# Geldings vs. Mares



## redbarron1010 (Mar 11, 2017)

I am sure this topic has been discussed before, but since I am new to this forum, I thought I would get some people's opinions on mare vs geldings. Which you prefer and why. Speaking from my own experiences, I prefer geldings. The mares I have owned and also been around have had some personality traits I didn't care for. My one mare I actually named "Sybil" because every time I came up to ride, she had a different personalty. My sister's long time mare, although as sweet as can be, was spooky all the way up through her early 20's. She spooked at a banana once! My geldings have been more steady, but by no means perfect. I limit the treats to the end of the day because every gelding I have owned has been pushy about treats. they can be balky but overall I prefer them to mares. But I remember an old horse trainer at our barn once said "I prefer geldings, because they are the same every day, what you got is what you got, and it just gets a little better or worse depending on their mood, but you know what to expect. Mares can be changing and have different moods like women, you never know what you did wrong until you are on the ground. They make me feel like I am standing on a toppling rock, one wrong move and I can get hurt."
I thought that was interesting, and would love to hear others opinions on this subject.


----------



## ApuetsoT (Aug 22, 2014)

I prefer geldings. They play more and have a more playful nature.


----------



## Dehda01 (Jul 25, 2013)

I will take a good mare any day. I think once you have their trust, and prove you can ride them well- they are able to give more of themselves than a gelding is and so work harder. They may question you, but if the trust is there it often isn't anything more than an ear back. 

My geldings are fine partners and do their jobs well. But I feel like my mares partner better and more completely. If I am having a bad day they may echo back my bad mood, but they are also more likely to save my behind if I make a poor decision in the ring or trail. They are thinking all the time, where geldings are less likely to. Though I have owned some thinking gelding as well. And I think that comes with being "intact", sometimes from being broodmare. I just think there is more behind the curtain of a mare.... 

I often feel the same way about stallions. They have all their hormones intact and so are able to GIVE more of themselves when you need to ask of it. As long as you know what you are doing...


----------



## Uze (Feb 23, 2013)

I vastly prefer mares. Far too many geldings I've been around have been of the "dumb playful idiot" type, including my own. My personal gelding is so dumb he's smart, wants everything in his mouth, destroys things by trying to "play" with it. He's lazy and can be unfocused. I've seen some geldings with a work ethic, but I've seen way more mares with a good work ethic.

I am not put off by "mean" mare personalities. I've always kind of preferred a "serious" "no nonsense" personality in horses, and those usually seem to be mares. They generally have better work ethics, and try harder. 

The opposite is true for miniature ponies. I prefer geldings of the minis because I like minis being playful and stupid, and a lot of mini mares are very hard to work with and stubborn like donkeys. But I don't really like 1,000 lb horses being playful and stupid.


----------



## LoriF (Apr 3, 2015)

I think that 90% of the time when a horse is being badly behaved, acting out, having a bad attitude or mood, it's just that. It may be because their training is not up to par, or they're in pain, or just not feeling good. It's not because they are being a mare, stallion, or gelding. 
Where I keep my horses, there is a pretty even mix of geldings and mares. The majority of bad actors are the geldings. Why? Because it's somewhat tolerated. The two most mellow horses there are mares. One of the five mares can get ****y with the other horses but the rest are great. Three of the five geldings act like idiots half of the time and two of those three like to bite. 

For a riding horse, I would take a mare over a gelding most of the time. I connect with them better and I like the way that they think.


----------



## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

I don't really have a preference. I've ridden both. I am leasing a gelding at the moment, and that's my boy! <3 But when I get my own horse within a few years, I plan on getting a mare.  I feel like I'd get along with a sassy mare. :lol:
I don't think behavior really has much to do with the gender either. I know some geldings who can be sassy just like a mare can- however, only difference is they can't be in 'heat'. 

Really depends on the horse's individual personality, how they will act. That's just my opinion though. When I go horse searching, I would like a mare because I've been leasing a gelding for awhile, want something different but if I fall in love with a gelding, so be it.


----------



## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

I prefer mares.


----------



## ApuetsoT (Aug 22, 2014)

Oh, wow. I didn't expect to be the only one who likes geldings.


----------



## cbar (Nov 27, 2015)

I just like well-mannered horses. I have no preference.


----------



## Reiningcatsanddogs (Oct 9, 2014)

I have four geldings and one mare so I guess that says a lot about my preferences.

