# Tell me your stories about mares that aren't crazy



## SteadyOn (Mar 5, 2017)

I had a sweetheart of a mare for two and a half years. Perfect trail horse. Went on amazing long solo hacks with her. She never spooked in the entire time I owned her, and her only "bad" days were: cantered down the trail once to catch up to her friends on a hunter pace, and once "reared" twice -- about three inches -- when it was a cold, gross day, and she was in heat and just in a *mood*. Could put anyone on her and take her anywhere. Sadly, she developed fairly fast-moving arthritis just over a year into my time with her, so we didn't do as much as I'd hoped, but I loved every minute that I had with her! Wish they could all be like that.


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## qrtrpony (May 22, 2017)

my daughter's mare (8 yr old quarter horse pony chestnut mare!) is very sane. She is pretty much spook proof and I don't believe would ever bolt with someone on her ever, she's far too lazy for that. When she is in season the only thing we notice is she is more vocal (she will neigh LOUDLY upon arrival to the arena), and she will shake her head more when you use spurs. Otherwise, she is actually very very loving and affectionate when in season, whereas some mares are irritable when in heat, she seems to be totally ok with it and wants the world to know, lol.


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## mkmurphy81 (May 8, 2015)

Both of the horses I owned as a kid were mares. The first one was crazy, but not seasonally related. She was more fun-crazy. You had to earn her respect, and once you did, she would do anything for you. The second was one of the most sane horses I've ever known. She was an ex-cutting horse. She had plenty of speed when asked, but she was very responsive. I wouldn't have called her a beginner horse, but only because she would have been too responsive for a beginner. An intermediate adult would have loved her.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

ldm said:


> she is actually very very loving and affectionate when in season, whereas some mares are irritable when in heat, she seems to be totally ok with it and wants the world to know, lol.


Hahaha.... too funny!

Ok, keep the stories coming! I need to know that there are sane mares out there before I go and get another one.


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## LoriF (Apr 3, 2015)

I have two mares and a filly (although the yearling filly doesn't quite count in this topic). The barn owner has two more and another boarder has one. The other boarders mare is a witch when it comes to feeding because she's allowed to be but still quiet when handled and ridden. All of the other mares are quiet when handling and when being ridden. It doesn't matter what time of year it is. Laela was in heat this week. She isn't acting any differently than what she usually is (except for making googly eyes at the geldings over the fence and squirting). One of the barn owners mares, who is ridden by her 10 year old son, and competes in mounted shooting knows exactly what her job is and does it. No ****yness, no acting out, she just rides. She's also a wonderful trail horse too. Not saying that these mares are perfect. They try you sometimes, but not anymore than any gelding would. 

I've been seeing a lot of discussion with people having issues with their horses and a lot of times when it's a mare the first thing that comes to peoples minds is "Is she in heat?" Who cares!! It's a horse. When people are having trouble with geldings it's always chalked up to not enough or bad training, bad handling or pain. Why is it different with mares. I'm sure their are certain individuals that do have issues when in heat but in my opinion, very few. I think way too much is blamed on that when it's usually another issue. Like not enough training, incorrect handling and such. My horse Star pulls back when tied all of the time. It's not because she is a mare, it's because she has learned to do this. My Star is more standoffish and aloof, Laela loves to be around people and her filly is just like her. They all have different personalities no matter what gender they are.

The biggest jerk on the property here is a gelding. The second biggest jerk is another gelding although they are both getting better.


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## Horsef (May 1, 2014)

There is a school horse mare at my yard which by all rights should be cloned and her "offspring" should be dispersed to every single riding school in the world. She is huge but she is easily ridden by tiny beginners. Very forgiving, never spooks, bucks, rears, bites...So comfortable that first-timers can sit both her trott and canter. Litteraly, the instructor will put a person who has never been on a horse and they will be cantering within 15 minutes with a smile - setting themselves up for a disappointment for any future horse  Also, she isn't forward but picks up canter on the correct lead without fail, straight away, even for completely confused beginners. Her only vice is that she will sometimes plant next to a particularly juicy patch of grass but never under saddle. A stern finger-wag by her 7 year-old handler gets her going. Lovely critter, that one.


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## carshon (Apr 7, 2015)

I actually prefer mares to geldings. And have ridden many a sane mare. My favorite horse ( now deceased) was kind of bratty normally but when in heat she just Pee'd A LOT! and I mean A LOT! 

We currently have 4 mares. None exhibit particularly bad behavior when in season. The mare I ride you cannot even tell when she is in season. My daughters mare becomes a hussy when in season and calls to mares and geldings a lot and postures a lot around new horses.


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## KLJcowgirl (Oct 13, 2015)

I grew up on mares and wouldn't hesitate to buy more. The one I started showing on had some VERY noticeable cycles, she was extremely flirty and peed a lot, but never got crazy and never quit paying attention to me. She was an EXCELLENT beginners horse, she was slow and consistent, but could sure kick in into gear if you wanted. The others just never really showed much sign of heat. My mini mare is great in or out of heat as well, she pins her ears and swishes her tail a bit more when in, but never more attitudinal. I can only think of one mare in all my years that was grouchy in heat, but I hated her from the beginning, had nothing to do with the heat grumps.

Oddly enough, my gelding has been the most moody and inconsistent horse I've had...


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## egrogan (Jun 1, 2011)

Is it cheating if I just leave a link to my journal?? :wink:
http://www.horseforum.com/member-journals/my-mare-star-trail-today-can-431322/ 

Seriously though, Isabel is my first horse and has taught me a ton. She's got a solid foundation but certainly has her own opinions about what she should or shouldn't be asked to do. My journal is basically a running 3+ year story on what it took to take her from being a lesson horse only ridden in the ring by kids to a trusty happy hacker for an adult re-rider. It wasn't always smooth or pretty, but all in all, it's been a very satisfying journey. 

I also think there's an age element here- she was 18 when I bought her and is 23 now. I don't know if our story would have ended the same way if I got her when she was 5, but as I am casually searching around for my next horse, I'm looking for another mare who's about that age or a couple of years older, so I guess we'll see! :grin:


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## kewpalace (Jul 17, 2013)

I love mares. They are my go-to gender, LOL. I had an Arab Gelding who was the stereo typical Arab (but we got along fine). I got mares after that and just clicked with them. My Mare Star was perfect. You never knew when she was in season. Her demeanor never changed. She was a fine beginner horse and always was very careful with them and tried to do what she thought they were asking for. 

Pi is another story .. although her demeanor does not change that much, with her you know she is in season because she flags her tail even more than normal and squirts alot.  She is not a beginner horse, but not for that reason, she is a hot/emotional tending horse in competition, although she'd probably be fine on a trail ride with a beginner. The only problem if a beginner got in trouble and started hanging on her face, it would not go well. But back to the topic, my trainer says to breed her once and mares will usually settle after that. Given her breeding and conformation, I could breed to a good cowhorse stallion and either keep/sell the baby. So that may be a possibility.

It remains to be seen where Scarlett falls into the spectrum. Per the seller, she has already cycled once.


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## Dehda01 (Jul 25, 2013)

I think sometimes mares can take a bit longer to bond with people than a gelding.. who is like... I love everyone. But once you have a mare trust you, they are incredible. 

I personally love my mares. They are hard workers and I trust them to get me out of a scrape more than my geldings whether it is on the trail or a dreaaage test. But sometimes that is because they are going... I think I may know better... my older mares are usually right. My younger mares are still learning so I have to override such discussion. 

