it out


----------



## Hali (Jun 17, 2009)

I've only ever owned mares, although my current one is making me think that my next mount will be a gelding!

Overall, I like them. Despite the occasionally moody day, I enjoy their personalities. Mine were courageous and tried with all their hearts in whatever task I put them too.


----------



## horseluver2435 (May 27, 2009)

While geldings usually are a little more agreeable, and usually will do what you ask the first time, sometimes I appreciate having a mare who gives me the "What the heck are we doing?" look. It makes me re-think what we're doing, make sure it's safe for both of us, and if it is, I ask again and she'll do it. My mare is a good mare to work with- you just have to ask her in a reasonable way. Compared to the geldings I've ridden/showed, I have to say she has more heart and gives you more when you know how to ask for it.

Does that make sense? I guess what I mean is that, for someone who rides well, who isn't just learning to ride, I think mares give a challenge and a great training/learning experience. Geldings make for an easier ride (usually).

Just my opinion though- written from owning a mare.  
My $.02


----------



## speedy da fish (May 7, 2009)

Have have never has a bad experience with a mare. I have even ridden them when they are in season! The best pony I ever rode was a mare and yes she was a pony too! Ebony was a great mount (you can visit her in my barn). 

Millie wasn't the calmest of horses (she had a screw loose!) but she was very honest and jumped anything you pointed her at, even though she was actually a nervous jumper.

I've ridden many mares: Gem, Felanka, Bella, Trudy and more. I have ridden Gem and Felanka whilst they were in season and they were flirty but not at all typically marish.


----------



## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

upupandflyaway1 said:


> I go by the "Ask a Gelding Tell a Stallion Discuss it with a Mare" thing.


 I think it is actually "Tell a gelding, ask a mare, discuss it with a stallion" but it is still the same principle.


----------



## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

I've been around and ridden plenty of mares in my day. They're as individual as people, so some have been moody, bitchy, and some have been very tractable and sweet as pie.

I still prefer geldings, because they're less complicated and are food motivated. That works _very_ well when you have to medicate or supplement them. Mares will sniff it, give you a dirty look, and walk away from the 'poisoned' feed. :lol:

I prefer uncomplicated horses, although my gelding Conny was more mareish than some mares. He was a true diva his entire life, and could give the witchiest mare a run for her money. :wink:

When he died, I remember one of the last things I told him was, "Now, don't go biting Jesus when you meet Him. I know you'll probably be ****ed off, but please don't do that."


----------



## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

Speed Racer said:


> When he died, I remember one of the last things I told him was, "Now, don't go biting Jesus when you meet Him. I know you'll probably be ****ed off, but please don't do that."


 

Lol..cute


----------



## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

Gidget, I loved that horse with all my soul, but he was a nasty little ****** and could bite the stuffin's out of somebody if he was annoyed! :wink:

I imagined he'd get to Heaven, look around and not see me there, and decide to bite whoever he saw next. I just figured it would be Jesus. 

There's a reason I called him my little bay demon in horse form.


----------



## sarahver (Apr 9, 2010)

I must admit I don't always take notice of whether they are in heat or not, once I put a headstall on they must behave and be respectful, just as I expect for a stallion or a gelding. While they are free in the pasture with other horses they are welcome to squeal, prance and pee to their hearts content, I really couldn't care less. 

If stallions can behave themselves enough to be ridden and handled safely, I see no reason to make exceptions for a mare that is in heat. Just means that some days they will be more easily distracted than others but the end result is always the same - they do the work that is expected of them to the best of their ability. I just like their personalities, even though I have been at the receiving end of many a withering look from a mare when they want to make their disapproval clear to me!


----------



## upupandflyaway1 (May 10, 2010)

smrobs said:


> I think it is actually "Tell a gelding, ask a mare, discuss it with a stallion" but it is still the same principle.


Your right. Long night (; Sorry.