I agree with @Dehda01 that mares can give themselves over more completely if, and that is a huge IF, you can gain their trust and respect.

A friend of mine, who now owns all mares, swears they have more heart, more try; I'm not sure about that. I've ridden many geldings that never give up and give it their all. Though, perhaps for different reasons than a mare. 

I do know, that the one mare I own, I own, because the first time I rode her (I took care of her every day for almost a year before that), I felt her give herself over to me…it is kind of hard to put into words. 

It was like “Oh, yes. I’ve been looking for you. I see you and you see me. I'm yours.” it was like all of her worries melted away and you could feel it come through the reins and saddle. That, compared to my geldings who seem to reserve a section of themselves that they will never totally yield to anyone and it also comes through the reins and saddle. That doesn't bother me. That is not to say they are not obedient, like I said it is hard to put into words.

You can call that sass, spirit or being a turd but, when you tickle that part of them asking for it, the answer comes back, "no it is mine and no one, not even you, can have it". 

That said, it seems to me that geldings forget mistakes better (move past them; self confident?) and will generally suffer rough or inaccurate cues. There are obviously exceptions to that, I own one of those too. 

Geldings do seem less likely to baby-sit a rider, like slowing down if they feel you get too off balance. It is more like "You do your job and I will do mine. I'll own my mistakes and you own yours. End of contract." I like that kind of cut and dry relationship. Just don't ever try to hold them accountable for your mistakes!

IMO a gelding’s rudimentary trust is more easily earned but, perhaps doesn’t generally run as deep, as there is always that part of them they hold in reserve.


----------



## 6gun Kid (Feb 26, 2013)

I have had both. In my experience, and mine only, geldings are less trouble, easier to train, and more willing. Mares, on the other hand, require a firmer hand but will give you their all every time, once you put a handle on them. My best cow pony ever was a mare. I could sort, pen, rope, brand, and hunt off of her all day long but, she needed a job. My best horse ever (and current) is a gelding. I can hop on him and ask him to do anything and he will, it just may not be sterling but it will be competent, and if I am being honest the older I get the more I am willing to settle for competent!


----------



## kewpalace (Jul 17, 2013)

I prefer mares. My first horse was a gelding (a gift) and he was, well, my first horse, so of course I loved him to bits. My 2nd horse also a gift, was a mare. I just seemed to fit with her so much better. When I bought my 3rd horse I opted for a mare. Never regretted it. Love their spark, their brains and their try. But, while my first choice is a mare, I would probably not pass up a nice gelding.


----------



## KLJcowgirl (Oct 13, 2015)

Well... I grew up strictly on mares (my Grandpa's preference) and my only personal experience with a Gelding is the one I have now, and he grew up in a herd of mares and acts quite a bit like one. So... I don't really know what I prefer. I like @Uze 's description "He's so smart he's dumb", that does seem to fit him. He isn't very playful though, he's kind of a dough head, unless he spooks... He is the horse I could never bring myself to get rid of though, so he's got that going for him ;-)

If you click with a horse, you click, no matter color, gender, or breed. I don't think I'd really pick one over the other at the moment, but maybe once I get more Gelding experience that will change ;-)


----------



## DanteDressageNerd (Mar 12, 2015)

I just like horses lol.

I'll say to own, I prefer mares but to ride I like both. I don't really think of it when I'm riding. I just take each horse in as an individual. You get a pretty good variety of personalities and work ethics.

I ride geldings that will give me 110% and everything they have and mares who have complete meltdowns because they want to try so hard that they have a panic attack and you can't work with them. No matter how much you reassure and calm them down because they're so neurotic, they're unreasonable. I've ridden mares who will give their all and geldings who were flat out just jerks and entirely unreasonably belligerent. I've ridden stallions I hated riding because it's like you have to bully them back and not let anything go or they're AWFUL. Or stallions who will give 110% and are just wonderful to ride and work with. It just depends. 

I just like a hard working, motivated horse who you can reason with. I prefer something hot but reasonable and I guess in general I prefer mares because they're more sensitive/aware of their surroundings and pay attention. But I'll say a disadvantage to mares is if they've had psychological damage, they take it a LOT more personally than a gelding and you can't always rehab them because they remember, even if you do nothing wrong, they'll respond in such an extreme way you can't reason with them because they've had too much trauma. Even after years, giving the time off or anything else.