A good mare is worth their weight in good. They make fantastic lesson horses. One of my mares will take care of a little kid all
Day long w/t and look like an old trusty plug , but have an adult get on her that knows what they are doing and she offers all of her lateral movement and be soft in the mouth and can put on a decent 3rd level test.


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## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

Every kid/beginner horse I've ever had has been a mare and have never had a gelding that I could trust the way I could those mares. Growing up my sister's horse was a mare that anyone could ride. I've actually never had a mare that did a 180 during their heat cycle, either they were good or they were a b**** all of the time.

This is Gracie (RIP) and I bought her as a yearling because I could tell from her personality that she was going to be a laid back horse anyone could ride.









And the horse in the background is Freckles (sorry any decent photos I have of her is on photobucket). She's not quite the beginner friendly horse Gracie was because you could put a kid on Grace and she'd walk around in circles without any direction from a handler, Freckles will go to the gate and stand if they don't know how to direct her otherwise.









She's 22 now and I've had her since she was 5. Once she's gone I will be without a good kid horse. I thought Flash, who is out of Gracie and a grandson to Freckles, was going to be next in my line of kid horses. While he's quiet and laid back and I could probably put a beginner adult on him, he hates having a kid on his back. No rhyme or reason to that, he's never been mistreated by one but they make him a nervous wreck.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

So good to hear about all these great mares! Makes me feel better about considering buying another one. 

I do agree that heat shouldn't make a sane mare turn into a psychopath. Generally, if they do that, it's because they are somewhat insecure/anxious/unstable to start with. And surely, it's possible to train it out of them to some extent - if people can train stallions to ignore their hormones, then surely mares can behave even when they're not really feeling great. After dealing with my own issues lately and hearing about other mares going crazy at certain times of the year, I was getting a little worried... so thank you for all your stories of trustworthy mares!


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## horseluvr2524 (Sep 17, 2013)

My mom's mare is dead quiet and never even shows when she is in heat. I have never heard her squeal, never seen her act 'mareish', never seen her act out aggressively or dominantly towards another horse, etc. She is like a gelding, only smarter! Excuse my French (as the saying goes), but I have personally found mares to be far better babysitters and will really go out of their way to take care of their rider. Geldings tend to be very 'go with the flow' but I have not met nor ridden one that really goes out of their way to keep the rider safe.

I have seen my own mare, who can be testy at times, become gentle as a lamb with children. She has done some dangerous things in the past, I will admit. However, I attribute that to being young and being spoiled by ill handling (which I fully admit was my fault). Now that we have both figured things out and settled down, I watch her actually decide when it is safe to pull shenanigans and when it is not. She is absolutely bombproof around everything, and I trust her to pack my beginner DH around all over the city and trails.

I know a trainer who never bought nor kept geldings. He kept mares exclusively, aside from one breeding stallion. Yes, he had a couple foals each year, as he did breed his own horses and one could argue that was why he kept mares. However, in his words, "mares are smarter and they will take care of you", and the only horses he put his little girls on (between the ages of 2 and 6) were mares!

Mares get a bad rep, but geldings can be just as bad. I know one lady who had this NSH gelding she raised herself. At 18yrs old, that horse was still acting stupid, and would still do stupid things that were dumping her on the ground at 70. She also had bought a pure arab gelding who was very young and green. I witnessed that horse dump her more than once over nothing.

So in general, yes mares can be a little testy at times (what woman isn't?). But they also are smart, learn their job, take care of their rider, etc. Vs. geldings who I have seen more of just act willing and derpy until something scares them because they weren't paying attention and they freak out.

A good horse is a good horse, regardless of gender. There are exceptions to both gelding and mare stereotypes. One horse that I would still love to get my hands on I used to get paid to trail ride him out. He was an incredible thoroughbred (supposed to be spooky and unmanageable, as TB stereotypes go) and I could take and gallop him out alone, and slow him with a mere lightening of my seat. I felt like I was riding pegasus on that horse. He wasn't quite a beginner horse, but never what I would call spooky, unsafe, or unmanageable.

My guess as to why so many mares on the market is that instead of just saying "ok" and being very compliant the way a gelding does, a mare will ask "why? what's the point? why are we doing this?". Once you get her to understand the reason, she will give you 150% rather than just an average performance.


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## SamanthaApp (Jul 6, 2017)

I just got my first horse, who is a mare. I have been molesting her 2x a day with 3 vials of oral meds and eye ointment. I try to make it as pleasant as possible with treats, but I am sure having a new owner administer so many meds cant be fun for her. She has been an angel even though she definitely came into heat last week. She does trot away from me when I try to brush her in the pasture sometimes, but that could just be her getting more used to me and telling me she doesn't really love being groomed. 

I have already connected with her so much, and really love her sweet little personality. I am glad it sticks around during her heat cycles


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

My very first horse was a mare -- I was 12 and my grandfather picked her out for me. I rode her bareback all the time. I used to stand on her back (with my shoes off) to pick apples off the tree. She was always unflappable.

Her unexpected foal was born on my parents farm and was the colt I raised and trained and kept to his end time of 29 years. She was a Saddlebred/???


Years later (I was 43) I bought a Morgan/Arab cross that had gone ring sour but loved the trails from the moment I took her out. She was another perfect-never-make-a-mistake horse.

Conversely my insurance agent sold his daughter's first 4-H horse which was a mare. She was gentle as could be and great in the show ring, until she came in heat and she turned so nasty and unpredictable, people thought she was a stallion unil they looked closer.

*Blessed are the geldings for they are always even tempered unless they don't feel good)))*


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## Dehda01 (Jul 25, 2013)

I think people sometimes forget that mares need to be considered as "intact". The same as stallions. 

Some mares have difficulty handling ALL THE HORMONES, just like a stallion can. It isn't exactly the same, because mares are usually much easier to handle most of the time compared to a stallion... but have a mare around a stallion(or really handsome gelding and she may start thinking like a teenage girl.

Early training can help this and explain to them that such behavior isn't ok. But we all have that girlfriend that CANT BE TRUSTED in certain situations some mares can be the same way. 

Many people blame bad behavior on being a mare. I usually say bullpucky. Bad behavior is bad behavior and unless they have cysts or a tumor on their ovaries they can cope. 

One of my mares is a real hussy in the field when she is in heat. She plants herself in front of a gelding and won't move... so she sometimes get moved to a different field with mares only and she will still moon and make cow eyes over the fence towards her favorite gelding. She was pathetic when I still had a stallion. But she can still work just fine on those days when I ride her. Maybe she might be a bit more responsive to leg if anything, but she rides the same all month long.


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## KLJcowgirl (Oct 13, 2015)

horseluvr2524 said:


> Excuse my French (as the saying goes), but I have personally found mares to be far better babysitters and will really go out of their way to take care of their rider.


That is exactly how my mother's mare JoJo was. I don't know that I remember EXACTLY what happened, the story has been told many times and that's mostly what I have to go on, but I do remember this happening. One day I was riding with my little brother (who was maybe 3 or 4, I was probably 5 or 6), he was on JoJo and I on another mare Sandy. I was in the GO FAST phase of learning and I took off on a quick (to me) lope. JoJo picked up a slow trot, and my brother dropped the reins and started bouncing around. Mom was screaming at him to HANG ON! He slowly started slipping out of the saddle and the second he did, JoJo stopped and turned her nose to him, almost to hold him. My mom ran to him hanging on the side of the saddle by the horn, JoJo's nose in his legs. He was grinning ear to ear and said "I hangded on momma!"

