Are Mares or Geldings Better?

Which are Better: Mares or Geldings?

I’ve owned plenty of geldings in my life, and a few mares. My personal preference is for mares for reasons I’ll go into shortly. That said, most of the people I know prefer geldings unless they’re breeding (a field where geldings are pretty much useless except in the role of babysitter.)

So, what makes one gender better or worse than the other? First, let me preface by saying that I love all horses, and that includes mares, geldings, and stallions. Stallions are being left out of this conversation because their primary purpose is breeding, and if they aren’t going to be bred, they should be gelded. Most of the stallions (and mares, too) that are used for breeding should absolutely not be bred due to conformational, psychological, or soundness issues. Those are not arguments that I want to address here, so please accept it as my opinion, to which I am entitled.

When I speak of geldings or mares from this point on, I will be referring to the average, unless otherwise noted.

Geldings

Geldings are wonderful horses, on average. They tend to be one of two types: Either laid back, don’t care about anything, nothing fazes them; or goofy, little-kid types. Often the demarcation has more to do with age than anything, with younger geldings being the goofy, kid-types and older geldings (say, over 5 or 6) being the more laid-back types. Obviously, there are some flighty, nervous geldings out there, but remember that we’re talking about the average here. Training geldings as weanlings through riding age can be a challenge because of their goofy, wanna play attitude, but once they’ve settled into their jobs, they are often the steady types that are not bothered by hormones or other distractions. Many people love this attitude because it’s very easy to deal with and makes for a relaxed ride with few surprises.

In my experience, geldings don’t have quite the work ethic that mares do. Don’t get me wrong, there are some truly amazing geldings out there that can do their particular jobs on autopilot. But generally speaking, in my experience, they aren’t quite as eager to do their jobs. Given a choice between lazing all day or going out to do a job, they will opt for lazing. Geldings are more laid back on average, with more of a “whatever you say” attitude. There’s nothing wrong with this attitude. It makes for a wonderfully relaxed ride. But there’s less interaction between rider and horse, in my opinion.

Geldings are the ones most often chosen as “husband horses,” those magical creatures that are perfect for the less-than-perfect rider.

Mares

Mares seem to come in two basic types: those that are almost gelding-like in their attitudes, and those that are “mare-ish”. When mares are called “mare-ish,” it generally means that they get somewhat hostile when they are in season. Of all the mares I’ve ever owned, I’ve never been unlucky enough to own one that was mare-ish. I’ve seen one, ridden by an eight-year-old girl that was totally unprepared to handle the situation, and sent off on a group trail ride by herself. Fortunately, one of the fellows on the ride was an old cowboy type, and we did a short round of musical horses to get the little girl on a more reliable horse. It wasn’t more than ten minutes until the mare-ish mare settled down to business, so maybe it’s at least partly a matter of training. I can’t say that all such issues are a result of training issues because my experience doesn’t extend that far. What I can say is that in at least some cases, it’s a matter of expectation. If you expect a mare to be mare-ish, and you allow her to be mare-ish, she will be more likely to fulfill your expectations.

Some Differences

There are other reasons that I prefer mares over geldings.

I’ve loved geldings fiercely, but I’ve never had a truly soul-deep connection with one. Maybe it’s me. I’d love to know if others feel the same way, or if they develop deeper connections with geldings than with mares.

Mares, on the other hand are more likely to want to go out and have something to do, unless they’ve been overworked or are bored with their particular job. They do need for their riders to keep things fresh and entertaining.

Mares are also more likely to bond deeply with their special person, and I think this is the biggest draw for me. It’s been suggested that this is because they naturally have a more nurturing nature. Without such a nurturing nature, foals wouldn’t survive. We’ve all read books like My Friend Flicka, The Black Stallion, The Mud Pony, and others. These are stories about the special connection between a horse and a kid. We all long for that connection. And while many of these horses are stallions, I believe that this has more to do with a glorification of stallions in literature than with reality. Either way, that connection is something that all horse lovers long for, consciously or subconsciously.

