Are mares really more difficult to school/bring on?

[Peanut]

We all know about mares and their seasons/moods in general but are they really more difficult to school? My mare's trainer said that they are and it made me wonder if this was a slightly chauvenistic remark (;) ) or whether there's some truth in it.

In our case, concentration seems to be the barrier to learning with the odd hissy fit occuring when told to buckle down. Once she gets her mind on the job (and if she can keep it there), she can show the geldings how it's done!

[Mehitabel]

petal is noticeably different through her cycle - she is easiest to teach new things during the week after her season. i've not found her difficult though, she's generally a sweet and obliging person. i can't say i've noticed a particular pattern of trainability that correlates with sex.

[Peanut]

My horse (rising 5) has only been schooling since the winter and hasn't had a season during this time.

[katieB]

I wouldnt say they are generally more difficult to school, the mares I have owned/ridden have had their off days but I dont think thats just because they're mares, some geldings have been far worse. My last horse could be an angel some days, all flicky toes and floaty moves, then other days it was a different story, but whether that was down to her personality or the fact she was a mare I dont know.

[Afellpony]

I've had four mares in my life, my first was a HanovarianxTb. She was ok when she was in season as was the other three (Exmoor, Welsh and Haflinger ). The first one was kept stabled in London for a few years before moving out. The natives lived out 24/7. They were a bit keener on the boys than normal and more lively but nothing too drastic. My boy has off days too. In fact he was havaing a bit of an off day yesterday!

[Stencilbum]

I pondered this question a while back when I was up at Hartpury in their stallion section of the barns.

I asked the yard manager @ Hartpury who owns one of them and he said that in certain countries, they only use Mares to breed from, not to ride.

The reason for this is because with a stallion the hormones are running around them all the time which makes them a bit of a handful, this can be sorted by gelding if they get a bit too much, but with mares they have all these hormones running around all the time which can be offputting for the rider/owner.

We have always had Mares so I don't know any different from an owners point of view, but have had Geldings in the fields and they can be a bit of a pain to deal with if done late (note 'downright dangerous')

I wouldn't make 'Moody Mare' stencils if there wasn't a market for them ;)

[Glider]

I've found a lot of variation (in mares and geldings!), but when I've got a good mare, she's been fantastic.

There's the old saying :

"you tell a gelding, ask a mare and discuss it with a stallion" - I think this rings true a lot of the time, the mare's I've had seem to respond better to being asked to do something, whereas if you ask a gelding he wonders whether he really has to do it!

[teabiscuit]

when you get a good mare, you're privedeged as Glider says, i've had the same experience

a good mare is a treasure to have

i guess there must be a flip side to that, there always seems to be a flip side in life

but i've never found it,
i haven't noticed any general difference regarding their bringing on.

[Peanut]

I guess it possibly was a chauvenistic remark then! ;) I'm new to mares having had geldings.

[Stencilbum]

I like the character traits in mares being a bit feisty, they can usually be talked around, but I think a Gelding can be like an obedient dog if they aren't aggressive.

[ponylover88]

...

[Bay Mare]

I just think that they're different! Like stallions they're entire so are going to be different because of their hormones.

Was it chev that said something to the effect of:

Ask a gelding, discuss it with a stallion and negotiate with a mare hoping that she comes to the same conclusion as you? :D

I personally prefer mares. I've found that they're more difficult to get to know but once you get to know them they'll give you the world.

Not all mares are hormonal though, mine is an opinionated bossy boots 12 months of the year :D

Like everything though there are generalisations but there are always horses that will prove them wrong!

[Keket]

Coquette was a dream to bring on. You'd never know she was a young mare. No tantrums, no attitude (okay, she has been known to buck a bit when she hasn't been ridden in awhile, but I suspect that's just how she is and she'd do it even if she was a gelding).

Lestat on the other hand is a gelding and can be an absolute nightmare. Sadie is your traditional stroppy mare. Topaz is a mare and is prone to fits ocassionally, but we're not sure how much of that is her and how much is extra feed. Legs was your stereotypical sweet gelding.

I think on the whole, mares are probably more prone to attitude if only for their cycles. They're hormonal and they can't help that. But there are plenty of exceptions of every rule.

[carrimclaren]

I've tended to find that mares are more dominant where riders are concerned and tend to be a bit sharper about some things. Geldings seem more trusting and seem to be a bit less sharp. I don't mean as in geldings are thicker etc. just that mares tend to react a bit differently. I think sometimes you can get away with more errors on a gelding rather than on a mare. They tend to have a higher tolerance level than a mare does although as someone has said, once a mare trusts you and respects you it's definitely worth it. I would hazard to say that mare's tend to be hormonal cows quite a lot of the time, although i've met a few geldings as who seem to have a lot of pmt syndrome going on too :)

[teabiscuit]

I would hazard to say that mare's tend to be hormonal cows quite a lot of the time, :)

no way, totally disagree with you on that one-yes they have seasons, but not all the time, and even if they are in season, they just get a bit flirty. not had any other problems with it at all

where did you get that idea from? have you just met naughty mares?

