Adult Horse Gender Terms
As horses and ponies grow up, the words used to describe them change again. We use specific terms to describe adult horses based on gender. These words help explain how a horse is managed and cared for, but they do not describe a horse’s personality.
In this lesson, you’ll learn the common gender and adult horse and pony terms and what they mean.
Mare
A mare is an adult female horse.
Mares are usually four years old or older. Some mares may also be dams if they have had a foal, but not all mares are mothers.
Being a mare does not tell you what a horse’s personality will be. Each mare is an individual.
Gelding
A gelding is a male horse that has been neutered.
Geldings cannot breed and are often easier to manage in group settings. Many lesson horses and family horses are geldings, but like all horses, each one has its own personality.
Stallion
A stallion is an adult male horse that has not been neutered (gelded).
Stallions are usually managed by experienced adults and kept in special environments. This is because they may have strong natural behaviors related to breeding.
Kids should always follow adult instructions around stallions and keep a safe distance.
What These Words Do Not Mean
These terms do not:
- Tell you if a horse is friendly or unfriendly
- Tell you how good a horse is at a job
- Tell you how a horse will behave
They simply describe age and gender so people can communicate clearly.
