For other uses, see mare (disambiguation).

A broodmare and foal

A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. A foal is a Horse that is one year old or younger More specific terms are colt for a Male foal and Filly for a Female foal Female (♀ is the Sex of an Organism, or a part of an organism which produces ova (egg cells The horse ( Equus caballus) is a hoofed ( Ungulate) Mammal, one of eight living species of the family Equidae. Equidae is the family of horse-like animals which belong to the order Perissodactyla. ^[1]

Most of the time, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse age three and younger. A filly is a young Female Horse too young to be called a mare. However, in Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four years old; in harness racing a mare is a female horse more than three years old. The Thoroughbred is a horse breed This article is about the sport For other uses see Horserace (drinking game or Horse race (politics. The horse ( Equus caballus) is a hoofed ( Ungulate) Mammal, one of eight living species of the family Equidae. Harness racing is a form of Horse-racing in which the horses race in a specified gait The word can also be used for other female equine animals, particularly mules and zebras, though a female donkey is usually called a "jenny. The horse ( Equus caballus) is a hoofed ( Ungulate) Mammal, one of eight living species of the family Equidae. In its common modern meaning a mule is the offspring of a male Donkey and a female Horse, which is classified as a kind of F1 hybrid. Zebras are African Equids best known for their distinctive white and black stripes The donkey or ass, Equus asinus, is a member of the Equidae or horse family and an odd-toed ungulate. " A broodmare is a mare used for breeding.

An adult male horse is called a stallion, or, if castrated, a gelding. Castration (also referred to as Gelding, Neutering, Fixing, orchiectomy, and orchidectomy is any action surgical, chemical A gelding is a castrated animal &mdash in English the term specifically refers to a castrated male Horse or other Equine such as a Donkey Occasionally the term "horse" is used in a restrictive sense to designate only a male horse.

Reproductive cycle

A nursing foal. Domesticated mares may nurse their foals an average of four to six months, occasionally longer, depending on human management decisions and the temperament of a given mare.

Main articles: Horse breeding and Equine anatomy

Mares carry their young, called foals for approximately 11 months from conception to birth. Horse breeding refers to reproduction in Horses and particularly the human-directed process of Selective breeding of animals particularly Purebred The anatomy of the horse comes with a large number of Horse specific terms A foal is a Horse that is one year old or younger More specific terms are colt for a Male foal and Filly for a Female foal (Average range 320-370 days. )^[2] Usually just one young is born; twins are rare. When a domesticated mare foals, she nurses the foal for at least four to six months before it is weaned, though mares in the wild may allow a foal to nurse for up to a year. Domestication (from Latin domesticus) refers to the process whereby a Population of Animals Weaning is the process of gradually introducing a Mammal Infant, either human or animal to what will be its adult diet and withdrawing the supply of its mother's The Wild Horse ( Equus ferus) is a member of the Horse genus which currently is native only in Asia.

The estrous cycle, also known as "season' or "heat" of a mare occurs roughly every 19-22 days and occurs from early spring into autumn. Oestrus is also the biological genus name of the gadfly. The estrous cycle (also oestrous cycle; derived from Latin As the days shorten, most mares enter an anestrus period during the winter and thus do not cycle in this period. The reproductive cycle in a mare is controlled by the photoperiod (length of the day), the cycle first triggered when the days begin to lengthen. Photoperiodicity is the physiological reaction of organisms to the length of day or night As the days shorten, the mare returns to the anestrus period when she is not sexually receptive. Anestrus prevents the mare from conceiving in the winter months, as that would result in her foaling during the harshest part of the year, a time when it would be most difficult for the foal to survive. ^[3]

However, for most competitive purposes, foals are given an official "birthday" of January 1 (August 1 in the Southern hemisphere), and many breeders want foals to be born as early in the year as possible. Southern Hemisphere is the half of a Planet that is South of the Equator —the word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' Therefore, many breeding farms begin to put mares "under lights" in late winter in order to bring them out of anestrus early and allow conception to occur in February or March. One exception to this general rule is the field of endurance riding, which requires horses to be 60 true calendar months old (5 years) before competing at longer distances. Endurance riding is an equestrian sport based on controlled long distance races

Fillies are sexually mature by age two and are sometimes bred at that age, but generally should not be bred until they themselves have stopped growing, usually by age four or five. Sexual maturity is the age or stage when an Organism can reproduce. ^[4]

A healthy, well-managed mare can produce a foal every year into her twenties, though not all breeders will breed a mare every year. In addition, many mares are kept for riding and so are not bred annually, as a mare in late pregnancy or nursing a foal is not able to perform at as athletic a standard as one who is neither pregnant nor lactating. Pregnancy ( Latin graviditas) is the carrying of one or more offspring known as a Fetus or Embryo, inside the Uterus of a Female Lactation describes the secretion of Milk from the Mammary glands the process of providing that milk to the young and the period of time that a Mother In addition, some mares become anxious when separated from their foals, even temporarily, and thus are difficult to manage under saddle until their foals are weaned. Separation anxiety is a psychological condition in which an individual has excessive Anxiety regarding separation from home or from people to whom the individual has

Behavior

See also: horse behavior

A broodmare. Horse behavior is best understood from the perspective that Horses are prey animals with a well-developed Fight-or-flight instinct Note slight distension of belly, indicating either early pregnancy or recent foaling.