[Ms Kitty]

Mares are a lot sharper to bring on, and not nearly as forgiving as geldings and stallions. They are suspicious at the start, but if you get them to like you, they will do so with their whole heart. If not, they will hate you for ever, no matter what you do. And this is just a generalization, there are exceptions of course.

I have brought on several mares, but I have to say I have always got on best with stallions. Geldings are just way too slow for my taste, although there are exceptions there as well.

Some of the mares are not very easy during the seasons, but overall, out of the horses I have been riding, only one mare was really really difficult during the season, but I think she had some sort of hormonal dysfunction anyway and was very stroppy all the time.

Nina x

[teabiscuit]

Mares are a lot sharper to bring on, and not nearly as forgiving as geldings and stallions. They are suspicious at the start,

Nina x

not noticed this myself,
i must be odd or something :confused:

really i take the horse on its individual merits and have no preconcieved ideas-could that be it?
sorry to be so controversial, but i just do not get this mare vs gelding thing and i never have

[KateWooten]

I don't have enough experience to draw any real conclusions ... BUT, on my whole wide survey of four ..... all 3 mares are considerably more opinionated, and less forgiving than the boy. Of course, that could just be that the boy joe is particularly good natured. There does seem to be a theme amongst the mares though, they just don't give respect away easily. You have to really earn it, and you haveto deserve it. There's been absolutely no chance to fake it with any of them... I have to get it right. With joe, he'll pretty much try to figure out what you want, and make it easy for you. Although, he too is a pretty good teacher sometimes, he'll at all innocent and pretend not to know what you're on about if you don't ask him right ...

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f135/joePony/joe/goForward.jpg
Kyli : "Walk on Joe Pony"
JoeP : "Huh ?"

[teabiscuit]

Kate i've backed mares that were as easy to do as fallling off a log after a bottle of whisky

forgive you anything, forgive strangers anything
what about those mares forgiving away daily in riding schools?

you work with problem horses, so you're in at the deep end

i shall stick to my guns here!!!!

eta JoePony is such a darling!

[Trewsers]

I own a mare and personally I think she is quite difficult but I'm not sure if that just because she's a girl!!! Tho OH has a gelding and you can always more or less guarantee what you're gonna get with him!!! I love my mare tho and I think when she does something to please me and we're "in tune" it is sooo rewarding - and I get a feeling I wouldn't swap for the world when she does something good in the school - plus, being as we're both girls - I think she can sense when I'm not just 100per cent and looks after me.

[Iron Maiden]

I've had a bit of a think about this one, I used to work at a very big yard (50+ horses) and for every moody mare I can think of there was a gitty gelding. The place where I used to ride had no turn out at all & horses that had it in them to be vile generally showed it pretty quickly. Again, no notable difference between the boys & girls. P has been a sweetie to bring on, yes she can be challenging & tries to push the boundaries but no more so than my last youngster, who was a gelding. I personally try to be open minded & figure out what the horse is like as a person without being biased by its gender.

[ShariN]

Depends on each horse. My Fjord and Icelandic mare's show no season....and are very easy to work with. In fact every Nordic riding pony I have worked with is the same.
So is Theia.
No moody mare swings, no showing signs.

However.. Maggie will work well but pee all over the place if she thinks there is a boy about. Is why I like Zilco harnesses... nothing worse that cleaning in season mare pee off leather.:eek: :p
Ella my Donkey.. she minds around me...but is the biggest hussy..with the neck and tail straight out...:rolleyes: :p asking for a boy please.Bugs all the animals..but they just ignore her. Both of their temperaments pretty much stay the same.

When I was younger.. worked at all kinds of stables. Saw enough Moody mares to put me off mares for life. Or so I thought.
Only gelding and stallions did not have those issues.

Of course I ended up with Maggie....so I now have all mares here.

[Lgd]

I have an all girl 'household'. Neither of the adults are mareish - in fact Peri is at her best competitively when in season. I do find mares are a lot sharper as a rule but are also more generous to ride. I also find they are generally far more intelligent and quicker to learn than any gelding I've ever worked with.
I get on well with stallions, 'tis only the nutless variety I find a bit bland.

[carrimclaren]

no way, totally disagree with you on that one-yes they have seasons, but not all the time, and even if they are in season, they just get a bit flirty. not had any other problems with it at all

where did you get that idea from? have you just met naughty mares?

I realise they have seasons etc., i meant hormonal in a jokey sort of way i'm afraid. Maybe i've just met quite a lot of strong willed mares who have quite a few quirks. Wouldn't call them naughty, merely quite Alpha Female if you like. I can't quite explain it, being that each person and each horse is different. I realise that you must accept each horse as a unique creature but it just seems in my obviously limited experience that i seem to have met a lot of chilled out geldings and prickly mares.