No way my gelding would be so concerned with the little on his back.


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## mmshiro (May 3, 2017)

I lease a 9 year-old OTTB mare. Other than when she pees and winks at anything with a pulse, I don't know when she's in heat. I have never seen her ears pinned, I heard her squeal once since I've known her. She puts her head against my torso when I reach under her neck to pet her cheek. 

On the trail, she has never kicked at another horse behind her or displayed otherwise bitchy behavior. She's spooked a handful of times, all of them in place. It needs a deer jumping up from tall grass next to her to startle her, but we also have hunted after fleeing deer in a field before.

Sometimes she likes to anticipate and turns to a trail going off left or right, and I came off her twice during such a maneuver. This has taught me to sit on her like a clothespin and to engage my leg much faster (as in "split seconds") if I do feel her veering off course. She's rock solid at the full gallop down a field and can be brought back down with minimal effort. She gets excited after a run, but a few minutes threading her between trees in the woods calms her down and she can be back on (almost) loose reins. We have discussions about the speed we go in, but rarely had arguments. That happens exclusively when I ride with someone on a horse that is as competitive as her - solo rides are the most peaceful.

The farrier says if all horses stood like her, everybody could put on an apron.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

KLJcowgirl said:


> That is exactly how my mother's mare JoJo was. I don't know that I remember EXACTLY what happened, the story has been told many times and that's mostly what I have to go on, but I do remember this happening. One day I was riding with my little brother (who was maybe 3 or 4, I was probably 5 or 6), he was on JoJo and I on another mare Sandy. I was in the GO FAST phase of learning and I took off on a quick (to me) lope. JoJo picked up a slow trot, and my brother dropped the reins and started bouncing around. Mom was screaming at him to HANG ON! He slowly started slipping out of the saddle and the second he did, JoJo stopped and turned her nose to him, almost to hold him. My mom ran to him hanging on the side of the saddle by the horn, JoJo's nose in his legs. He was grinning ear to ear and said "I hangded on momma!"
> 
> No way my gelding would be so concerned with the little on his back.


I had a gelding like this when I was a kid! Crazy teenaged me used to let him go as fast as he wanted to (he'd done some racing in his earlier years) in a big, open field, bareback! The first few times, I didn't have a very good seat and would start to slip sideways. He'd gently slow down, and move under me as he felt me sliding until I regained my seat. 

Other than being absolutely terrififed of water and traffic, he took great care of me!


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

I love mares, and for some reason, most of my personal hroses have been mares.
I guess one of the reasons was that many buyers, wanting a show or recreational horse, wanted our young geldings, unless they were importing them to Europe.

I did keep one gelding, Einstein, and because he was so special to me, helped my through my cancer years, I would not accept any offers to buy him.

Since we rode both our mares and our stallions, before putting them in our breeding program, I rode a lot of those young mares. Some did sell as three, four year olds, others went into our broodmare band, and others, I just kept riding, and once I did that, they were not for sale, as they had become, 'my horses'

Anyway, unless a mare has some reproductive problem, like cystic ovaries, ovarian tumors, they can be trained to ignore their hormones, when in heat, just like a stallion has to be 'just a hrose',when handled or ridden
Problem is, professionals mainly train stallions, but because mares are just like geldings when not in heat, many people buy them , who are not experienced enough to get that respect from a mare, when she is distracted by her reproductive drive
Some mares are more reactive when in heat, thus more difficult to get shown, esp as young horses, being first exposed to the World and the show scene, and why many mares are shown with their heat cycles suppressed
I found, once I had that respect, those mares would be very consistent, whether in heat or not
Research has also shown, that soon a s a mare acts up, she is declared to be in heat, when often that is not even so. That mare simply lacks good training and boundaries.Thus, i think it is very important to know if mare is 
being reactive, because of her heat cycle, or just has a poor attitude/training
Often, any gelding that acts up, or shows an interest in mares, which is perfectly normal, even if gelded correctly, is declared to be proud cut-also not true in many cases
My kids learned to ride both on a gelding I bought, and a young mare I first rode for a year or so.
My first great show mare was my old reining mare,San Stone Image. She was Peppy San bred on the bottom, thus had some quickness to her, but she won many show awards, took me on many trail rides, raised some great babies, came out of retirement to serve as a youth hrose for a kid from Germany, who needed a horse for his position on the iNternational youth team, at the Canadian Appaloosa Nationals. She won the flag picking and got second in reining with that youth, who only rode her for a week before the show, and after I had weaned a filly off of her quickly, and gave her a two week refresher
Smilie of course, is a mare, and I have ridden her since she was two, winning many ROMs on her, open show awards, Horse improvement Classics, International year end hi pts,plus have ridden her also a lot in the mountains, or just down the road
Carmen, my main trail horse is a mare, and unless she is out with the geldings, never know when she is in heat
Charlie, my late bloomer, is also a mare. she was reactive at one point, but whether that was just heat related at times, due tot hat run in, or her sire, who I never met, as I bred her by transported semen-not sure, but she has come along fine, and is now ahrose I enjoy. I admit, though it took time, most likely due tot he fact I was much older when she was a green horse, as when I trained other hroses, so there most likely, as a rider, some lack of my former confidence , was picked up by Charlie, who is a very sensitive horse, not to mention, BIG!, Thus the odd shot of rye, before I rode her out by herself, in the beginning, esp shortly after knee replacements!
Geldings certainly can be problem horses also, but they remain the choice, all things being equal(training, mind),for youth and non pros, as you have the same horse year round, and many serious non pro show people won't even look at a mare
That does not mean some really great mares are not out there, for the novice rider, because they have been created to be that way, by their past handling and riding, not to mention their great disposition


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

! cARMEN
2 Charlie


3 San stone Image


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

First Mix, full sister to Smilie

Second, their dam, Mis Maxed, as AQHA mare that I first trail rode, pictures as a three year old

Last, of course, my Smilie


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

I've owned and worked with lots of mares and never had a single one that I would have called crazy - including quite a lot of chestnuts. Even the two I have on Regumate in the spring/summer aren't remotely crazy, they're just too driven by sexual urges when they're in the field but never moody or hard to handle or ride. Lou was difficult when we first got her but she's a real sweetie now and my DH calls her my 'dope on a rope'. She was never crazy though - just fearful and didn't trust people.
When a mare is 'crazy' there's usually some medical reason behind it like ovarian cysts/tumours


My 3rd pony was a mare and the first that I looked after myself when I was about 12. She wasn't sociable in the field with other horses any of the time but I could ride with others and lead another pony off her no trouble at all. She was 100% reliable to ride and handle. I used to head off on my own in the morning and be out all day on her going through our local town, along busy roads, riding through forest trails and along canal banks. She never out a foot wrong. I was in no way an amazing capable rider but we competed in gymkhana and jumping, pony club and went hunting and she always took care of me.


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## k9kenai (Jul 1, 2017)

I've had one Appaloosa mare and one ISH gelding. I think I preferred the mare, to be honest (to be fair though she was a lot older and more well trained than my gelding and she was also my first horse). She rode the same whether she was in heat or not, and her personality on the ground was the same regardless if she was in heat or not (apart from peeing and winking). 

My gelding was a sweetheart but I just didn't bond to him the same way I did my mare, and I had him for a longer period of time than I did my mare and I rode him more frequently.