----------



## wyominggrandma (Nov 4, 2009)

I have a beautiful mare now, she is absolutely my heart horse. Even though she did not seem to have issues with being in heat, I had her spayed last November and have no issues at all now at anytime. I have had about 5 mares in my lifetime and had all of them spayed. Then they are like geldings in temperament.
I did the surgical spay, on my mare with no problems.But,there is a lady who came into the clinic where I work that had us do an implant with her daughters mare with a product that is actually for cattle. We did lots of research and went ahead and did the implant in the neck. The lady came in a week later and said the mare is now like night and day, no issues, no bad attitude and as calm as can be. I guess this mare was horrible when she was in heat.
My neighbor has a rescued OTTB (thats a whole other story)who is nasty nasty when in heat, which seems all the time now. She is bad tempered, flighty and squealing all the time, although there are no other horses around her. 
I am glad I spayed my mare, she is so easy to take anywhere, no problems with stallions at the events, etc.


----------



## shesinthebarn (Aug 1, 2009)

I love mares. My best riding horses have been mares. They have so much heart. 
Now with racehorses, I find the mares to be terrible, as in worse than stallions! Every time I took a mare to the races I made sure to have my reflexes functioning at peak capacity! I would take on a race stallion any day over a mare, hands down.


----------



## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

The first mare I ever owned was such a b#@!H that I swore I would never buy another mare. 

But a few years went by, I met a few nice mares, and finally when I was horse shopping a really great mare came my way and I bought her. I am now expecting my first foal- yay!!! Now_ that_ could never have happened with a gelding! (she came pregnant)

BUT I am still hoping my foal is a colt. Why? Because it takes out some of the variables. You get a colt, you geld him, you kind of know what you have. I have the feeling that a filly could be great right up until puberty and then WHAM, you don't know what she will be like after that. 

Because I've known moody, b!*#hy, mares, and really, really great mares. But how do you know which one you will get? Geldings take out some of the risk factor in my mind. 

Actually, I still don't know how my mare will be with her hormones because she has been pregnant the entire time I have owned her. But the last owner said she was not marish, so I hope he's right! 

I don't mind a little squatting and peeing. But I once new a mare that was a kicking, squealing, striking fiend. One ride she would be trying to love on my gelding, the next ride she would squeal, strike, and try to take his head off. Made me paranoid to ride with her. If I get a filly, I hope she's a nice one!


----------



## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

wyominggrandma said:


> I have a beautiful mare now, she is absolutely my heart horse. Even though she did not seem to have issues with being in heat, I had her spayed last November and have no issues at all now at anytime. I have had about 5 mares in my lifetime and had all of them spayed. Then they are like geldings in temperament.
> I did the surgical spay, on my mare with no problems.But,there is a lady who came into the clinic where I work that had us do an implant with her daughters mare with a product that is actually for cattle. We did lots of research and went ahead and did the implant in the neck. The lady came in a week later and said the mare is now like night and day, no issues, no bad attitude and as calm as can be. I guess this mare was horrible when she was in heat.
> My neighbor has a rescued OTTB (thats a whole other story)who is nasty nasty when in heat, which seems all the time now. She is bad tempered, flighty and squealing all the time, although there are no other horses around her.
> I am glad I spayed my mare, she is so easy to take anywhere, no problems with stallions at the events, etc.


Is spaying them costly? I assume it is done at a hospital somewhere (or not???). I have never known anyone who had a mare spayed, so I assumed it must be cost prohibitive or a complex surgery.


----------



## dee (Jul 30, 2009)

I've had mares, geldings and stallions. Honestly, I've never chosen a horse for their gender. But I will say that the horses I've been fondest of/closest to were both mares. Until recently, I've never really been able to tell when one was in heat - they might get a little silly at "that time of the month," but that's all there ever was to it. Now that there is a dang stallion on the place, it may be a different story.

That being said - the daughter's little mare is _totally impossible_ when she is in heat. I've never seen anything like it. She squeals, bites, kicks and bucks like a son of a gun if you are stupid enough to try to ride her while she's in heat. But, daughter loves her and the little mare really does seem to respond to daughter better than she does anyone else - follows her like a puppy...unless she's in heat.


----------



## draftrider (Mar 31, 2010)

I love my QH mare- she gives a wonderful ride, always willing, gentle and sweet as long as you know what you are doing. If I have a friend over to ride, they take Laz because Belle puts up with NO foolishness. She is a partner, not an armchair.

Arielle is the typical teenage cheerleader, always squealing and getting everyone freaked out over something, usually butterflies or something equally stupid.