----------



## edf (Dec 20, 2013)

I just got my first horse 1 year ago- and its a mare. Man, she is sooo different than the geldings! But to be fare, it can be due to the fact she is an arabian and not a quarter horse, so when I explain my differences, I am thinking to specific things and trying to take th traits out of the breed.

She seems more finicky/picky with how I ride. Too much rein? She gives sass. When I have her on the cross ties and she wants to be out in with her buddy- she lets me know ( but isn't mean, just have to deal with her looking back with the I wanna be in the field look) She doesn't like me picking her feet out, and she lets me know. I used a neck rope on her once for balance- and she was just all high stepping and getting her panties in a twist because the knot was by her chest and she didn't like it. Once moved to the top of her neck, she was absolutely fine.

Though, with everything said-it just made me be a better rider or more attentive to my horse. I can't stand it when I can feel the seam of my sock on my toes, so I have to make sure the socks I buy don't have that seam, so I can understand the horse not liking the knot.

From my experience, the geldings have been more laid back, whereas my mare is a little more high strung- but as said before, it could be breed difference. I don't care that Zoe is a mare. The only time its a bit annoying is when she is in heat, but I only really notice this when she is walked past her boyfriends- she rides the same and all.

On a side note:


> She spooked at a banana once


Ever have your mare spook at the sound the carrot makes when she bites it? And not just one time, the entire duration of eating the carrot? I have... it was funny.


----------



## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

I just like a good horse-period
It just worked out for me, that most of my personal hroses wound up being mares, yet the one horse that will always have just a little more special place in my heart, was my gelding Einstein
Geldings make better horses, for the most part, far as youth and amateur horses, as they are never under the influence of hormones
Where the problem starts, far as mares, for this same group of people, very often, fail to realize that mares, although not constantly under the influence of hormones that fuel that reproductive drive like stallions, they are , part time, during the breeding months.
Thus, while stallions are mainly trained by professionals, thus taught to ignor those reproductive drive, many mares are not, and that owner,unable to get that same respect from a mare, even when in heat, runs into trouble
Intact horses (mares and stallions ) have one more main drive for preservation, then geldings, and that is to reproduce, This drive is stronger in some mares then others, just like in some stallions
Once you get that respect, even when a mare is in heat, she will generally try harder for you, just like a stallion, once you get his respect
This is also the reason, that most show hroses for youth and non pro are geldings
I have ridden some great mares, a few good stallions and some good geldings and even a great one.
My current three personal horses just happen to be mares. I guess I mainly wound up with mares, as when we were raising hroses, many people looking for a recreational horse or a show horse for a youth or themselves, wanted a gelding very often, with the geldings thus being sold, along with some mares, while I always had mares left to ride, with some of them eventually going into the broodmare band


----------



## NavigatorsMom (Jan 9, 2012)

I have ridden and long term leased or owned both, and I think I agree with a lot of you that I just want to ride a nice mannered and well trained horse.

My first horse was a thoroughbred mare and she holds a very special place in my heart. Probably because we just did so much together for so many years and she was my first horse. I always said when I owned I wanted to get a mare like her - sassy and strong willed and a little bit hot.

Currently however, I own a draft cross gelding. He's the sweetest horse I've ever interacted with and I absolutely love him. He's not nearly as sassy or strong willed as Dolly was (though he does have his opinions on things), and definitely not a hot horse. 

I realize now that I'm older and more aware of the dangers associated with riding (not that I didn't know before, but 17 year old me and 27 year old me are quite different) I prefer a quieter and more steady/reliable horse. I would not turn down riding or owning a mare later on when I can afford a second horse, but I am very happy with my gelding and think that they often aren't given enough credit.


----------



## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

I do not have a preference. 

Every horse is an INDIVIDUAL, whether they are a mare or gelding. Any bad manners, are just that = bad manners.


----------



## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

I've had both, and my current go-to riding horse is a mare. My best horse was a purebred Arabian gelding who had sass and attitude to match any mare. Smarts, too. Loved that boy, and I've spent the last 10 years looking for another one who could even come close. So far, none of them have.


The older I get the more interested I am in a horse with a good work ethic, who won't lose them mind when confronted with something different or startling. Both mares and geldings can have it, and a well trained horse is a joy to ride. 


I do prefer gaited horses now that I'm getting close to my dotage, and I've found that the majority of them tend to have good minds and a decent work ethic regardless of their sex.