I've already decided my next horse will be a mare. I'll definitely purchase a gelding down the road (perhaps as a companion for the mare in the form of a donkey) but my first purchase will definitely be a mare.


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## Spec (Jun 13, 2015)

I was always a gelding girl. Had only geldings for 15 years. Finally broke down and got a mare who was said to be "quiet and willing"... I was a skeptic but the price and the bloodlines were right.. When I first got her home she had some "relationship problems" with my geldings, but after a month they worked out their differences and get along just fine now. You'd think the mare would be the boss of the gelding herd but no.. She's at the bottom of the pecking order. Only slightly cranky with them when she is in heat (but they know to steer clear). Otherwise she is SO SWEET. Level-headed, and I think she's more intuitive than the geldings. She puts her heart into whatever you put her up to. Not a spooker and just absolutely a joy to have. She proved to me that some mares aren't crazy b*tches, and believe it or not I'm beginning to prefer them! Don't lose hope!


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## Avna (Jul 11, 2015)

Both my favorite horses have been mares. My first "good" horse, Happy. Out of a grade Saddlebred mare by a ranch QH stallion. Bought her as an unstarted two year old and did most of her training (with much guidance). I was 15. She was reliable and steady even as a baby. She would kick if a horse tailgated her on the trail, and she would squeal when meeting a strange horse, but other than that she was viceless. I slid down mountain sides on her, and swam her across rivers. She's the sorrel in the photo.

My now mare, Brooke, has no marish qualities under saddle but she is a dominatrix in the pasture. Also acquired unstarted and I have been her only rider after she had 60 days on her. She is a more sensitive and opinionated horse than Happy ever was, but I feel quite safe on her. No buck in her. I've fallen off three times, but all three times were just stupid inattention on my part. In each case she just stood there looking at me wondering why I was on the ground. No, once she ran up the hill in a little panic, but I called her name and she turned around and came back to me. That's my Brooke.


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

I really haven't had trouble with mares. 

Before my teen years my primary mount was a Nokota-Welsh mare (technically pony), named *Misty*. While she would have her moments from time to time, she was a great horse. When my friends would come out to ride, we'd put them on her. This is also the horse I stuck poor non-horsey husband on and then went for an 6+ mile ride. :grin: Poor guy had saddle **** pretty bad! Misty was born on our place and we sold her when she was 18 to a family with 6 kids to enjoy her. 

My mom's horse for many years, *Crinkle*, was just the sweetest thing. She would have her mare moments in the pasture in the herd, but she was one of those hard-to-find horses that just took care of you no matter what, and no matter who was on her back. 

I trained quite a few horses in my early college years. *Cherry* was a horrible brat for the first week I had her .... then it was "snap" into this perfect sweet filly that didn't even know how to pin her ears. Loved her. *Jammer* I only had for about 3 months before I sold her again. Very talented horse and wanted to please; she had been started at some point (history unknown - divorce case) but she was doing easy flying lead changes in a month. BUT you could not get aggressive with her or she would get aggressive right back. Maybe that wasnt necessarily a mare thing though. *Silky *was MEAN horse I trained for my neighbor -- didn't trust that horse for a second. She's the only one I can think of in my whole life that was actually mean and you could see her thinking about things she could do. Bucked off her owner when she took her back (like I warned her) and she did the right thing by selling her. *Rosie* I bought at auction and found out later she had already bucked the trainer off numerous times (I was told she'd never been ridden). Super sweet mare but _terrified _when you tried to ride her. I don't know what they did to her. Wasn't a mare thing. I ended up selling her full disclosure b/c it wasn't worth it to me to get hurt. Such a shame because she was so sweet on the ground.

And those are all the mares we've had I can think off (rest have been geldings). And I can't say that any have been "crazy" mares. For the ones that had "quirks" it may have just been that, and notsomuch mare issues .... except Silky. I don't know what the heck was wrong with her. 

I was going to post pictures of each but darn Photobucket won't let me anymore ... even though I do have a paid subscription!! :evil:


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## evilamc (Sep 22, 2011)

Someone would have to try REALLLLLLLLL hard to take my Orianna from me.










I think she is one of the safest most reliable horses I've ever been around. Not much spooks her, shes a little slower...but will keep up wtih the faster guys too. I literally can put anyone on her and not have to worry, she NEVER steps out of line. She isn't the most affectionate horse but I think some of that is because shes just not used to having affection. When I bought her she was terrified of you petting her and didn't know what treats were. Shes spoiled rotten now but deserves every single bit of it for what she puts up with everyday (JAX). I've had multiple people offer me money for her after they ride her but I don't think I could ever bring myself to sell her....shes a unicorn! It would be so hard to replace her AND she and Jax get along so well...which says a lot because not many horses tolerate him.









I can ride her in pretty much anything and shes always the same









Here she is packing around @Tazzie's husband at Hocking Hills! Hes a beginner rider and she just followed behind me on Jax and did her job  PS sorry Katie for not the best pic of you  but I LOVE Izzie's look of wonderment at her surroundings LOL!

I will say I got VERY lucky with her, shes not moody at all. Now she does try and "hide" sometimes when I want to go ride lol! She'll hide in the stall until I have Jax haltered....then she'll come out and say Hi since she knows I'm not taking her. Shes goofy. She'll pretty much do anything you point her at though, in obstacle courses or on the trail. Heck the dentist barely even had to sedate her to do her teeth!


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## Folly (Jan 27, 2015)

I think my mare Dakota hung the moon. I had a bad experience with my first horse (a mare) about 3 years ago. Long story, but I let Dakota slip away from me before buying the first one (I thought she was too big or something ridiculous, and she got snatched up... she's only 14.3 lol). Then, sold my first one and by some miracle crossed paths with Dakota again. But... was nervous because so many people told me to get a gelding... that I almost let her get away again. Finally pulled the trigger and brought her home. One of the best decisions of my life!!! She's a gem. I've even ridden her on a narrow lane past a squealing stallion the neighbor owns - when she was in heat. We didn't tarry, but no drama. 

She's not a deadhead. She responds quickly to subtle cues, but NEVER bolts or spins. She can spook, but her spooks are typically in place, occasionally a very sittable small jump or side-step. Never (so far) any spinning, which would be hard to sit. The worst spook we ever had was a gate slamming right behind us as a storm blew up - she lurched into a few canter strides. As soon as I collected myself enough to ask, she slowed immediately to a walk. Good girl. Not to say I'll never get hurt on this horse, but she definitely stacks the odds in my favor.

The only real clue she's 'in' is that little sideways tail lift they do.. and that's rarely under saddle. I LOVE her. She's opened this whole world to me. We've been trail buddies for almost a year and a half now. BTW, I now know 3 other mares I'd take in a heartbeat. And quite a few geldings I wouldn't ride for anything!!! (I know some great ones too... but just just saying, it doesn't seem to have much to do with the gender). I pasture my mare with 4 other mares... and there is definitely a fascinating herd dynamic. She is usually very content to 'get along' and not pick fights; she will stand up for herself though. Non-aggressive confidence, I guess. 

