Do Mares Kick Harder Than Geldings!

[newforest]

Random thread based on personal experience from today.

So as a general each horse is different, does a mare kick harder because they generally kick more anyway? Or is that an unfair assumptin to make.

Will a mare land a well timed and executed double barrel where as a gelding will miss.

 

[shockblue]

Depends on the horse! My gelding always had well aimed kicks where as Maya just tends just flick her heels and run off.

 

[Luna Corona]

In the wild, I would have said the mares would use a kick as a warning/reprimand behaviour within the herd, and a male would kick more as a territorial and ownership (of his herd) behaviour, but the males tend to use their teeth first. If there are predators attacking, anything goes for self-preservation!

Between my three, the 5yo mare lashes out at the bullying 9yo male, while his aims are less determined at her. My two boys scrap, but it's with teeth initially, and then my old boy, 24yo, will turn and lash out but with no real intention, sadly! I long for him to put Junior in his place :biggrin:

 

[eml]

I have only ever met one horse that intended to kick and hurt humans and that was a gelding with riggy tendencies. Mares tend to do more posturing!

 

[fairlady]

Have to say I think if you are unlucky enough to be on the receiving
end of a well aimed Kick it ALL HURTS whether it be Mare OR Gelding:bounce:

 

[Wally]

If you actually observe a barney in the field between two mares, there is more bum shoving and "posturing" as eml says, and screaming than actual blows being landed. Much more of it goes on in the mares.

I have yet to see the geldings actually have a bum to bum barney. They tend to chase and bite more to settle scores.

I am always more concious of where I am working in a pen of mares than stallions, colts and geldings. The mares will kick off with you in the middle, the stallions and colts never have.....yet.

 

[Jane&Ziggy]

When the boys in our fields are playing they do a lot of frisking and threatening with bums and heels. I have only seen one land but it was a real double barrel.

The mares seem to mean it more from what I observe, but there is only one grumpy old mare with her young filly daughter so probably a bit of disciplining going on there too.

So broadly - I don't have a clue... :unsure:

 

[Wally]

I don't see mares play rough, they have a hoolie round the field and buck and fart, but they don't play like the boys. When they come to blows generally it's to settle a score, the boys play and kick out but only in jest.

 

[Trewsers]

From my own personal experience geldings can't half kick!!!! Our Joe caused over £1000 worth of damage to OH's car and OH was kicked badly by a gelding at the RS! Our mare is too good natured to kick out with much malice - she kicks playfully in the field at Joe but he usually gets out the way quickly! She certainly doesn't kick in the stable or when being handled - she's a good girly.

 

[fairlady]

My Friends Mare can be pretty evil if the mood takes her........

She only 'tolerates' certain Horses in her paddock and only ever certain
Geldings.

She goes right down on her haunches and kicks and kicks and kicks !!!

With Humans if she decides she likes you she is :wub: If you are unlucky
enough that she takes a dislike she is :devil: and will chase you:smoke: and the
way she feels about you can change like the wind:bounce:

 

[Claire1605]

Never been on the receiving end of a kick only rearers that land on you LOL.

Victory only does playful or trying to be dominant in a wimpy sort of way kicks and Amee kicks out at Harvey with both hinds but again without any real malice.

Now Harvey cornered Amee in a stable and kicked out with both hinds at least three times poor little Amee. He was trying his damn hardest to get her but being a rhino of a horse wasn't athletic enough to do a proper job although it didn't look very nice 12.2hh welsh pony against 15.2hh heavyweight cob.

 

[popularfurball]

Yes the boys seem to "play fight" usually biting manes/necks and rearing at each other and chasing around.

The girls tend to "mean it" more as they dont seem to "play fight" as much. That said, Madam will pretty much always threaten very animatedly... but never make contact. That is how pig has survived twelve months with her as he knows she wont hurt him. That said, I did obtain a nice hoofprint mid thigh on Friday night ... but she is very upset as her skin is sore and I had chosen to ignore her "arning me off" (she needed cream on biopsy sites, no choice!)

 

[Dannii5691]

Never been on the receiving end of a kick only rearers that land on you LOL.

Victory only does playful or trying to be dominant in a wimpy sort of way kicks and Amee kicks out at Harvey with both hinds but again without any real malice.

Now Harvey cornered Amee in a stable and kicked out with both hinds at least three times poor little Amee. He was trying his damn hardest to get her but being a rhino of a horse wasn't athletic enough to do a proper job although it didn't look very nice 12.2hh welsh pony against 15.2hh heavyweight cob.

That's how June ended up with dislocated hips - 11 hand vs 17.2 in the corner of a field