# Thoughts on mare vs gelding



## Farleyv (May 17, 2011)

Not sure if this is the right place for this.

We are considering quite seriously getting a QH mare. I have ridden mostly geldings. My husband has had both. He never had any problems with any of his mares.

The man at the stable where we are going to board, told us to really think about a mare. They still cycle, and can get "mareish". Whereas, geldings are pretty neutral.

So now, I am thinking....gee what if he is right. We will, of course, go over this with the current owner. She is very docile from what we can see. On a scale of 1-10 (10 being "hot") she is probably a 2.

So, I would just like some feedback on your experiences with mares. Our girl is 8 years old and you can see her in my other thread under "Equipment".

Thanks for looking!


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## Gallop On (May 1, 2011)

I personally love geldings. I dont like how mares act when they get "marish" My friends have all geldings accept for one mare, and I dont know that "A+B=C but she is the worst out of all of the geldings, the just dumped a girl yesterday off her back. She gets really moody, she is spooky and just annoying. But, like I said maybe this is just her personality and maybe its not cause shes a mare BUT like I said, maybe A+B doesnt =C xD


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## WickedNag (Sep 7, 2010)

My daughter has almost always ridden mares. Some are good some not so good, will depend on the horse.


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## Cinder (Feb 20, 2011)

I have ridden both geldings and mares, and I will say that geldings tend to be more neutral as you said. But it mostly depends on the horse- I've ridden some bad geldings and some awesome mares. See how you like this mare and if you don't like her, move on .


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## kmdstar (Nov 17, 2009)

Mares all the way. When I horse search and find a horse I like the looks of only to find out it's a gelding...I say forget it. All the geldings I've had experience with have just been...goofy, I really don't know how else to explain it. With mares, once you gain their trust they will do ANYTHING for you and try their heart out! 

People only say mares get 'marish' because they can. It's like when women are in a bad mood, it MUST mean we're PMSing!! What do you call it when geldings/men act like that...? :evil: Mares have it bad, they have something bad attitudes or training can be blamed on - heat cycles. The only thing I notice with my mares in heat is that they are peeing and 'winking' more, it's slightly annoying but that's the big to-do about heat cycles with my mares. They don't act any better/worse...they just squirt. I know there are a few mares that turn into witches when in heat, but like I said...a _few, _it comes down to the individual horse. People blame too much on heat cycles and give mares a bad name. I wouldn't trade my mares for anything!


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

If you like the horse and the horse will do what you want a horse to do, I do not see why it matters if it is a mare or a gelding.

I have always preferred geldings (figure I have a hard enough time dealing with my own hormones, do not want to deal with my horse's too).
I now have two mares and one retired gelding. One mare is VERY mare-ish. The other is just like my gelding.


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## Countrylady1071 (May 12, 2010)

Every horse is an individual! It's silly to pass up a potentially great horse just because of gender. I work at an Arab barn with over 40 horses, and I'm reminded on a daily basis how different every horse is! Some mares get downright nasty when they go info heat, pinning their ears and kicking the stall walls. Others, you would never guess they were in heat. And geldings too, there are some that are not the nicest horses for whatever reason, but there are some awesome, sweet, just-want-to-please boys too. If you like her, don't worry about mare vs gelding 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## gigem88 (May 10, 2011)

I have both and don't prefer one over the other. The term "mare-ish" always irked me. I think it's just a way to cover for bad training.


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## flytobecat (Mar 28, 2010)

I prefer geldings. They don't seem as moody a mares. That said, both my horses are mares. One is mare-ish. One is as laid back as they come. It really just depends on the horse.


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## iridehorses (Oct 22, 2007)

I prefer geldings ... I currently have 3 mares, so go figure. I've had mares that acted more like geldings and I've had some mares that I hated being around during their cycle. Bottom line is that geldings are more consistent but once a mare bonds with you, it is strong - however, in the same token, and in my experience, if you are harsh with her (not saying that you have to tiptoe around her and allow her to get away with things) she never forgets.


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

gigem88 said:


> The term "mare-ish" always irked me. I think it's just a way to cover for bad training.


Naw. It is the term for moodiness. And some horses are for sure moody. And some mares it can be associated with their cycle.


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## kevinshorses (Aug 15, 2009)

As was said before people get to blame a mares cycle for all the holes in her training and poor handling. I have ridden mares and geldings in a variety of situations and there really isn't a nickels worth of difference between the two. If you allow your mare to squeel and kick at other horses then she will but if you never allow it and don't make excuses because of her cycle then she will behave just the same all the time. 

Top performers in all disciplines ride mares as well as geldings but for some reason the casual two-ride-per-month horse owner thinks they can't deal with the "mareish" attitude.


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

I am not saying there are not people who use it as an excuse. I am just saying that cycles can cause moods that have to be dealt with.


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## sarahver (Apr 9, 2010)

Loved iride’s synopsis!

It all comes down to personal experience I guess, I am an avid mare lover. Then again I am not one to put up with bad behavior/manners from any horse – mare, stallion or gelding so I treat bad behavior as an entirely separate issue from gender.