I don't know this mare you are looking at of course... but gems are out there. I don't know how I got so lucky to find mine. If I ever wanted to rehome her (NO WAY), there's a waiting list


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## AtokaGhosthorse (Oct 17, 2016)

Well. Gina is my husband's mare, she's barely 5, fairly tall, but she's awesome and I can't tell that she acts any differently, ever, than our geldings. Does she have her crabby days? Yep. But so do the geldings, so does our 18 month old filly. She's crow-hopped a few times while riding, usually a bouncing, flopping around toddler-esque But MOOMMMM Iiidddonntttwannnaaaa type tantrum, and that's it.

She's our four wheel drive go anywhere, up for anything with anyone horse, our horse from Tangled (She likes to sniff her way through unfamiliar ground and challenging trails, nose to the ground) and she seeks us out when she picks up a seasonal cold... she wants snuggles and hugs and lovins.

She's a pocket horse... curious and wants to see what you're doing - every time my husband is trying to get a trailer hitched in the smaller pasture, she has to come over, stand beside him, and stick her head down to watch what he's doing - she's nosy... and friendly, and we adore Miss Gina. She was going to sleep while getting her forelock braided by my daughter in this picture btw.

(She had no name for her first four years btw, but the kid we bought her from is a friend of my son and daughter, and always liked to say DAAAMMMM Gina! when any female - but usually me - was riding his case - like to get his laundry done or pick his messes up around my house... so as a joke, I named her Gina while he still owned her... and it stuck.)


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

Acadianartist said:


> So as most of you know, I am pretty frustrated up with my mare Kodak these days. I was talking to my neighbor who is also the owner of a seasonally-crazy mare. There are a few stories about them on this very forum. And as I search the horse for sale ads to find a safer mount, oddly, there is an abundance of mares for sale! Most are accompanied by the disclaimer "NOT a beginner horse!" 'Tis the season I guess?
> 
> However, I have my eye on a mare that is touted to be absolutely quiet and chill. Do I dare hope? Are there sane mares out there that don't turn into psychopaths when they cycle?
> 
> Not looking for advice on Kodak, just asking for stories of quiet mares.


These 2 are 2 of my sane mares, Patti & Goldie. You'll never know that one of them is in season unless you're actively teasing her for breeding. Can't find my pics of Dolly and she's another one who's totally sane. I think unless there is a PHYSICAL reason for them to act up, that most mares are ****y and nasty only because their owners allow the behavior. Same people would say, "Oh but he's a stallion, of course he's going to misbehave.". Total BS if you start right from the git and not stand for nonsense. 

In all my years and many many horses, I've had ONE mare who had problems during her cycle that weren't behavior driven. That mare was put on Depo Provera and never had another cycle, problem solved. The rest learn very quickly that being a witch during their cycle was a very quick way to get the wrong end of my temper and an active end of my carrot stick. 

Personally, for the average recreational rider, I would recommend a gelding. Pretty much the same day in, day out and you don't have to worry about those breeding thoughts.

I should add that Patti, Goldie and Dolly will go along to get along if I'm there and anyone can ride them. IF I'M THERE. Sold to an inexperienced person who would allow their opinionated selves to run over the new owner? They'd eat that person for lunch and spit out the bones. It's one of the things I value most about them, they are all 3 very independent.










Found a pic of Dollface on Photobucket, let's see if it works.


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## Caledonian (Nov 27, 2016)

I grew up riding mares and geldings and they all had their good and bad days but I can’t say that the mares were worse than the geldings – different, but not worse. 

There were many in my first yard that I’d love to own now – Dhean, Leanabh, Suzette, Hope, and Miranda to name a few. I can’t say anything bad about them, they were trustworthy in any situation all year round; so, I never really understood the warnings from the older riders in the yard to ‘avoid mares, especially chestnuts’. 

I’ve had two mares, Sasha and Pepsi and a gelding, Toby. While Pepsi was extremely difficult, she was a product of past owners’ bad decisions rather than her gender; that and being too intelligent for her own good. Sasha could be a bit aloof (she definitely wasn’t the hugs type) but otherwise she wasn’t what I’d consider unstable. She did what she was asked, safely and with plenty of enthusiasm.


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

agree with Dream on all points, and they are pretty much what I have stated.
My husband, who rides to access wilderness, has always ridden a gelding, for some of the reasons stated, as he is not someone who rides, just for the pleasure of working with a horse, but as a means to go into wilderness.
He did trail ride two mares, a filly I rescued as a yearling and started for him, and another one that I raised from birth, found very easy to start under saddle, having a very kind nature, so she almost trained herself
The rescued filly, was an Appaloosa foundation bred filly, and who I sold, once she was going well, in order to buy an AQHA mare, destined to be broodmare.
In those days, I started horses, and had hubby help me put trail miles on them, once going well, then offered them for sale. Rinse and repeat!
The other mare I would have kept, except she fell on the ice one winter and suffered a head injury, so that she had to be put down
I did breed that rescued filly once, and her son became a trail horse for hubby for several years, until I also sold him. 
Since hubby is also older now, he got to keep his former trail horse, until he had to be put down, and the same rule applies to his current gelding, Rubix.
I have three girls left, for myself.
The stupid part of me, is considering adopting a yearling filly, then I met, last week, doing some volunteer work at a rescue. If I do, will post a picture!


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

Caledonian said:


> I grew up riding mares and geldings and they all had their good and bad days but I can’t say that the mares were worse than the geldings – different, but not worse.
> 
> There were many in my first yard that I’d love to own now – Dhean, Leanabh, Suzette, Hope, and Miranda to name a few. I can’t say anything bad about them, they were trustworthy in any situation all year round; so, I never really understood the warnings from the older riders in the yard to ‘avoid mares, especially chestnuts’.
> 
> I’ve had two mares, Sasha and Pepsi and a gelding, Toby. While Pepsi was extremely difficult, she was a product of past owners’ bad decisions rather than her gender; that and being too intelligent for her own good. Sasha could be a bit aloof (she definitely wasn’t the hugs type) but otherwise she wasn’t what I’d consider unstable. She did what she was asked, safely and with plenty of enthusiasm.


There are always old wives tales around! Quite a few of my mares have been chestnuts, including Smilie and Irish, who was not only a great performance hrose, but also the dam of some of my very best horses, most of them also being chestnut, as both Irish and our stallion, Cody, had a chestnut base coat.
I bred her out twice, and thus got a bay and a grey (Charlie )
Then there are old wives tales of white feet, blue eyes, ect, all false.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

Since I'm a sucker for Chestnut & White you can guess there's a bunch of that going around here, male & female. Boo & her daughter Two, neither of whom are crazy. Both are on the "Not For Sale at Any Price" list.


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## DraftyAiresMum (Jun 1, 2011)

I'm not usually a fan of mares (worked at a Girl Scout horse camp and all we used were mares...the attitude got real old, real fast), but I would snatch up my best friend's mare in a heartbeat. She is a papered QH and a granddaughter of a local stud who was a big deal around here (produced quite a few world champions). Her registered name is Windy Is Back In Town or something like that. Her barn name is Tinkerbell. Her grandsire is Scottish Bart.

She is amazing. Gentle and easy with beginners and those who have confidence issues (like me), but a heck of a fun ride for someone who knows what they're doing. She is trained on barrels, but would make one heck of a roping horse (that's what she was bred for). She's fun on the ground, too. A bit sassy and likes to bite, but a firm hand straightens her out in short order.


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

My sister had a great AQHA mare, big 16H, calm, and very broke. Was a successful show horse too. WP, HUS, even jumped. Plus she was Chestnut, lol. 

