>>> I realize that I am now generalizing about Icelandic mares. But I think I can because I have owned MANY Icelandic mares and never had a single moody one.
Anneliese does have some awfully sweet mares, and I think I do too. Seriously, I can really only think of one real disadvantage to having a mare. If you ride at a public place where you need to tie your horses overnight, there's the possibility of someone else's stallion getting loose and getting to your mare. That's not literally the mare's problem though, but a consideration nonetheless. I don't worry about that when riding most places though, and certainly not with friends or at home. I have about equal numbers of "favorite horses" who are mares and geldings...and of course, one of my all time favorites is Melnir, who was a stallion until two months ago. Cary's two favorite horses on our farm are probably Maja and Skjoni - one each. I can't honestly say that I have a gender preference. The other complication comes with keeping a single mare on the property with intact males, especially within sight, as I think is Janice's situation. A stallion may be jealous of the mare and the geldings being together, and if the stallion should escape his pasture, he might not only breed the mare but also fight the geldings. I wouldn't want to keep a single mare separated with no friends, so that could be a management issue. I still don't think that's the mare's fault though, it's just what it is. Karen Thomas [EMAIL PROTECTED]
