Updated on 6/7/15, Originally posted on 5/19/12

Bible Verse: Genesis 2:19 Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name.

In this creature tip we will cover some terms about horses regarding their gender and age.  You may hear a horse owner say I have a filly, gelding, or a mare.  Do you know what these terms mean?  If you are going to be around horses and or own one you will need to know these basic terms.

Mare: An adult female horse is called a mare.

Stallion or Stud: An adult male horse is called a stallion or stud.

Gelding: When a male horse that has been castrated it is called gelded and is now referred to as a gelding.

Foal: A foal is a baby horse, especially under the age of 1 year.

Weanling: A weanling is a baby horse that has been weaned from its mother and is under one year old.  (Most horses in captivity are weaned at 4-6 months)

Yearling: A yearling is a horse that is 1 year old and he or she will be called a yearling until the horse turns 2 years.

Filly: A filly is a female horse under the age of 4 years old.

Colt: A colt is male horse under the age of 4 years old.

This is a photo of a foal.  This foal could also be called a filly because it’s a girl.