Today we’d like to give you some useful advice regarding the purchase of your adventure companion, specifically the purchase of a mare, and therefore a female specimen. The latter has substantial peculiarities and differences in character compared to the male sex, which is useful to know in order to be prepared in its management. With this in mind, let’s find out all the particularities of this animal in order to better orient ourselves when making a choice.
Buying a horse or a mare? Here are the main differences
When deciding whether to take a horse with you for life or to start a stud farm, it’s important to consider both the breed and variety of the animal, and the possibility of choosing between geldings, mares and stallions.
In general, it’s worth remembering that geldings are almost always friendly and docile, whereas mares and stallions can be more feisty and stubborn, depending on their heat and the time of year. However, females are always a bit easier to handle than males. Therefore, if you are just starting out in this extraordinary sector and would like to purchase a mare, you will certainly have an advantage.
If you have fallen in love with a female horse with whom you already have a strong connection, or that you have just seen at an auction or in another context, there are some suggestions you could follow and some details you should know.
The mares’ wonders
As mentioned above, mares often have a more feisty character than geldings. Despite this, they are still much more docile and affectionate than stallions, especially if they are managed from the ground and are not in their period of heat. During these moments, they can show a character that they don’t usually have. They can even become stubborn and continuously wag their tails, avoiding responding to any command given to them.
Therefore, if you have decided to purchase a mare to ride competitively and participate in competitions and tournaments, be aware that when she is in heat it can become really difficult to ride her. Furthermore, the drugs used to stop these symptoms are very expensive and can compromise the health and reproductive activity of the animal; moreover, they are considered doping in many competitions. In short, all important elements to take into consideration when making a purchase!
Which mare would you choose?
We recommend choosing a cold-blooded horse, a category that differs from the warm-blooded and thoroughbred varieties. The warm-blooded category includes some Arab breeds and some varieties of Quarter Horse; these horses are heavy but athletic, and are often used in equestrian competitions. The hot-blooded variety includes horses selected for speed and agility, light, elegant and long-legged.
On the other hand, cold-blooded horses come from a lineage of working, draught and companion animals and, for these reasons, are a little more docile, calm and patient. Characterised by a muscular, strong and resistant build, they are slower to learn commands, but once they have assimilated them they remember them for the rest of their lives. Some cold-blooded breeds are, for example, the Percheron, Shire and Clydesdale.
Buying a mare, a precious resource also for breeding
When you buy a female horse, in addition to evaluating her breed and character, it’s important to remember that you can dedicate yourself to breeding: in fact, once the animal has finished her sporting career, due to injury or age, she can become an excellent broodmare. If it has any particular distinctive features or has won prizes and awards, it can produce foals that are highly desirable for potential buyers and enthusiasts in the sector.
If you want to start a stud farm, you need to keep in mind several things, including the delicate moment of foaling, which often happens during the night and could be subject to various complications that, in the worst case, can lead to the death of the foal.
The Foaling Alarm monitoring system for the safety of your horses
For all these reasons, it is necessary to have a system for signalling foaling in horses that is both convenient and effective. With this innovative tool, it is possible to avoid sleepless nights for breeders and safeguard the health of both the mare and the foal. At Sisteck, we care about the well-being of your animals and, for this reason, we specialise in the design and production of foaling alarm devices for horses.
With these cutting-edge tools it is possible to constantly monitor the birth of foals. Among the various models we offer is the C6 Evo, an evolution of the C6 Birth Control that has a very convenient touch screen that makes it easy to manage all settings. The micro transmitter in the kit is installed in the mare’s vulva during the last days of pregnancy and, when labour begins, sends a notification to the numbers previously saved in the device. This allows the vet and breeder to be present and offer their support at this very delicate moment, in order to overcome any complications and give birth to healthy and strong foals.
To get the best technical support during your mare’s foaling, get in touch with our expert technicians now: they will be able to answer all your questions and advise you on the solutions best suited to your needs. We look forward to hearing from you!