----------



## Paintedponies1992 (Nov 17, 2013)

I'm kind of neutral, I like my geldings for their playful character. Wyatt is very playful, is very willing to please and trusted me from the get go when I got him; if mommy isn't afraid of it I shouldn't be afraid of it attitude. 

I also like mares, but I'm more picky with my mares. Rosie, for instance, has all the traits I wished all mares had. She doesn't show any signs of heat while undersaddle, doesn't stop to squirt if a cute gelding is behind or in front of her and never gives me attitude like some mares have given me in the past when they were in heat. The one day we were on the trail and their was a gelding behind her the entire time, I didn't realize she was in heat til we stopped to have lunch and I tied her next to the gelding where she began to act flirty with said gelding, but as soon as I got back on her she went right back to being as she was at the beginning of the ride. Now for the first year of owning her we had a rocky start, she tested constantly as if to see if I was worthy to ride her. Once we respected each other she turned into the sweetest mare I've ever owned. Whenever I go somewhere new off property she's my go to because I know she'll never step wrong with me.


----------



## redbarron1010 (Mar 11, 2017)

That is so true, every one of our geldings are playful goofballs, ranging from somewhat mild to total goofball (my gelding). That is what i love about them. God forbid you have a zipper on your jacket, or strings on your hoodie, or a hat on. they want it and thats it. My first gelding was 17 hh belgian/saddlebred and he took my helmet by the strap and yanked it from me and stuck his head up so high he was like a giraffe, and was spinning it like a top. I (and no one else) could not reach it, so we just kept ignoring him. he would drop his head with it in his mouth hanging by the strap and as soon as I would reach for it, his head would go up and he started spinning it again. Finally I ignored him and started talking with my friend and he played with it for a while then eventually dropped it. It was hilarious. I love that trait about geldings. he could easily untie knots, and one time at a campout, he "set free" himself and four other horses. What a brat he was, but fun! He was playful and I loved that. My current gelding is the same way.


----------



## gottatrot (Jan 9, 2011)

I think it's like saying, "Do you like pizza or do you like spaghetti?" When I'm eating pizza I like pizza, when I'm eating spaghetti I like spaghetti. Or like asking do you prefer male or female dogs, or cats? They all have great personalities, each one different. There are standoffish mares and queenly mares and silly mares. There are noble geldings and goofy geldings and die-hard geldings. Sometimes it is easier to find a great mare, because people seem to part with them more easily or give up on them because of a belief that mares are more difficult. I've met some quite difficult geldings too, it all depends on their personality + past experiences + genetics +/- training.


----------



## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

Geldings. I definitely prefer geldings! I love their playful moods and they are in general easier to train. They seem to be able to stay focused on the work easier than a mare does. 

I've had a few good mares (wouldn't buy a bad one, lol) but even the good ones can be difficult when they are in heat. Which seems to happen every time a show is scheduled! 

In general I find mares to be more alert to "danger", thus more spooky than geldings. IMO this is from an instinct to protect themselves and their young from predators. 

Geldings seem to trust the rider more easily, and do not react as strongly to perceived dangers. Love my boys


----------



## LoriF (Apr 3, 2015)

AnitaAnne said:


> Geldings. I definitely prefer geldings! I love their playful moods and they are in general easier to train. They seem to be able to stay focused on the work easier than a mare does.
> 
> I've had a few good mares (wouldn't buy a bad one, lol) but even the good ones can be difficult when they are in heat. Which seems to happen every time a show is scheduled!
> 
> ...


See, now I love my mare for the same qualities. She's playful (mostly by stealing my things when I'm not looking), stays focused when we are working together, always honestly trying to figure out what I'm asking of her when it's something new, and never forgets what she has already learned. Every once in a while she will try to pretend like she forgot but when I get on her butt she remembers instantly. She's not generally spooky but is alert to danger. My other mare is a little more reactive but has learned to trust people more and has since became calmer. Neither one would offer a hoof or teeth towards me or anyone else. Laela is very bold. Star? Not so much. About the only time Laela is being a jerk is when she wants to be all over me at feeding time. She gets a swat and in return I get a stink eye as she's walking away. Lol, sounds just like a gelding.


----------



## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

I've currently got 5 mares and I love them all, some of the best horses and ponies I've owned or ridden have been mares but if I was to compare them all, mares v geldings, I would say that the geldings on the whole have been easier to live with.