Previous owners sold her at 8yr because they couldn't get her bred. She was so easy going it was phenomenal. Walk, jog, trot, lope, canter, jump. Anything I asked her to do she did, under saddle or bareback. Kept trying to buy her from my sister because she was only ridden by her kids once or twice a month. Amazing mare, would never know she was in heat. No winking, nothing. Not barn or buddy sour. 

Had a little 37" Shetland very similar. She was calm as could be. We didn't even tie her to the trailer when we went on a ride! Just left her loose. She never showed any signs of heat whatsoever until the one day we were at a friend's house getting ready to ride. The little pony was loose as always, eating grass. 

Well, my friend brought out his new Morgan Stud to show us and that little mare's head snapped up as soon as he walked out of the barn door. She took one look at him and started trotting right at him! We all had to run to intercept her!! No way was I going to let he near that stallion, lol. 

That was the one and only time I knew she was in heat! 

The only other thing she did, is when she was done riding, she was done riding! She would just head to the barn with the poor little kids tugging on her bridle. Once she was in the barn she would just stop and stand there, waiting for the kid to get off. It was so funny to watch. 

Other mare I had was a Morgan mare I bought as a two year old. Trained her to cart at 2, and under saddle at 3. She never showed any cycles either, but she was highly jealous of my AQHA gelding. When I took him out to ride, she would pace the fence. Anything else I took out she didn't care, only that gelding. The odd thing is though, they weren't buddies or anything. That gelding was buddies with my black pony gelding. I could take the Morgan mare out alone and she didn't care about any of her pasture mates. Odd.


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

This little red mare was everything.

When I first got her she was dangerously explosive thanks to a history of... shall we say less than ideal treatment. 22 month old red tb filly, given to me by an older bloke who said (and I quote) "when you don't get her to load just throw her back in the yard and I'll deal with her". Well, we got her loaded in the end  

MONTHS of intensive groundwork later, she proved to be quiet and willing enough that I was able to start her under saddle all by myself. She was my first EVER breaker, and I had no professional oversight at all. 

But by 3, she was a reliable beginner's mount, and at 4 I gave her to a beginner friend.

She was sadly retired at 5 when an old injury (undisclosed but had to have happened before I got her, in the vet's expert opinion) was discovered that made a ridden career basically a ticking time bomb. She's off being a broodmare now (and just turned 7), but I digress.

This filly. This little red Thoroughbred filly. Was the single best horse I have EVER owned. She was entirely unflappable, once I got her past her fear of people. Lovely and soft to ride, forward and willing, but so, so quiet. She was subtle about coming into season, but did cycle normally. She was NO different to handle or ride when she was in season, and was my single most reliable horse. Even more so than my little Anglo gelding who was the horse that taught me how to actually ride.

Pictures, in order:
3 years old, long and low
2 years old, second ride
2 years old, 4 months under saddle


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## Caledonian (Nov 27, 2016)

Smilie said:


> There are always old wives tales around! Quite a few of my mares have been chestnuts, including Smilie and Irish, who was not only a great performance hrose, but also the dam of some of my very best horses, most of them also being chestnut, as both Irish and our stallion, Cody, had a chestnut base coat.
> I bred her out twice, and thus got a bay and a grey (Charlie )
> Then there are old wives tales of white feet, blue eyes, ect, all false.


I agree. I do love chestnuts but as they say it’s hard to ride a colour. I can only imagine that someone has a problem with a chestnut mare, or soft white feet with white legs and it snowballs into a problem that their friends have to avoid and it becomes the old wives tale. 

When I think back there’s been only three mares I would say were truly dangerous; they were products of ill health and/or bad ownership – one grey, two bays. The worst feet I’ve ever seen was on a mouse dun Highland mare with black feet.

As a redhead I used to get fed-up with the jokes around the yard about chestnut mares and typical fiery females. Thankfully things have improved.


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## sabowin (May 8, 2010)

My mare is totally calm and chill. She's 7, a BLM Mustang, and has rarely even shown signs of heat, let alone attitude because of it. She once got kind of "winky" after trailering with a new-to-her gelding, and once started peeing more frequently than usual when camping at an endurance ride where there were wild stallions out and about, probably some domestic stallions among the horses there for the ride, and of course a ton of geldings. But she lives with geldings (in the same pasture/paddock), and I've owned her going on three years and those are the only two times she's exhibited ANY interest. In fact, once a loose stallion came up on us while we were tacking up. Sniffed at her rear end, and she just seemed confused. Stood there, neither fighting him off nor inviting him closer. Meanwhile, my friends mare, who has had a few babies and knows what's what, double-barreled him twice in the blink of an eye. He got the message.

Anyway, it's possible, they're out there. That's not to say my mare isn't at ALL mare-ish. She definitely thinks she needs to ask if the rules are still the rules EVERY time we ride, which I've heard is a mare trait. But she's just not very hormonal. Neither am I, so apparently it runs in the family. ;-)


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

Haha no sane mare stories, but my gelding is a lot like you describe Kodak, a sweetheart most of the time but I can never 100% trust him not to drop his brain and bolt off at invisible monsters (with no warning). Maybe that helps you know geldings can be just as bad?


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## buggy (Aug 8, 2016)

I currently have 2 mares and a gelding. 

My first horse (I still have) is a palomino mare. She is VERY showy during her heat cycle. But is not spooky, misbehaven, or anything of the sort. She occasionally has an attitude but she keeps it to herself (grumpy ears and a swishy tail), but is compliant and willing all of the time.

My other current mare, is a bay standardbred. She is compliant all of the time. The only way that I can tell if she is in heat is her belly is kind of touchy and she is a tiny bit grumpy with her ears. Otherwise, she is an even-Steven. I would put beginners on her with no issues.

My gelding is sweet tempered and even keel also.

I did have a paint mare that I didn't click with and was witchy and non-compliant most of the time. We didn't last long together...after her, it took me a few years to consider a mare again.

A good horse is a good horse. Mare or gelding generally doesn't matter to me.


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## Whinnie (Aug 9, 2015)

I have had almost as many mares as geldings, starting in 1972. Out of the whole bunch, the best 3 horses I had were mares, the worst 3 were geldings. It will be a lot easier to find the right horse for you if you leave gender out of it and really do research, try out your prospects and rely on a knowledgeable person to guide you.


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## my2geldings (Feb 18, 2008)

*Great horses*

Our two that we are currently working with are mares and are great horses. Neither of them get bad days while in heat and are always so eager to please. Having those 2 girls would make me want to only own mares because of the awesome bond and work ethic they have(not discounting geldings in any way).

We do all sorts of things with ours and if something ever arrises that becomes an issue, we quietly work through it and then its not an issue. Its great to know that breeding is an option if its something you ever decide to do.

I've had great geldings as well, but for us some of the best horses we have owned have been mares.


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## DanisMom (Jan 26, 2014)

The first mare I owned was a chestnut Arabian and was the love of my life. She actually got more mellow when she was in heat. She didn't have a crazy bone in her body, although she was very particular who touched her or rode her. I lost her six years ago and still miss her. 

My current mare is a buckskin QH and does not have hormonal issues that I've noticed. She is a sweetheart too. I don't get the prejudice against mares--or chestnuts or Arabians for that matter.


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## greentree (Feb 27, 2013)

I don't thinkANY of my 10 mares are crazy. I prefer them hands down to the geldings, but I adore my stallion. I prefer to have a horse tell me how they feel about things.


