Margery wrote: <I imagine these horses were very much like people <G> ... the females weren't all that warlike, so were kept at home to breed, while the males were kept entire (not gelded) and their testosterone made them usefully fierce and eager to join in the battles.>
The stallions I've encountered have all been OK unless they came across a mare in season. Have you ever ridden a mare in season? They're just like their human counterparts at that time. That's why riders who want a consistent ride go for geldings. Show jumpers and those used for three day eventing and cross country tend to be geldings. Racehorses are usually left entire in the case of males, as they're going to be useful for breeding (big mistake made by the person who decided to geld Red Rum), and are gelded if not any use for that purpose. Mares are raced because they just go flat out or with jumps between them and the winning post, and it doesn't matter if they behave or not - they just go with the herd. I had a mare and two geldings and always knew how the geldings would behave. Not so with the mare. She never encountered a stallion at close hand, but when they had one stabled in the same complex, she was so up tight there wasn't much we could do with her. And if she came across a foal (whatever time of year), her mothering instincts came out and it was very difficult to get her mind on anything else. Both the stallion and any foals had to be out of sight and out of smell. Jean in Poole To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