Mares are considered easier to handle than stallions. However, geldings have no hormone-driven behavior patterns at all, thus sometimes they are preferred to both mares and stallions. A gelding is a castrated animal &mdash in English the term specifically refers to a castrated male Horse or other Equine such as a Donkey Mares have a notorious, if generally undeserved, reputation for being "marish," meaning that they can be cranky or unwilling when they come into season. Oestrus is also the biological genus name of the gadfly. The estrous cycle (also oestrous cycle; derived from Latin However, there is considerable evidence that much "marish" behavior is the mostly result of humans expecting or allowing the mare to misbehave. Horse behavior is best understood from the perspective that Horses are prey animals with a well-developed Fight-or-flight instinct Because horses in general are very attuned to the emotional state of their riders, expectation by a rider of difficult manners during estrus can create a self-fulfilling prophecy and a cranky mare. A self-fulfilling prophecy is a prediction that directly or indirectly causes itself to become true

While a few mares may be somewhat more distractable or irritable when in heat, they are far less easily distracted than a stallion at any time. Solid training usually minimizes hormonal behavior. For competitive purposes, mares are sometimes placed on hormone therapies, such as the drug Regumate, to help control hormonally-based behavior. Hormone therapy, or hormonal therapy is the use of Hormones in medical treatment Some riders also use various herbal remedies, most of which have not been extensively tested for effectiveness. Herbalism is a traditional Medicinal or Folk medicine practice based on the use of Plants and Plant extracts Herbalism is also known as

Some mare owners claim that mares are more intelligent and courageous and will work harder for their owners, and there are many stories and legends about the loyalty of a mare to her rider. Conversely, others claim that mares are more nervous and high-strung. In short, much lore about "marish" mares is due to simple anthropomorphism, attributing stereotypically "female" behavior to mares. Anthropomorphism is the attribution of uniquely Human characteristics to non-human creatures and beings natural and supernatural phenomena material states and objects

Mares and geldings can be pastured together. However, mares may be a bit more territorial. Sex-segregating herds may make for less infighting, especially if kept in close quarters. However, studies also have shown that when a "lead mare" or "boss mare" is in charge of a herd, all remaining animals rest for longer periods and seem more at ease than do those in herds led by a gelding.

In wild herds, a "boss mare" or "lead mare" leads the band to grazing, to water, and away from danger. She eats and drinks first, decides when the herd will move and to where. The herd stallion usually brings up the rear and acts as a defender of the herd against predators and other stallions.

Uses

Mares can be used in any equestrian sport. Famous race horse mare Makybe Diva after winning the Melbourne Cup for the third consecutive time. Makybe Diva is an Australian racehorse, and the first Thoroughbred to win the prestigious Melbourne Cup three times in 2003 and 2004 and again in 2005

Mares are used in every equestrian sport and usually compete equally with stallions and geldings in most events, though some competitions may offer classes open only to one sex of horse or another, particularly in breeding or "in-hand" conformation classes. For the Roman class see Equestrian (Roman Equestrianism refers to the skill of riding or driving Horses This broad description "Halter" is a term used to describe a type of Horse show class where horses are shown "in hand" meaning that they are led not ridden and are judged on their In horse racing, mares and fillies have their own races and only a small percentage compete against male horses. This article is about the sport For other uses see Horserace (drinking game or Horse race (politics. However, fillies have won classic horse races against colts, including the Kentucky Derby, the Belmont Stakes and the Melbourne Cup. The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three year-old thoroughbred horses held annually in Louisville Kentucky, on the first Saturday in May The Belmont Stakes is a prestigious American Grade I stakes race held yearly in June at Belmont Park in Elmont New York. The Melbourne Cup is Australia 's major annual Thoroughbred horse race.