----------



## bellagris (Dec 6, 2010)

I've got both and I can say that there is a consistency to a gelding that mares don't always have in the sense of their mood from day to day. But once you get to know your mare, you know what they will give you -there's a certain edge to them that I love. They keep you on your toes and from my experience -you have to really earn it with a mare but when you do, man they have heart. Doesn't mean they wont pin those ears flat if a horse goes near them in the show ring though lol. I currently have 2 geldings and 2 mares. I have started them all or had them with very very limited work and I can say that the geldings...while like all young horses can be idiots...they tend to answer your questions a little easier, more often, than a mare does. I love them both...but for me, a mare that I keep has a purpose if anything happens to their soundness and they are shown and proven to be breeding quality and I am in a situation right now where I had an injury happen that means minimal riding more than likely at best and I am glad to have been able to give her another job.


----------



## beverleyy (Oct 26, 2011)

I prefer mares. I seem to click better with them. I did have a gelding, though he had to be unexpectedly PTS 7 years ago, and I just haven't been able to click with a gelding since. That horse was a nutcase though, but I loved him and he really was a great horse at the end of the day, so I think I just end up comparing every gelding to him and they'll never match up.

I own two mares now. One has been deemed a "loose screw" by many professionals as well as non-professionals. But, I have had her coming up on 14 years (15 years maybe??), and as much as we argue, I wouldn't get rid of her for anything. I wouldn't consider her hot/unpredictable personality to be "mare-ish" at all, I honestly believe it's just her and has nothing to do with being a mare at all. My other mare is dead to the world quiet and willing, total gentle giant personality, she is your typical gelding personality. 

So, in the end I still love mares, and will always chose a mare over a gelding. But, that said, I've met some insanely quiet mares, as well as some stupid hot spooky geldings - I've had one of each, and worked with countless others. I really think it just depends on the individual.


----------



## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

I had mares for years, but last 18 years, only geldings, my life is easier now. I am glad some people love mares, leaves more geldings for me.


----------



## jesscorc (Mar 12, 2017)

Geldings 100% I love my boy, he's naughty at times but never moody and he looks after me!


----------



## its lbs not miles (Sep 1, 2011)

redbarron1010 said:


> I am sure this topic has been discussed before, but since I am new to this forum, I thought I would get some people's opinions on mare vs geldings. Which you prefer and why. Speaking from my own experiences, I prefer geldings. The mares I have owned and also been around have had some personality traits I didn't care for. My one mare I actually named "Sybil" because every time I came up to ride, she had a different personalty. My sister's long time mare, although as sweet as can be, was spooky all the way up through her early 20's. She spooked at a banana once! My geldings have been more steady, but by no means perfect. I limit the treats to the end of the day because every gelding I have owned has been pushy about treats. they can be balky but overall I prefer them to mares. But I remember an old horse trainer at our barn once said "I prefer geldings, because they are the same every day, what you got is what you got, and it just gets a little better or worse depending on their mood, but you know what to expect. Mares can be changing and have different moods like women, you never know what you did wrong until you are on the ground. They make me feel like I am standing on a toppling rock, one wrong move and I can get hurt."
> I thought that was interesting, and would love to hear others opinions on this subject.


You are correct. It has been discussed (and discussed and discussed) :lol:.
I'm not going to read the list of comments so I apologize if I repeat some of them.

Most hose people I know (and have known...for those who have passed away) prefer geldings. Most of them are (had been) long time horse people and their reasoning was always the same. Geldings, for the most part, are much easier to deal with. If any horse is going to have the potential to become a "plug" it's much more likely to be a gelding.

From a working perspective (which was how we had to look at them when I was growing up) a good gelding will give you 100%. A good mare will give you 150%. A good stallion will give you 200% or more (but might well kill you if you don't train them right which is why I'd only recommend a stallion for very experienced horsemen....it's a generic term which includes both genders).
Even my father prefer his geldings (right up to the day he died), but would have to conceded that for a hard days work the mares would do the most for as long as we asked them too and a stallion would work them all into the ground. Of course my preferred a more sedate horse so his preference for geldings made sense. I've seen the difference that happens if a stallion I trained was later gelded and I never liked it. It's like they become a different horse and I always miss what they had been.

