Anyone own a horse that...

[maplegum]

I have a friend who is a breeder.

She has a mare that simply does not like women. She loves being around men. When a female approaches her, she shy's away making it very hard to catch her. When a male approaches, she walks right up to them, and doesn't show any signs of hesitation.

Anyone ever experience something like this?

 

[ica-ica]

Yes, but my mare was obsessed with females. She hated other males. I also know a gelding that hates men, even though his owner is one.

It's kind of funny actually, unless you are the gender the horse doesn't like...

 

[pepperhill]

Oh, absolutely! We have had several that have had strong preferences one way or the other. Several large horses as well. I always wondered if it had something to do with who worked with them the most when they were youngsters. Just a theory!

 

[tifflunn]

I had a rescue mare here that really liked men- was very uneasy around women- but would definately accept some loving from the men around here.

 

[MiniforFaith]

Mine prefer women over men.. My mare always tries to go after my daughter's friend's dad..(He gets on my nerves, too

: ) All three seem to like women over men here!!

:

 

[PaintedPromiseRanch]

we've had several over the years that had a preference but always, always it was for women over men. i always figured that was because a man had abused them in the past...

 

[River1018]

We have had horses here as well that prefer one or the other.

 

[Minimor]

Ours generally seem to prefer women over men, probably because they seldom see men.

Our Morgan stallion Tip liked everyone except skinny, small sized young men--he'd been with a trainer with just that build, and that particular trainer was for some reason afraid to discipline Tip. In fact, he was just plain afraid of Tip, and I guess Tip knew it--he was at that trainers for 30 days & needless to say the training did not go anywhere. We brought the horse home & trained him ourselves--had to remind him of his manners the first week he was home & after that all was well...until the day my friend stopped by with her 18 year old brother. We walked out to see Tip & he took one look at that kid & went for him. Then I realized that the kid looked very much like & even talked very much like that trainer that Tip held in such contempt--I guess he thought it was that trainer, and he was going to remind him who was boss! The horse didn't have a problem with anyone else.

Ha, we had a male llama for awhile, and that guy took a real liking to a neighbor fellow that stopped in one time. That llama was quite infatuated, and the neighbor wasn't impressed--his wife razzed him about that one, and would ask if he didn't want to stop in here & see his special friend! :lol:

 

[Sandee]

It's not a real preference for one gender or the other except for showing. My stallion will pose and show for my hubby even though hubby doesn't know anything about showing nor does he want to. He will "set up" for me but not as effortlessly. The stud also does this for the trainer, who was a man.

Someone suggested to me that it is because I do all the other handling of the horses - clipping, washing, feeding, etc. So he doesn't know what to expect of the "men" and pays more attention to them.

 

[bluerogue]

I have a mare who loves men. She has a particular liking for my boyfriend, but really, I think she just loves men. He likes her too, so I'm sure it helps. This mare was one I thought was just plain scared... she didn't know what to expect or anything. She was my problem shild for quite some time. Well, I started boarding with a trainer, and now she's very easy to deal with. Still skittish sometimes, but increasingly less often. Anyway, the trainer had some friends over, and they all went in to see the minis. My mare took a great liking to the one gentleman, and followed him everywhere. When she told me that, a lot of things fell into place regarding the mare. She just plain likes men! She works better for them, is easier to catch for them, and just generally is a lot nicer to be around if a guy is there. I know the farm where she was born, and she has never been abused in any way. So this has to be a natural liking of hers that she was born with. There really isn't any other explanation for it! I think it's pretty funny, but slightly disappointing for me, since I like this mare a lot. She just doesn't seem to like me as much as I like her. Oh, well. Hopefully if she foals next year the baby won't be the same way!

 

[Jill]

Yes, some horses do have a real preference for men over women or vice versa. I've most often seen it that a horse will prefer women to men, and just chalked it up to the fact that lots of times, women feed and groom horses whereas a lot of farriers and vets are men, and horses probabably have more room for bad experiences being shod or vaccinated, etc., than eating and being brushed :bgrin But, I know, it can work either way and often is the result of how the horse was handled, and by whom.

 

[ChrystalPaths]

My Halley has always preferred women, while Thera loves everyone.

 

[Buckskin gal]

We have one mare that we bought as a two year old that was quite a challenge when we first got her...acted as if she had been mistreated but she has come to really like my hubby. He spent a lot of time with her and I swear she fell in love with him!

: All the rest of our minis seem to love both hubby and I ...One reason for buying them as youngsters, who have been handled by people, is they have that feeling of security already. Ours always get a lot of handling and enjoy it! Mary

 

[lilfolks]

I have the opposite problem here, I have a stallion that prefers women over men.

Joyce

 

[Suzie]

We have both but the most exasperating one is a filly who was born here.

I brought her into the world (she would not even be here but for me), dried her off, hugged her, etc. My husband was gone to work. She never laid eyes on him for a whole day. Does she like me-NO. Does she come to me-NO. Won't do one cotton-picking thing for me.

But him...she will run up and lay at his feet and BEG for attention.....

She has been taking lessons from my kids I guess.

Grr.....

 

[minih]

Yes, we have a stallion that prefers women to men. In fact every time my husband would go in his pen and not watch he would receive a nip somewhere on him. :bgrin He didn't do this to anyone else in the family (girls), as the stallion has got older he no longer does this but it was funny at the time. He also will not perform his tricks for a guy, only women. We have had several man friends of ours try and nope no way.

 

[Champagne Valley Farm]

I had a BS paint filly that HATED me but loved my father. She was a brat for me. She would pin her ears when I was around, bite me, chase me in the paddock, and was a monster under saddle for me. We'd get the job done but it was not much fun. But for my father she was an angel. Would always come right up to him, let him kiss her, love on her, she'd love back, and she was an angel for him undersaddle. He was a VERY beginner rider at the time and she would try typical 2 yr old stuff under saddle but I would tell him to keep after her and after one little buck she went on and did everything he asked of her! Needless to say she was sold to a man in Wisconson! And he absolutly LOVES her! Imagine that LOL!

Now my one mini gelding prefers women over men. He was abused by his previous owners husband so he's got good reason to be leary of men.

I think there are a lot of horses out there that have preferences for sure. Just like people! LOL

 

[CKC]

All of mine have a preference, but I've had one that chose neither my husband or myself. So now she is owned by Jill. She has fit right in at Jill's.

 

[FoRebel]

Our shetland mare is more open to my husband than she is me. She'll kick at me but as long as my husband has his hip against her and her against the wall she'll let him do whatever.

 

[dangerranger]

I gave away a really nice TB gelding because he would get down right dangerous with me or the shoer! He seemed to like only blond women. my wife could do anything with him but when I was around he would kick, bite, buck, run under things, or try to rub me off on the fences. I had tryed everything. I was finaly going to take him to a sale out of our area[he was famous around here. at 17hands he was kind of spectacurar to watch him buck!] or have him put down. a trainer friend ask if she could have a go at him. so I gave him to her. about two weeks later she called to ask what she had to do to make him buck. about a month ago she sent pics of one of her students napping on his back! she did say that her dad cant do anything with him eather. go figuer