[ParkedOut]

The person that compared mares to cats is right on target IMO. If you like the open, I LOVE YOU-ness of a dog, a gelding will be more up your alley... if you prefer to earn and KEEP earning the respect of a cat, a mare is your girl.I love the personality of a stud...I am not set up to have one though so I have 4 geldings and two mares.

My mares are my faves....but when I want a nice quiet uneventful ride, I usually will pull out a gelding that day.


What can I say??? I just like horses... period.

[Arabian1713]

I prefer mares. They can be moody all right, but over all I think it's worth it. Sometimes geldings can be proudcut or stubborn. Mares can be stubborn too, but it seems like once they learn something, they've learned it. Stallions are out of the question for me. Most of the time (unless you get an unusual one), stallions are always thinking about mares. I guess I can understand wanting one though.

[ChestersMomma]

I prefer geldings. In general, they are more likely to work with you rather than make you do all the work. In my mind, geldings are more likely to become your friend and partner where a mare is more like a coworker in the sense that some days can be all gravy but when things get tough or stressful, mares are more likely to fight for themself rather than the team. Mare have one side, theirs. With geldings, once you build that trust, it becomes an us and I feel like they take success and failures in work as a shared responsibility between you. There are some nice mares out there and some rotten geldings, don't get me wrong. These are just my own stereotypes born out of my own experiences.

No experience with studs. I love to work with one someday, but wouldn't ever own one.

I've heard plenty of old horsepeople explain it this way:
Tell a gelding. Ask a mare. Negotiate with a stallion.

[RolinRiverzGuy]

Originally Posted by JKetsche

I also think it depends to some extent on the discipline. If you want a highly competitive horse that will fight for you, a mare will push just a bit harder for that extra brilliance--but only when she wants to. A gelding may be more consistent. For someone not showing, where that extra brilliance is just that--extra. If the rider wants it just for his/her own sake, then go for the mare.

That said, I have known super-compliant mares that make wonderful trail, light show, and companion horses (one that stands out ATM is an Arab--and completely kid safe) and I'm currently riding a gelding that puts my mare to shame in the ways he can say, "I don't want to--make me."

As for stallions, I'd say it depends. My experience is admittedly somewhat limited, but I have known stallions that were quite safe and others that were quite rank. The rank ones were usually poorly trained/handled either at that moment or in their past.

I personally love mares, but a good horse is a good horse.

I definately agree with what you say, a great horse is a great horse...I love my geldings and my filly is a sweetheart and i am dealing with my bosses stud and he can b very hard to deal with...but all horses that come into the world a male are intended to remain that way...i have seen a stud that is a full brother to my tb gelding and i would put my 12 yr old sister on him before i would put her on either of my geldings...i have seen terrible terriible mares and some geldings that are a pain as well...but once again it is the individual horse that matters

[Pirate]

Well I definately prefer mares I admire the toughness of them if a gelding shows some fight I'll like him too.

[FutureVetGirl]

I prefer working with studs the best. Mares IMO can be too temperamental, and geldings can be a bit too dull. But in the end, it definately comes down to the individual horses, because though I love studs the best, my two favorite horses are a gelding and a mare.

Also, I don't think that one or the other is truly BETTER than the other... you have to watch most geldings and mares as much, or sometimes more than most studs. So yeah... I wouldn't say that one or the other is BETTER, but different people have their preferences.

[MissCita]

I am a mare person through and through. I love the bi**hy horses. I was talking about that with my trainer and I said maybe it's a reflection on myself.. We had a good laugh about that! That said I love her gelding, and I've got a few others I'm a fan of, but probably because they're just as fiery as mares.

That's what it comes down to for me, not gender but passion, fire, boldness and attitude! Give me a difficult horse over a lazy "hum de hum okay" one any day. I think they're great and even with the "attitude" they can become amazing horses, my "obstinant" mare has turned into an AMAZING little horse, and I'm glad I stuck with it. I have a thing for horses that terrify or frustrate others, we seem to always get along. :P

I have not had the pleasure of working with stallions, but have worked around them. I think the right one would be an excellent partner and if I make it to the top of 3 Day and I have the money/set up for it I would LOVE to own and ride my own 3 Day stallion.

[Bernardo]

I don't think it necessarily matters about gender, I believe its more the brain they get. I believe the personality you typically see is just like any other stereotype..

Brandi, my reining mare, I haven't seen her be the stereotypical mare once. She can be pushed harder then my old reining gelding, she does her job more consistantly and stays focused.

I've had mares who acted like their stereotype and mares who didn't. Same with geldings, I've had geldings who were more "mareish" then anything else.

I've also seen studs who act like geldings and studs who act like their stereotype.

I don't have a particular preference for gender, but I have a particular preference for the mind of the horse

[Lakyn]

I used to always want a gelding, because when I would ride as a child, most of my mounts were geldings.

Now though, when I've actually bought a horse, it was a mare, and I have to say I don't know how I could ever want a gelding.

Yes, I swear, she's annoying and frustrating, a P.I.T.A., she's temperamental sometimes, she wants things to go her way, etc, etc.

But on the ground she is the sweetest horse, and it took me a while to gain her trust and love but I've seen us both come a long way, and I have to say it was definitely worth it.

Every time I see her I feel like she loves me, and it's a great feeling.

But gelding, I don't know. I feel like they will please you, but they won't have the same compassion for you that you have for them. If I had a gelding I think I would feel a certain distance. Maybe it's just my preference but most of the geldings I have met have made me feel that way.

As for studs, I've actually met some really sweet studs. We had a stud at our barn who was like 17 hands I was afraid to go near him, you know, he was young and BIG and still had his... testosterone, but actually he had a lot of conditioning when he was younger so he was really sweet and quiet. One of the quietest studs I'd ever seen.

But then I've heard stories of studs hurting their owners (on the ground) for absolutely no reason. As if they... just felt like it. So I guess it would all really depend on the horse in question.

[harp918]

Originally Posted by JKetsche

I personally love mares, but a good horse is a good horse.

This sums it up best for me.