Mare Power?

Posted in: Horse Care, Horse Training

We’ve heard it all.   Mares are too unpredictable. Mares don’t get along with other horses. Or the opposite, mares have more heart. Mares are grittier.

I’ve had customers flat out tell me “No Way” when I tell them I have a wonderful mare for sale. They won’t even look at her even though she’s hands down better than the gelding they are trying out. I get it. Some people just don’t care  for them, and usually do to a bad experience.


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I have to tell you. I’m kind of a mare person.  I have had my greatest success with a few different mares.  Put a full brother and sister up against each other in an advertisement, and I’m probably going to look harder at the mare.   Now, don’t get me wrong there are a lot of amazing geldings out there. I’m not saying that one is better than the other.  It really boils down to personal preference.

My main reason for choosing a mare is profitable longevity.  We all know that with horses, accidents happen everyday.  So if my open horse suddenly becomes crippled to the point of retirement, I hope I can still breed her or sell her as a broodmare. She’s proven herself as a performer, and therefore should pass some of that on to her foals.

Have you noticed the resent trends in the breeding industry lately?  Not only are people advertising their stallions. They are also selling embryos from their performance proven mares.  You may see several foals born of the same mare in one year.  I’ve seen advertisements from stallion owners looking to lease mares with certain bloodlines or track records. Not only are there stallion incentives for your breeding program. There are also broodmare incentives. Now that is some mare power.

Going back to the performance pen, I’ve been fortunate enough to have gotten along with all my competition mares.   Sure they’ve all had attitude, but what good horse doesn’t have a little?   My friend (who also competes on a mare) once told me that she almost bought me a tee shirt that says, “Nothing Scares Me. I Ride A Mare!”   So maybe there is some truth to the fact that mares aren’t for everyone.

What is your preference, and why?

Posted in: Horse Care, Horse Training


About Jessie Salter

Horses have been a part of my life since I can remember. Riding with my Dad as a youngster was what I lived for. There was nothing better than working cows, or racing my dad across an alfalfa field. It seems I never grew out...

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