----------



## Strange (Jan 11, 2009)

sarahver said:


> I must admit I don't always take notice of whether they are in heat or not, once I put a headstall on they must behave and be respectful, just as I expect for a stallion or a gelding. While they are free in the pasture with other horses they are welcome to squeal, prance and pee to their hearts content, I really couldn't care less.
> 
> If stallions can behave themselves enough to be ridden and handled safely, I see no reason to make exceptions for a mare that is in heat. Just means that some days they will be more easily distracted than others but the end result is always the same - they do the work that is expected of them to the best of their ability. I just like their personalities, even though I have been at the receiving end of many a withering look from a mare when they want to make their disapproval clear to me!


I completely agree with this. Any horse I get on, no matter what their gender, will know that I don't tolerate anything but their attention to the work I am asking them to do. I don't care if a mare is in heat, I don't care if the stallion sees a mare, and I don't care if the gelding happens to feel lazy. When they get that bridle put on, they know it's time to listen to me.


----------



## goforgait (Jun 26, 2010)

I love mares - it is the mares that the herd watches to make the decision to run or not - they are calmer and braver and only run when they feel there is good reason (unlike our Stallion and geldings who constantly goof around). On steep mountain trails, our mares take care of themselves & us - tucking to the inside. Our boys tend to look around (including over the edge). They do cycle monthly and will show it when in the pasture but I have never had a problem under saddle.


----------



## sarahver (Apr 9, 2010)

upupandflyaway1 said:


> I go by the "Ask a Gelding Tell a Stallion Discuss it with a Mare" thing. Yup. That about sums it up.


Even though this quote was apparently around the wrong way, I like it better this way! I think you can ask a gelding because they are so agreeable usually they will do as asked. You have to tell a stallion as any sign of indecision results in being run over, literally. However you absolutely have to discuss things with a mare to achieve your desired result, not meaning there is any less expectation for the outcome, just a slightly different approach.

When I first brought my latest girl home (7yo TB ex racehorse, been turned out for 2 years) we had a 2 hour 'discussion' as to whether it was appropiate to rear and spin her way around the arena. Well after our 2 hour lengthy 'chat' (read-hard workout) we were both exhausted, dripping in sweat and out of breath, however no more bad behaviour. She has been pretty good since too, no need for 2 hour workouts thank goodness!


----------



## Lonestar22 (May 22, 2009)

I love my mare. she's so sweet and yes, opinionated. I hate the peeing. Everytime she see's another horse her tail is up. ugh. lol.


----------



## nrhareiner (Jan 11, 2009)

I have owned and ridden mares and stallions show both and I have yet to see a difference. A well trained horse is a well trained horse.


----------



## ridergirl23 (Sep 17, 2009)

Love them! i find they either give you 110% or 10%. but when you get 110% its addicting. I love them because i can relate to their PMS, and moods. but If they are trained really well (with exeptions) they are not that much different then geldings (i dont know about stallions)


----------



## GreyRay (Jun 15, 2010)

sorry, i'm not much of a mare person(though I do own one, she is much more geldingy and is practically never in heat-atleast noticably). I enjoy geldings and stallions much more!(though I have noticed that when stallions are gelded too late, they turn into mares mentally)
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## westernpleasuregal (Jun 20, 2010)

one of the best horses i have ever owned was a mare! i have to admit though they can be moody! my 11 year old QH mare _loves_ our gelding!she is always flirting!ha,ha!


----------



## horseluver50 (Mar 19, 2009)

My mare, she is really quiet and gentle. When she's in heat, she will be a little stubborn and grouchy on the ground, but when I ride her, she is fine. She can be kind of grumpy on the ground sometimes though. She doesn't really like "bonding time" either. She would rather go eat grass. lol


----------



## SavvyHill (Jun 29, 2010)

I had a mare named Hannah who was a BEEZY to horses but sweet as can be to humans. And when she came into season, no horse could get near her in the arena, but all you had to do was learn how to handle her. Really, that's all there is to it to any horse.


----------



## Cougar (Jun 11, 2009)

nrhareiner said:


> I have owned and ridden mares and stallions show both and I have yet to see a difference. A well trained horse is a well trained horse.


I agree with this. I have owned more mares than geldings.Just the luck of the draw. Each as much of an individual as you or I. Some were saucier than others.


----------



## Cinnys Whinny (Apr 10, 2010)

I think my QH mare was just one of those "extreme" mares that now that I think about it could have had a hormone problem. She was the sweetest darn thing most of the time but when she was "in season" she could be...not cranky but I guess easily agitated could be it. She would seem fine but any little thing could set her off, kind of like a tween going through puberty. She had a lot of anxiety. But that's not the worst part....

