Okay, let’s talk about fillies and mares. I’ve been messing around with horses for a while now, and I’ve gotten a pretty good handle on the lingo. I ain’t no expert, but I can tell you the difference between a filly and a mare, no problem.
What’s a filly?
So, I started by trying to figure out what the heck a filly is. Turns out, a filly is just a young female horse. Think of her like a teenage girl, but, you know, a horse. I looked it up, and most places say a filly is a female horse that’s under four years old. Once they hit that four-year mark, they’re not fillies anymore.
What’s a mare?
Then I went on to look at what makes a mare. Well, if a filly is a young female, a mare is an adult female horse. She’s the grown-up, the one who’s probably had a foal or two. From what I gathered, a mare is any female horse over the age of four. Some folks might say three years old, but most agree on four. I found out that in horse racing a mare is defined as a female horse that’s over four years old.
Putting it together
So, I did some comparing. I wrote down the ages, thought about it, and it all made sense. I realized I actually knew a few fillies and mares at the local stable. There’s this one young horse, she’s only about two, so she’s definitely a filly. Then there’s old Betsy, she’s gotta be at least ten, so she’s for sure a mare.
- Filly: Young female horse, usually under four years old.
- Mare: Adult female horse, usually four years old and up.
It was kind of a fun little project, figuring all this out. I even drew up a little chart to help me remember. Now, I feel like I can talk about fillies and mares with the best of them, even if I’m just a regular guy who likes hanging around horses. I spent a good afternoon on this, and now I’m ready to move on to something else. Maybe I’ll try to understand colts and stallions next!