Mares are used as dairy animals in some cultures, especially by the nomads and formerly nomadic peoples of Central Asia. A dairy is a facility for the extraction and processing of animal Milk &mdashmostly from goats or cows, but also from buffalo, Sheep Nomadic people, (from the νομάδες nomádes, "those who let pasture herds" also known as nomads, are communities of people that Central Asia is a region of Asia from the Caspian Sea in the west to central China in the east and from southern Russia in the north to northern Pakistan in the south Fermented mare's milk, known as kumis, is the national drink of Kyrgyzstan. Kumis ( Turkish:kımız Mongolian:airag is a fermented dairy product traditionally made from mare's milk Kyrgyzstan (ˈkɻ̩gɪztɑn (AmE or /'kɝgəztan/ (BrE Kyrgyz: Кыргызстан; Russian: Киргизия or Киргизстан or Кыргызстан Some mares, usually of draft horse breeding, are kept in North America for the production of their urine. A draft horse, draught horse or dray horse (from the Anglo-Saxon dragan meaning to draw or haul is a large Horse bred for hard heavy tasks Pregnant mares' urine is the active ingredient in the hormonal drug Premarin (derived from Pregnant mares' urine). An active ingredient ( AI) also active pharmaceutical ingredient ( API) or bulk active, is the substance in a drug that is Pharmaceutically Premarin is the commercial name for compound drug consisting primarily of conjugated Estrogens Isolated from mare's Urine ( PRE gnant

Historic use

Until the invention of castration and even later where there was less cultural acceptance of the practice, mares were less difficult to manage than stallions and thus preferred for most ordinary work. Castration (also referred to as Gelding, Neutering, Fixing, orchiectomy, and orchidectomy is any action surgical, chemical Historically, the Bedouin nomads of the Arabian peninsula preferred mares on their raids, because stallions would nicker to the opposing camps' horses, whereas mares would be quiet. The Bedouin, (from the Arabic (ar بدوي pl badū) are a desert-dwelling Arab Nomadic pastoralist, or previously The Arabian Peninsula (in Arabic: شبه الجزيرة العربية šibh al-jazīra al-ʻarabīya or جزيرة العرب jazīrat al-ʻarab) However, other cultures preferred male horses over mares either due to a desire for more aggressive behavior in a fighting animal, or to not be inconvenienced with a loss of work ability due to a mare's pregnancy, parturition and lactation. Childbirth (also called labour, birth, partus or parturition) is the culmination of a Human Pregnancy or Lactation describes the secretion of Milk from the Mammary glands the process of providing that milk to the young and the period of time that a Mother

Etymology

The word mare, meaning "female horse," originated from the Gaulish language and took several forms prior to A. Gaulish or Gallic is the name given to the Celtic language that was spoken in Gaul before the Vulgar Latin of the late Roman Empire became D. 900. In Old English the form was mere or mȳre, the feminine forms for mearh (horse). In Linguistics, grammatical genders, sometimes also called Noun classes are classes of nouns reflected in the behavior of associated words every noun must belong The Old German form of the word was Mähre. Similarly, in Irish and Gaelic, the word was marc, and in Welsh, march. Irish (ga ''Gaeilge'' is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish. The Goidelic languages, (also sometimes called particularly in colloquial situations the Gaelic languages or collectively Gaelic) historically formed a Dialect Welsh ( cy Cymraeg or cy y Gymraeg, kəmˈrɑːɨɡ and {{IPA|[ə ɡəmˈrɑːɨɡ]}}, is a member of the Brythonic branch of Celtic The word has no known cognates beyond Germanic and Celtic. Cognates in Linguistics are words that have a common origin They may occur within a language such as shirt and skirt as two English words descended from The Germanic languages are a group of related languages that constitute a branch of the Indo-European (IE Language family. The Celtic languages are descended from Proto-Celtic, or "Common Celtic" a branch of the greater Indo-European Language family. ^[5] Some derived terms are a mare's nest, an expression for "excitement over something which does not exist"; and nightmare, which began as a term meaning "an evil female spirit afflicting sleepers with a feeling of suffocation. A nightmare is a Dream which causes a strong unpleasant emotional response from the sleeper typically fear or horror being in situations of extreme danger or the sensations " However, this term may not be directly connected etymologically with the word for female horse, but rather to homophones that meant "incubus" or "goblin. A homophone is a word that is pronounced the same as another word but differs in meaning "^[6]

A homograph that has nothing to do with female horses confuses the etymology of the word. A homograph is one of a group of words that share the same spelling but have different meanings Etymology is the study of the History of Words &mdash when they entered a language from what source and how their form and meaning have changed over time This is the Latin word "mare" (pronounced "ma-re", two syllables), which is used primarily in astronomy and describes the large, dark, basaltic plains on Earth's Moon. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. The lunar maria (singular mare, two syllables are large dark Basaltic plains on Earth 's Moon, formed by ancient Volcanic eruptions Astronomy (from the Greek words astron (ἄστρον "star" and nomos (νόμος "law" is the scientific study Basalt (bəˈsɔːlt ˈbeisɔːlt ˈbæsɔːlt is a common Extrusive Volcanic rock. It is the Latin word for "sea", from which words like marine and maritime were also derived. An ocean (from Greek, ''Okeanos'' (Oceanus) is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the Hydrosphere.

See also

• Horse breeding
• Stallion (horse)
• Gelding
• Filly
• Foal

References