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## boots (Jan 16, 2012)

Most polo ponies are mares. They seem to be more competitive. Players refer to them as generally being more "tenacious." I have to agree. 

But since land is at a premium, especially at clubs in cities, they are usually turned out with other mares and geldings. We do not have problems. Polo players and grooms are intolerant of bad manners as a rule, so any misbehavior is quickly corrected. I think that helps.

My personal gelding is boarded for the time being with 16 other horses. A mix of mares and geldings. There is no nonsense in any of the horses whether a mare is in heat or not. 

One mare came in early summer receiving a magnesium supplement, but within a week the barn owner talked the owner into dropping that and seeing what happens. That was two months ago and the mare is as well-mannered as the rest now. We'll see if she becomes the fire breathing dragon of her reputation with her next heat cycle.

On the other hand, I know a rancher (who I do day work for) that will not allow a dog or a mare on his place. He says both cause too much trouble and has story after story about both!


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

Also, if we go back to the Bedouins , they built family lines on the mares , not the stallions, and it is the mares that they rode into battle.
I always ran my mares and geldings together, except during that last trimester of gestation for the mares, and until their foals were weaned. No problems.
Sure, one dominant gelding might keep other geldings at the fridge of the herd, esp when a'favorite girl was in heat, but never really a problem. My pastures are large, and those jr geldings learned to come up for water when the boss gelding was not up
When ridden or handled,all those pasture interactions became non entities


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## Reiningcatsanddogs (Oct 9, 2014)

There are sane minded horses and then there are crazy ones and, there are many shades of grey in between. They cover all breeds, all colors and genders. They are papered and grade.

I own four geldings and one mare. It was just easier since the first horse was a gelding, to stick with the same sex and not upset the bachelor pad too much. That was until I met Bella. (she's the sorrel in my avatar)

She was one of our boarder’s mare, the mother of the Colt (now a gelding) that our boarder rescued from the slaughter house. Our boarder is a “beginner”. From the get go she told me that Bella was stubborn, mean, moody, difficult and unpredictable.

So, I’m thinking, oh brother. Just what I need, at my place! But, I decided to wait and see what she was really like. She comes off the trailer and her owner has the colt so I take Bella’s lead. She is a bit high headed and agitated, not at all unusual considering her new surroundings. We start the half mile walk to the pasture, she starts pushing on the lead. We stop. We back up. We wait. She relaxes. We continue on. She pushes past me again. Repeat. She does not do it a third time.

Hmmm. She figures out boundaries quickly. I noted.

You know, I never did have an issue with that mare after that? She was a sweetheart and nothing like her owner described. I did however, watch her owner ride her once. What was described as stubbornness and being difficult, was actually due to miscues of communication by her rider. 

I asked if I could ride her and that was when I fell in love. For lack of a better description, I could feel it the moment about thirty seconds in when she gave herself over to me; her feet, her head, everything. It was like this exhale of tension and worry. Ahhh. Someone who speaks my training language! We communicated so well, it was wonderful. She has had tons of good training in her lifetime, she just needed someone who knows how use it. (She is a high energy performance bred QH, barrel horse)

A year later her owner was off to college and couldn’t afford two horses. She was selling Bella and I jumped on it. I bought her for $1. The owner knew I liked her, would always take good care of her and wouldn’t sell her, thus, the low price. 

In conclusion, I wouldn’t let the gender of the horses scare you off any more than I would the warnings of “not a beginner horse!” as sometimes the owners are beginners themselves and what they see as negatives in the horse are really due to their own lack of experience. Since they are beginners and are struggling with the horse, the horse is not "beginner" material.

In the reverse situation, we bought one horse who was advertised as a beginner horse who when we got there and rode him was anything but a horse suited for a beginner. (he's a performance bred QH, we suspect he was sedated heavily but, that is another story). We knew we could handle him so bought him anyway. With some training work on both ends, he is now my husband's horse.

Judge each horse on their own merit, for who they are with you.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

Fussy, micromanaging owners can make a sensitive, intelligent horse nuts. Breed and gender don't matter so much as being matched with the correct human partner.


I have a mare. First I've ever had in 40 years of owning horses. She's a lovely mare, and was used as a children's mount most of her life. She does have some odd quirks that are just part of her personality and some gaps in her training, but a more honest, hard working horse I've never met, except for my now-deceased, beloved Arabian gelding. 


If every horse you own is flighty, hard headed, and difficult to deal with, it's time to start looking at the human side of the equation.


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## EstrellaandJericho (Aug 12, 2017)

Speed Racer said:


> Fussy, micromanaging owners can make a sensitive, intelligent horse nuts. Breed and gender don't matter so much as being matched with the correct partner
> ...
> If every horse you own is flighty, hard headed, and difficult to deal with, it's time to start looking at the human side of the equation.


Truer words have never been spoken. Cheers!


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## jgnmoose (May 27, 2015)

My Rose is perfect. 

Even when she spooks it is kind of a sharp flinch then she waits for me to tell her what to do. She does everything right. Sure she does have her days when she doesn't feel like going to "work" but after a warmup everything is fine. 

This horse takes her cues seriously. I am even debating wearing spurs with her because I am not sure she really needs them. She is so light off your calf and the reins. 

You stop she stops. Stands perfectly quiet for mounting. Knows how to ground tie and does it without having to tell her. You can trust her in a huge open area. When she is excited and wanting to go too fast you just exhale a little and she comes back down to earth. Works cows decently but not crazy about them (cutting bred), which is good enough. 

Let's put it this way, I'd put anyones grandma or their 5 year old on Rose and have no reservations. She cares about her rider and likes being a saddle horse. 

Whats not perfect about Rose? She gets scraped up somewhat often. Seems like I find a new bump, scrape or minor injury about once a week. I don't believe she is fighting with her pasture buddies, just kind of careless about getting into brush and things. 

This horse hates to be stalled for long. She'll rare and start getting really agitated after about a day of it. She was meant to be in a big open pasture with other horses, it keeps her sane. 

Very tender feet on small gravel. Getting her half shod is basically mandatory because she just looks and acts so uncomfortable on anything but pasture ground and soft arena dirt. She'll step right on a big stick and not bat an eye, but if there are pebbles... pebbles oh no!


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## mkmurphy81 (May 8, 2015)

After today's ride, I officially have to qualify my new mare Sunny as sane. To be fair, I've only had her for a couple of weeks, so it's possible that I just haven't seen her in heat yet. 

Today I took her out for a little hack around my neighborhood, alone. She had a few moments of "I don't want to go there." I even had to dismount and lead her past the big roller machine that was repairing the road. However, all she did to protest was walk backwards and try to turn around. I led her past because I really didn't blame her for being nervous.

Anyway, she had a few more moments of wanting to turn around, but the joke was on her: we rode in a circle. My way was towards home -- her way was farther away. lol. When we were almost home, we had to wade through several strides of overgrown brush. She didn't want to go, and when she pulled away, my rein snapped. (That wasn't her fault. I inspected it later and found that it had been poorly repaired previously, before it belonged to me.) She stood still and let me reach the little 2 foot long piece still attached to the bridle. With one long rein and one short rein, I convinced her to push through the brush. I then unclipped the short rein and rode home. I had a neck rein to turn right, a direct rein to turn left, two legs, a seat, and a voice for whoa. No problem!

I'd say that earned Sunny her sane card.