If a mare behaves badly I do not attribute it to her being a mare, in my eyes it is simply bad behavior and is treated as such. Once I am handling/riding them they have to be respectful no matter how might they feel on any given day and so far I am yet to have trouble with a mare during any stage of her cycle, they are welcome to squeal, pee, prance and kick out in their pasture on their own time.

In my personal experience, the mares have been much tougher to win over but when you do it really is a strong partnership.


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

Alwaysbehind said:


> I am not saying there are not people who use it as an excuse. I am just saying that cycles can cause moods that have to be dealt with.


Exactly. Hormones are stronger in some horses than others. Geldings can still acty studdy. Heck, I have a mare that acts studdy.

Boils down to the horse. Age, sex, color, height, breed - as individual components only matter if you have a specific goal. You can't show a QH at an Arab show.

For me the bottom line would come to two things - Does their personality fit yours - and the others (human, horse, dog, cat, etc) that they must live with? Can the horse do what I want it to do? (trail, cut, pen, jump, etc)


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## kevinshorses (Aug 15, 2009)

Rather it's kids or horses or dogs they can be in whatever mood they want but they MUST behave regardless of thier "mood". I completely agree that the term "mareish" is synonomys with poor training and handling. The same can be said for "studish" or "muleish".

Many people have only been around a few horses and they draw conclusions based on extremely limited experiences. Much like if the two smartest people you knew had blue eyes so you decided that everyone with blue eyes was very smart. There are plenty of dumb, blue eyed people but you are basing your opinion on your limited experience and not thinking it through.

Mares usually only cycle in the spring and early summer when the light and temperature is right so if your mare is acting bitchy more than about 6 times per year you should blame yourself instead of her uterus.


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## KennyRogersPaints (Jan 9, 2011)

Mares can some times get "witchy" when they are in heat, But i have owned and ridden mares that have no change in attitude when in heat, I think mares are sometimes more bold than geldings and more personable. It all depends on the horse though!


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## bellagris (Dec 6, 2010)

The saying 'Ask a stallion, Tell a Gelding, and Discuss it with a Mare' is going through my head  This is true in my opinion from the experience of riding different horses, but like Alwaysbehind says, moods can be worked through, but if the horse does what you ask and you like the horse, then there is no reason you should choose one over the other ased on sex alone (unless you plan to breed at some point down the road). You can get an extremely hot gelding just the same as you can a mare. 

I have a mare, and even though she goes through her heat cycles, you make them work through it and eventually they get over the attitude when in heat and it stops affecting the work. Just the same, I suppose as a female, she eventually learns not to be crabby at work when she has PMS because she'll lose her job


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

I'm lucky to even notice when my mares cycle. Unless I get them around a stud, I don't see any difference in their gender. If it's a good horse, go ahead and get her.


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## Poseidon (Oct 1, 2010)

I much prefer mares. I think geldings are rather boring. The moody mares keep things interesting.  

Abby is mareish..when she feels like it. Like, "eh. I don't feel like being ridden today, so I'm going to be grumpy about it." She'll listen, but she's just moody and not eager to go do something. When she was in heat, I wouldn't have even noticed if this other gelding across the barn wouldn't have kept calling. She called back and flipped her tail up and to the side and was throwing her butt around. I lunged her and rode afterwards. She was sooo lazy. 

Some mares are really mareish. Some aren't at all.


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

My mare can be a pain in the butt, but she's always that way. There is no link I know of between her being fussy and being in heat. 

My wife? Let's not go there...


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## lopinlowandslow (May 18, 2011)

I personally have only ever had geldings. And I do believe that mares can get "mare-ish" it is not always something used to cover up bad training. Sometimes it is. But other times it's not. I have only ever had geldings because they just happened to be what I was looking for in a horse. If I were to have found a mare that fit what I was looking for I would not hesitate to buy her. But then again when I look for horses I am looking for behavioral/training/conformation traits. Not if they have a penis or not.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## livestoride (Mar 30, 2011)

I love my mare. She is very expressive and lets me know what she is thinking/feeling at all times. Of course she is also an Arab so that plays a role too. I don't think you should rule in or out a horse just based on gender. 

I have found, in my experiences, that the mares I have ridden took longer to bond with and decided who they did or did not like. There seems to be more of a wall you have to break down with them. Once you do, you will have a best friend. Also, the mares have always seemed to try harder, be more fiesty and show more heart. The flip side is that they have also shown more attitude and resistance when they didn't understand or just didn't want to do something. I found this regardless of them cycling. My mare tends to be an angel when she cycles - more so than when she isn't.

The geldings have been more predictable from day to day. You know what horse you have waiting for you at the barn, but to me they have always lacked that spark and fire. This is not ture for every gelding, just my opnion. They also seem to be more friendly for more people so have worked better for that horse when your mom comes over and wants to ride or your friend from work. They seem to trust better at first adn take things in stride. Also, they seem more forgiving and don't seem to hold a grudge.

I would just go and check her out and see what you think of her. If you are having a hard time ask yourself that if you didn't know the gender, what would you think? Good luck!


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## BlackJack baby (May 19, 2011)

I have a gelding quarter horse, he loves children and has a great, funny, cute personality  

From my experience I love gelding quarter horses


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