The myth of the moody mare

Recent studies shed light on the systemic prejudice against mares in the horse world

Today is International Women’s Day, so let’s talk about sexism.

You’ve probably heard the phrases: “she’s just being moody”, “that’s classic mare behaviour”, “you caught her on one of those days”. They’re typically used to explain unwanted behaviours in mares, such as biting when being saddled, kicking at the leg aids, and refusing to go forward.

You’ve probably also heard people say that they prefer geldings over mares. This preference seems to be an integral part of equestrian culture. When asked which sex they prefer for dressage, show jumping and trail riding, roughly 80 percent of riders chose geldings or stallions over mares, for all three disciplines¹.

Asked to explain their choices, those who picked geldings tended to focus on their reliability and calmness. Those who picked stallions tended to focus on their strength and power. But those who picked mares tended to use ambivalent language, speaking of “good mares” on “good days.”

The idea that there are good mares that have good days implies the existence of bad mares with bad days. This is, in fact, a common attitude in the horse world: another study found that mares were significantly more likely to be assigned negative traits such as having a “bad attitude” and being “bossy.”²

Photo by Jessica Eirich on Unsplash

Are mares really a worse choice for riding? Do they have a bad attitude?

There is no evidence to suggest differences in performance or trainability between male and female horses. A recent study, for example, found no sex-related differences in behaviour under saddle between mares and geldings³, and in most equestrian disciplines male and female horses compete against each other.

Our opinions about mares seem to be based purely on transferred prejudice about sex and gender.

That has serious welfare implications.

Take the notion of “good” and “bad” mares. It makes us view a mare’s behaviour through a lens of morality rather than ethology. Her behaviour becomes a reflection of her character rather than our training, or the environment we make her live in.

This is problematic for three reasons.

First, it’s wrong. Horses have no morality; they lack the cognitive ability to distinguish between “good” and “bad” behaviours. They simply respond to internal and external stimuli in the way their biology dictates or according to what previous experiences have taught them.

Second, when we dismiss unwanted behaviours in mares as character flaws we risk missing important signs of pain or fear. Take for example the “grumpy” mare that squeals and bites when saddled. Studies have found strong connections between pain and aggression, particularly in horses that display "girthiness" when being saddled.⁴

Third, viewing unwanted behaviours as character flaws makes it easier for us to rationalize using punishment to deal with them. A “bossy” mare that is refusing to move forward “out of spite” will likely be met with a very different attitude than a frightened mare displaying a freeze response, a confused mare who doesn’t understand what we’re asking of her, or a mare that has a painful back.

Instead of perpetuating the myth of the moody mare we need to start viewing “marish” behaviour for what it is: information that she is stressed, in pain, afraid, tired, affected by hormones, confused about our cues, experiencing separation anxiety, and so on.

The responsibility for her behaviour will then lie not with her, but squarely where it belongs: with us.

1. Dashper et al., 2018

2. Fenner et al., 2019

3. Aune et al., 2020

4. Millares-Ramires and Le Jeune, 2019; Fureix et al., 2010