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## AtokaGhosthorse (Oct 17, 2016)

Our Gina girl needed an abscess on her neck washed out and treated last night... not one ounce of crankiness in her. She held still, let me clean it up, put vetricyn on it, and then groom her and fly spray her. At one point I bent over in front of her to pick up something I'd dropped, and she snuffled the back of my neck and breathed on me, nuzzled my shoulder, then wanted some hugs.

Cousin's girl that's helping me with Trigger commented that she's the least 'mare-iest mare' she's ever seen, that she's just as even tempered, sweet natured as any gelding.


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

I was always a gelding girl. That's what people told me to get when I was a beginner and there was a couple of mares I boarded with that were witches. Well, one was a witch, I think the other one was just flighty.

Anyhow, about 15 years into horses I am dying to get a gaited horse. They are expensive in Arizona. But I get a lead on a Fox Trotter mare for sale for $500. She had a foal at her side at the time I test rode her. I wasn't so sure if she was for me. But an experienced horsewoman who is my friend went with me to look at the horse and liked what she saw. She even said if I bought her and didn't want her, she would buy her, so I wouldn't be stuck with a horse to try to sell. So I bought her and she became a wonderful trail horse for me! 

Some years later my friend decided to part with her Fox Trotter mare and I snatched her up so quick. She is a wonderful, wonderful horse! So now I have two mares and one gelding, and although I love my gelding to death, the mares are definitely my best riding horses. To give the gelding a little credit, he is also young and green and the first horse I've ever trained. I guess if I look at it that way, he's been very forgiving!

But as a former gelding person, I now am no longer afraid to buy a mare. As a matter of fact, I really love my mares. Might I be becoming a mare person? Could be! 

I can't tell if either of my mares are in heat. Sometimes I suspect it if they pee a lot out on a trail ride, but even then I'm not for sure, because their behavior doesn't change at all that I can tell. 

I have seen mareish mares. And I don't care for them. But I suspect it's maybe 1/3 of the mares out there that give the other 2/3's a reputation that they don't deserve. I definitely think there are more good ones than bad. Yeah, I might be becoming a mare girl! My two mares are so affectionate. And I love a horse I can groom and love on. :smile:


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

mkmurphy81 said:


> After today's ride, I officially have to qualify my new mare Sunny as sane. To be fair, I've only had her for a couple of weeks, so it's possible that I just haven't seen her in heat yet.
> 
> Today I took her out for a little hack around my neighborhood, alone. She had a few moments of "I don't want to go there." I even had to dismount and lead her past the big roller machine that was repairing the road. However, all she did to protest was walk backwards and try to turn around. I led her past because I really didn't blame her for being nervous.
> 
> ...


That's awesome! So happy you found such great horses! Sunny sure sounds like a great find.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

trailhorserider said:


> I was always a gelding girl. That's what people told me to get when I was a beginner and there was a couple of mares I boarded with that were witches. Well, one was a witch, I think the other one was just flighty.
> 
> Anyhow, about 15 years into horses I am dying to get a gaited horse. They are expensive in Arizona. But I get a lead on a Fox Trotter mare for sale for $500. She had a foal at her side at the time I test rode her. I wasn't so sure if she was for me. But an experienced horsewoman who is my friend went with me to look at the horse and liked what she saw. She even said if I bought her and didn't want her, she would buy her, so I wouldn't be stuck with a horse to try to sell. So I bought her and she became a wonderful trail horse for me!
> 
> ...


Thanks for this honest opinion from a former gelding girl! I think this is probably closer to the truth than anyone who says mares are the same as geldings, or that they knew a crazy mare, but it's not because she was a mare (how do you know though?). My mare does not like being loved on, and I miss this. She does enjoy the occasional scratch during fly season because it's a relief, but she's not the loving extrovert that my gelding is. He's a real snuggle bug. I could never hug my mare - at least not without her being on high alert about the human who is wrapping herself around her! 

I certainly can accept that some mares are great, and that some geldings are nuts, but I can also understand why geldings are recommended for beginners because they're always the same, so what you see is what you get (again, I'm sure there are exceptions to this too, but overall, that tends to be true). Not saying I won't look at mares. I have, in fact. But it's frustrating to know that while a mare might be fine when she's not in heat, she could be a different horse when she is (note, I said "COULD" be). Unless I get to try her while she's in heat, I won't know. So I am looking for a horse I can have on trial long enough to make a real assessment - whether it's a gelding or a mare.


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## Fimargue (Jun 19, 2015)

Acadianartist said:


> I could never hug my mare - at least not without her being on high alert about the human who is wrapping herself around her!


Well Talila just hated being loved on at first, head and bottom area absolutely no-no's. It took around 1,5 years and now she almost tackles me with wanting her bum scratched and moves her lips when I kiss her nose.

Rafalca, my second Arabian mare, is just a cuddle bug. She could just be snuggled all day.

I love mares. They are very devoted. Both of mine are very possessive as to who can be near us when they are spending time with me. They are also pretty much rivals right now and I have to warn them sometimes when I'm scratching both of them at the same time.


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## AtokaGhosthorse (Oct 17, 2016)

Just an update - Gina was 'borrowed' yesterday for a day long ride on 1600 acres of untouched land. The people who borrowed her, Sarge, and Supes, are all in their 20s, all they do is ride horses, and always have since they were old enough to sit in a saddle.

We got a call about 9 pm, well after they'd been returned safe and sound, from the guy who borrowed them. He'd spent the day on Gina.

He wanted to buy her!

Said she was KICK A**! Willing to go anywhere, didn't act 'mare-ish' and he hates mares with attitude, but she was awesome, handled rugged wild and rocky, overgrown areas like a sure footed goat, never complained, never challenged him, never nipped or kicked or acted like a fool. He is in love with her. Said she was better behaved, more adventurous and ready and willing than any gelding he's ever ridden.

Husband declined to sell her for any amount of money. She's fearless, young (only 5) and wonderful, steady personality. We adore her and admit to neglecting her this summer - its been crazy nutty busy with stuff beyond our control, and she's missed going adventuring. 

So, yeah. I'm really not sold on it being PMS in mares. Sure, maybe in some, but on the whole it might just be a huge misconception. Good for us that don't mind mares though, isn't it?


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## Dustbunny (Oct 22, 2012)

I have had several mares but not a crazy one in the lot. Glad I have missed out on that. : )


My horses are fine but I suspect I may be the crazy one. Yep!


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## QHriderKE (Aug 3, 2011)

I've got 10 mares all living together and not a single one of them has ever been crazy. 

I give people funny looks when they try to talk about crazy mares.


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

All of my teams are mares. I've never owned a gelding draft long enough for it to be part of a team. I do put my stallion in the mix but at this point only with the one mare he is pastured with as he is blind on one side and trusts her implicitly. Now she has an opinion about who gets to work them and it is one that is respected. Others have "personality" but if you are confident in your manner and take a no nonsense attitude they respect that and act accordingly. As for being 'marish" no. I do have a couple of hussys that are just awful in the field but great being handled or working. I have had more lip, trouble and spookiness out of the geldings (saddle horses) than I have ever had out of any mare as they are all the same color (pally - coincidence?) and related I put it down to that. They do seem to mellow with age as the older two have gotten more sane with age. My stallions (draft and saddle)have all been exceptional. They wouldn't be here if they weren't. My goto horses for riding or driving (single) are both mares. My child's first was a stubborn mare but she will take care of her rider especially the littles. Daisy (draft) though she can be a prankster is all about people. Will work all day for anyone that asks politely.


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