It may sound like a childish question, but many people get it wrong. What is a female horse called?
Apart from the name, there are so many interesting things you might not have known before. Follow and be ready to surprise!
Mare’s Traits
A female horse is considered a mare when she is over four years old. The reproductive cycle of a mare usually lasts for 11 months. She will nurture the baby horse for about 4 to 6 months. In some cases, this period can last for up to 10 months.
In general, a mare is considered to be easier to deal with than a stallion – a male horse over four years old. A well-managed mare is usually used for transportation and competition.
In horse racing, mares have their own competitions. They do attend races against stallions. However, this happens very rarely.
What Is The Difference Between Mare and Filly?
We have gone through the definition of a mare and a stallion. So what is a filly?
A newborn horse is called a foal. If it is a male horse, the baby will be named a colt. If it is a female horse, then a filly. When the baby horse is over four years old, people will distinguish them by two new names: a mare and a stallion.
How Often Do Mares Come in Heat?
Before getting into details, what is heat? In this situation, “heat” or “season” all refer to the estrous cycle. On average, a mare’s heat occurs every 19 and 22 days, which happens from spring to autumn.
Why does the cycle not occur in winter? Well, in winter, mares will enter an anestrus cycle, which prevents the mare from conceiving. It is easy to understand that a foal – a term for a newborn horse, would not be able to survive during winter – the harshest time of the year.
Do Mare Have Periods?
Let’s start with a simple fact. Mammals all have their menstrual cycle. However, this does not apply to mares. They do have something similar called the estrous cycle which I have mentioned above. The duration day of the estrous cycle usually lasts 5 to 7 days.
Contrary to humans, mares do not expel any blood out of the body as their body is built differently from human beings. If that happens, it means the mare has some kind of infection that needs immediate care and treatment.
Conclusion
There are so many things about animals in general and horses in particular that we do not know. The fact is that many people always wonder if a female horse is called a mare.
Well, after reading this article, you get the exact answer, right?