Horse Shopping 103: Mares vs. Geldings

Some horse people want nothing to do with mares. They say they're temperamental, moody, unreliable. I don't have that attitude. Most of my riding horses have been mares. Over my lifetime, I've ridden or owned some wonderful mares and geldings, and I've experienced my share of temperamental mares and geldings too. My experience with horses and dogs has taught me to look at the temperament first, and worry about the plumbing later. With that attitude, I began my search. I wanted a Haflinger -- between the ages of 4 to 10, trained to ride and drive. How hard could that be? Little did I know that the search would take nearly a year.