Mare
This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2009) |
A mare is an adult
is usually called a "jenny". A broodmare is a mare used for breeding.Reproductive cycle
Mares carry their young (called foals) for approximately 11 months from conception to birth. (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.
The
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. 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.
Fillies are
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
The formation of the bond between a mare and her foal "occurs during the first few hours post-partum , but that of the foal to the mare takes place over a period of days".[5]
Behavior
Mares are considered easier to handle than
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.[citation needed]
Uses
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. In horse racing, mares and fillies have their own races and only a small percentage compete against male horses. However, a few fillies and mares have won classic horse races against colts, including the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, the Belmont Stakes, the Melbourne Cup and the Breeders' Cup Classic.
Mares are used as
Until the invention of
Etymology
The word mare, meaning "female horse", took several forms before A.D. 900. However, an interesting hypothesis links these Indo-European words to Mongolian морь [11] (mori, horse). [12] [13] In addition, the Wiktionary entry for морь [11] includes a comparison to possibly related words for horse in Korean, Manchu, Chinese (馬/马 mǎ), Japanese (うま uma), and old formal Arabic is Mahrمهر One possible derived term is a mare's nest, an expression for "excitement over something which does not exist".[8] The term nightmare, is not directly connected etymologically with the word for female horse, but rather to homophones that meant "incubus" or "goblin".[8]
See also
References
- ^ "Oxford Dictionaries | The World's Most Trustegd Dictionary Provider". Oxford Dictionaries. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2017-11-12.
- ISBN 0-8134-2883-1p. 156
- ISBN 0-8134-2883-1p. 150
- ISBN 0-8134-2883-1p. 149-150
- .
- PMID 31086385.
- ^ "mare". www.dictionary.com. Archived from the original on 2009-09-05. Retrieved 2009-09-30. Multiple definitions of Mare and its etymological origins. Web site accessed September 30, 2009
- ^ a b c d e f Etymology OnLine Archived 2007-12-14 at the Wayback Machine, accessed November 25, 2007
- ^ Vries, Jan de (April 28, 1977). "Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch". E.J. Brill – via Google Books.
- JSTOR 40848753.
- ^ a b Wiktionary entry for Mongolian морь (mori, horse)
- ^ Article "Of horse riding and Old Sinitic reconstructions" on Language Log at the University of Pennsylvania.
- ^ Article "Mare, mǎ, etc." on Language Log at the University of Pennsylvania.