In general which horses are better natured, females or gilded males?

Question

I am wanting to buy a horse, and I just wanted to know if anybody knew from experience which sex of a horse is better natured and better to put a young child on.

Sorry about the bad spelling! I know the cost and everything that goes with a horse. My boyfriend has horses, but I wanted one for my own. He told me that he heard males are better so I was just wondering if that usually held true.

Answer 1

can I just say, that I have a mare, and she is the sweetest little thing :) Sure, some of them can be touchy when in heat, but I just wanted you to know that they are not all like that.

The sex of the horse is not the most important factor. I would definately put temperment/nature before that, and confirmation, and level of training, then age and then sex.

As someone who has worked with horses and beginners for a very long time, I would suggest a horse that is over ten, and has been exposed to alot of different things- shows, traffic, pets, children, etc. The horse should have good, straight legs and good feet.

About temperment/ nature. One of the best ways to see a horses true nature is out in the paddock, where they don't have a halter on and if they wanted to, they could run away and not be caught. Particularly with kids, you want a horse that will not run away from you, but not bowl you over with excitement when you come into the paddock either. They should stand quietly while you look them over in the paddock and let you touch them all over, maybe even ask them to pick up their feet. When you take them out, they should walk quietly alongside you and stop when you ask them to. Hopefully they will also be aware of voice commands and cluckinig too. Once tied up they should not be anxious or worried about anything, and they should definately stand still while you work around them. Even if they are sweeties, they can still knock your little one over if they can't see them.

Both mares and geldings can have the above characteristics, but stallions (entire males) are a big NO-NO. Even the nicest stallions are still naturally focused on one thing... And its not you.

Good luck, hope you find a great best mate for yourself and your little one :)

Answer 2

In General I would say Geldings over mares.But every horse is different and no two horses are the same so it is kind of hard to say either way.

I have had lots of gelding and about 80% were calm and well natured.As for the mares I have had I would say about 65%-70% were that way too.I would say that mares tend to be smarter,at least with my own experiences.

I have had both genders that were really sweet and both that I just wanted to smack on the head with a baseball bat(never would so no need to bash)
I think it would be best to look at an individual horse and not discriminate by gender.You just might miss out on the perfect horse that way.I did once.

Answer 3

First of all, the word is "gelded."
Mares can be moody, like female humans, during PMS (hormone fluctuation). Geldings are usually steady and calm all the time, as a generalization. But this does not mean all geldings are child safe. Get professional help in finding your child a horse to make sure it is safe, sane and sound. An older horse is a great first horse - never buy a young horse for a young inexperienced kid to "grow up with." BAD combination!

Answer 4

the word you wanted was Gelded. and it really depends on the individuale horse, so don't rule out anything based on gender.

However, in general, mares are usally more sensitive and more responsive, while geldings will somtimes put up with things that will have any self-respecting mare throwing a fit. So for an inexperianced child, you will probably end up with an older (14+) gelding, but ther are mares that are good for beginers. Either way, you want and older (at least 14) no matter how nice or calm a younger horse is, they will be easier to mess up if the rider doesn't know what s/he is doing.

Answer 5

Generally geldings are more mild-mannered than mares, however, that is not always true. Gelding a stud does not always mean the horse will be "dead calm", depending on the levels of testosterone. I have 9 horses, most of which are barrel horses, and my first horse when I was 10 was a mare and to top it off she was pregnant. For a child it is kind of hard to say. Find a horse that is "dead broke" and it will not matter whether the horse is a gelding or mare.

Answer 6

Well darlin', I'd say go with a gelding. Don't listen to 'they hold grudges bacause they're fixed' bull crap. It's stupid and a lie. Mares can be really great, but they do tend to get really annoying when they are in season. Stallions are a no, no for a small child. They can be gentle as kittens on the ground, but vicsious as vipers under saddle. They also are typical males of any spiecies, they'll go for the mares when they are in season, so they are a bit of a handful to ride. Geldings tend to be big pushovers if they are trained right. You won't ever find a 'dead broke' horse. Horses are animals, they think for themselves and have the tendency of doing stupid things out of the blue. We all do it, it's nature. I wish you the best of luck in your search, but don't set your standards up too high or you'll never find your horse.

Answer 7

Stallions are from Mars
Mares are from Venus
and Geldings are from Heaven.
Geldings rule. For an even tempermant and being the same all the time with no heat cycles to mess up the hormones geldings are by far the best.
I have a mare and she is a good horse but can be moody and irratible at times. My gelding is a great guy every day.

Answer 8

gelded males over the age of 10 are pretty calm.one problems with a female is that when she goes into season her attitude can change she can become more hyper even if there is a gelding near her.even some horses have problems being an only horse so you might have to get another horse or board it at you boyfriends house to keep the horse from freaking out.

Answer 9

Geldings are great but not always the calmst. If you want a good rider my sister rides a malwe horse and he is very nice. The males tend to perform better as well. They can ride more weight and know what to do better. They are good followers. If you want a female because they "sound" gentle dont buy it. A female is more likely to buck your child off than a male, so long as the male is tamed.

Answer 10

If you are going to teach a young child how to ride on a horse I would buy a gelding (even though i own a mare) becasue they tend to have the same personalty day-to-day. While mares can be a awsome child's horse too they come in heat and soem mares when in heat become moody and may not listen. (Though my mare listens to me just gets irritable very easy) Good Luck find a horse!