When in season she would go absolutely NUTS. It was embarrassing because I couldn't take her ANYWHERE because she would leave a path of small puddles wherever we went. We had to chain her stall because she figured out the slide bolt that the stable used and she would go visit her favorite gelding and leave small puddles in front of his stall. I made the mistake once of riding her on trail while in season and on a nearby hill was a guy riding a bike...I kid you not the lil banshee started screaming at the top of her lungs, flagging her tail...and yes...leaving puddles. This happened until she was about 16 and then after that she wasn't quite so bad anymore but man....it sounds mean but I pretty much left her in her stall when it was "that time" for her.


----------



## haviris (Sep 16, 2009)

A good horse is a good horse. Gender doesn't even factor in when I'm horse shopping, I've rode stallions, started w/ mares, then had geldings, now I'm back on a mare (none of it on purpose, just happened that way). I've had horses of either gender that I didn't get along w/, and horses of both genders I was crazy about! 

I think my current horse may be my once in a lifetime horse! And she's a mare! She is not moody or difficult (and I have never had a truely hormonal mare, especially while saddled). And she seems like she's in heat alot! But other then being more interested in other horses, if you didn't know her you wouldn't even know.


----------



## sarahver (Apr 9, 2010)

Well since so many of you have taken the time to respond to this thread, I would like to make a small summary: 

If I was to go back and re-read every post, I think they would show overwhelmingly that most people agree that mares make excellent horses. Whilst some may be moodier than others, generally they show a lot of heart and with proper training (as for any horse) they are reliable, honest mounts.

So, next time someone says someone says something about mares being less adequate than other horses, tell them they are wrong and that mares are awesome!!


----------



## artsyjenn (May 12, 2010)

I've only had one mare, which is our current pony. She isn't "in your pocket" like most of our geldings have been, but she's the easiest horse we've had to deal with. She is the poster horse for bomb proof.


----------



## Eliz (Jun 16, 2010)

As others have said my personality just goes better with males.
Stallions love me for some reason (Lol) and I just bond better with geldings...

I prefer (neutered) male dogs too as opposed to female. Same with cats. They just have a different demeanor about them I guess. Maybe its all in my head though


----------



## kmdstar (Nov 17, 2009)

I haven't read the replies (too many) so I'm probably repeating whats omeone else already said.

I LOVE mares. When I'm searching for horses for sale and find a great hrose and find out it's a stallion/gelding, my heart drops a little bit LOL. 

Unfortunately for mares, their bad rep comes from idiots who blame their lack of training on the mares being in heat. I'm not saying this is always the case, I know there are some mares that can be bad to deal with in heat, but far too often people are blaming their bad training on the mare being...well, a mare. 

Other than the snip snip, geldings have it made. A mare acts up, she's in heat. A stud acts up, it's because there was a mare within 50 feet of him - can't a horse just act up to act up these days? Shesh! At least with geldings people can't blame their bad behaviour on their privates! Though I have said geldings always seem goofy to me...LOL


----------



## Eliz (Jun 16, 2010)

^
Some mares are just turds in heat though. I ride an arab mare that is PERFECT until she's in heat, and then I have to not only ask twice, but CONVINCE & REASON with her lol

I can still ride her, and she doesn't get away with any more than she usually would, she just has a different attitude.


----------



## kmdstar (Nov 17, 2009)

Eliz said:


> ^
> Some mares are just turds in heat though. I ride an arab mare that is PERFECT until she's in heat, and then I have to not only ask twice, but CONVINCE & REASON with her lol
> 
> I can still ride her, and she doesn't get away with any more than she usually would, she just has a different attitude.


That's why I said that it's not always the case and I know some can really be bad to deal with in heat, but the *majority* of people blame their heat for their lack of training.


----------



## Scoutrider (Jun 4, 2009)

I've never owned a mare, but wouldn't pass a good horse by because it's a mare.

I took lessons on several mares, and never had a problem that I would directly attribute to marish moodiness. Some of the lesson geldings had it in them to be little snots every now and again. With one exception, every horse that's ever dumped me has been a gelding. :lol: The mare that dumped me stumbled in canter and I didn't have a good enough seat.


----------