So I have always preferred mares over geldings, but still love a good stallion even though I never plan to own another one. Mares for me are just toned down stallions (not quite as strong or driven), but they still have plenty of spirit and it's unlikely to away. I've trained all three and ridden all three, but since the question is only about mares v geldings for me, all things be equal (or close to equal...I'll always give a mare the edge) I would always pick a mare if I'm buying a horse for me.


----------



## BlindHorseEnthusiast4582 (Apr 11, 2016)

Personally I prefer geldings, as I seem to connect better with them. That said, the Paint gelding I ride is very slow, relaxed and sometimes lazy, though he has a good mind and is very opinionated, and can be boring to ride. If I want a little bit more pep in my horse's step, I'll ride his owner's TB mare or Appaloosa mare. Then again, another friend's QH gelding will do whatever you like without an attitude and is upbeat, but also calm and laid back. Another she lost recently was all go, but listened very well. 

There is one mare I've ridden several times who is sometimes lazy and very argumentative. She will challenge you as much as she can until you earn her respect, and even still having respect on the ground does not mean she will respect you under saddle. She is calm, but is not above spooking or acting stupid to get out of working. Another mare I've only worked with on the ground (don't know that I could ride her) is extremely spooky and will act like a fool, also told she's very hard to control. Then, before mentioned TB mare is extremely steady and calm, but also has a little pep when you ask for it, just like the QH gelding.

So I think it depends a lot on the individual horse. I will also change who I want to ride depending on what kind of ride I'm in the mood for. If I want upbeat and active, I won't pick Cherokee, but if I just want to mosey around and maybe stretch out across their back without having to worry, he's my guy.


----------



## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

Geldings have those nasty beans that get stuck.............


----------



## Kaity Painted Equine (Sep 19, 2016)

Its hard to say, all horses are so different to one another. Can all come down to the breed, their diet, their past experiences and past owners/trainers.


- The first mare I owned was so caring, willing and just a plain great horse to learn from all-round. Never stepped a foot wrong, you could do absolutely anything and everything with her she wouldn't batter an eyelid.


While my next mare was moody & stubborn - but when you passed the barrier she was the same moody mare but cared and gave so much. 
My all time favourite. If I were to fall off at my expense she'd check if I'm ok & hope back on with the occasional cheeky nip on my hip. Not harmful in anyway, was kind of a way for her to tell me not to do that again - then off we'd go!


- While my first gelding was kind and sweet on the ground. But if you hopped on him he'd buck you off, take off on you and try to hurt you. 


But my current horse is a gelding, so kind, not a bad bone in his body, needs a lot of reassurance. Mouthy, and giving. Came from an abusive past so its little baby steps but very promising ones - very rewarding experience!


Its hard to say, I love both genders but I generally feel more safe with a gelding as they are easier to read and predict, as well as have a little bit of fun.
Like other have said, mares are just toned down stallions... Haha


----------



## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

My mare is absolutely awesome. Easier to ride than her son (but he's about 1/3 her age). But none of this hormonal, unpredictable behavior everyone talks about. She can be hyper and barn sour, sure. But I used to have a gelding just like her, so that's not a gender thing. 

She's just very sweet, people oriented and I never know she's in season unless she meets or rides with a strange horse. But alone or with horses she knows, you never even know it. I have met moody, hormonal mares that I wouldn't want to own. But I've probably met more good ones. I can think of 3 mares I would own right off hand and only one that I never would. 

I used to think I was strictly a gelding person but my mare made me a believer in good mares!

Now if I was horse shopping and all things being equal, I would have a slightly preference for geldings only because there are less variables. No wondering what he's like if he's in season or if he has a bun in the oven, lol! But if I know the mare and like her, I don't have a preference for either gender. Except stallions. I know I don't need one of those. :biglaugh:


----------



## jgnmoose (May 27, 2015)

My horses are Mares, didn't plan it that way specifically but there ya go.

One mare is so sweet. She is basically perfect, older really trained and quiet as a horse can be. The other is hot and sassy. Beautiful, sweet some times. She is younger and I think that she will mellow some with time.

Geldings are great too. I think like many animals, the boys are usually a little more playful and affectionate.


----------



## secuono (Jul 6, 2011)

I like geldings for riding and mini mares for some added spice to the herd, lol! 
I'm a woman, so I can't hate a mare for having the same mood swings I do, but rather not ride a mare and have two witches to deal with. Hah


----------