Finally, mares can produce foals. I don’t advocate backyard breeding for the most part, but if you have a truly amazing mare, with flawless conformation, a winning personality, a championship output in her field, then by all means, go for it once or twice. But not every year. There are too many horses being neglected and sent to slaughter because of excessive back yard breeding. And let’s be honest, even some big breeders are contributing to the over population and abandonment of unwanted horses.

But if a mare doesn’t like you—well, she just won’t give 100%, and you will never have her loyalty and affection. She may work for you, but she won’t be excited about it.

Geldings are more laid back on average, with a more “whatever you say” attitude that is loved by millions.

What Others Say

I found an informal poll on one of the Facebook groups that I belong to, and some of the responses were quite insightful. There was a two-way tie for most likes at the time I wrote this (there are many more replies now) which, I interpreted to mean “most agreement from other respondents.”

Bailey H. said, “Many people don’t want to deal with a mare’s heat cycles as well as thinking almost all mare’s (sic) are just moody, aggressive, hard to handle horses while all geldings are sweet, easygoing, in your pocket type. From an all mare owner it’s beyond stupid when I see people turn down a good horse just cause they’re a mare.” Bailey also stated that, “I love all my mares and feel as though I’m able to connect with them better. Some people just hear the horror stories that are so often told about mares and then close out any and all possibility that mares actually aren’t the evil people make them out to be.”

Cyndee T. noted, “People that don’t understand Mares and want something “easier” in a Geldingis usually what I encounter. I’ve always owned Mares until 2022 and now have an amazing Mustang gelding, but I still want a Mustang mare.”

Both of these respondents are pro-mare. That doesn’t mean that they are against geldings, but they do show a positive bias toward mares.

Kelly G. wrote, “I can’t particularly say exactly what it is but in my 20 years of being around horses I’ve only bonded with 2 mares. The rest we (sic) all stallions or geldings.” She continued, “Mares definitely have more of an attitude and all my mares would be the problem Horse out of the herd.”

PJ R. responded, “To me that just says “I want a horse with zero opinions who will do whatever I say like a robot.” Which they are not guaranteed to have with a gelding! All my favorite lesson horses have been chestnut mares too…one a TB (Thoroughbred). Yet no one gets a worse rap than a chestnut TB mare.” She also noted that, “Mares ask more questions and have more of a two way conversation with you during work. I prefer that over a gelding who does anything asked without question. Of course each horse is an individual but I have always preferred mares because you’re more likely to need to earn their trust and work ethic. It’s rewarding that way.”

Lauren L. said, “I’ve owned some nice mares, but I totally get not wanting to deal with their heat cycle. Some have more extreme cycles than others, and you don’t really know what an individual’s cycle will be like unlike (sic) you own them.”

Shay H. E. agreed, “I personally don’t develop an emotional bond with mares the way I do geldings. And they generally aren’t subject to hormonal mood swings the way mares are. That is why I pick them.”

Mary K.H. believes that, “…mares (have) a better work ethic and (try) harder to please than geldings. Mares are also more sensitive and you need to ask them instead of telling them. When asked, they would go through fire to please you.”

Courtney S. agreed. “My silly geldings would totally sacrifice me if danger presented itself.”

Overall, about 54% of respondents preferred mares, 44% preferred geldings, and the remaining 2% either were neutral or preferred both. I believe that this mare-centric preference might be because a large percentage of the people responding on this particular forum are long-time horse people. In another forum I noted that a higher percentage of the adopters (of Mustangs) preferred geldings. I don’t know what to attribute that difference to.

What Do You Think?

Please remember that this is all about my opinion, and you are entitled to your own opinion. Just because they differ, we can still be friends and civil to each other. With that said, I’d like to hear your personal opinion on whether mares or geldings are “better” or “easier,” and why you feel this way. No bashing—just state your opinion and allow other commenters to state their opinions as well, please.