Effect of horse sex status on British Eventing competition performance: an observational study between 1998 and 2016.
Authors: Hanousek Katherine, Salavati Mazdak, Fouladi-Nashta Ali
Journal: The Veterinary record
Summary
# Editorial Summary Researchers analysed 18 years of British Eventing competition data (1998–2016) across 681 horses to examine whether sex status—mares, geldings or stallions—influences competitive performance. Equal cohorts of each sex, all aged 4–10 years and foaled from 1994 onwards, were tracked across five competition levels from BE90 through to Advanced, with investigators comparing phased scores, total scores, competitive ranking and earned points per competition. Significant performance differences emerged across most levels, with a consistent pattern of stallions and geldings outperforming mares in dressage and cross-country phases, though notably this advantage disappeared at Advanced level. The sole area in which mares demonstrated a measurable advantage was showjumping time penalties at novice level (BE90), suggesting sex-based differences may be less pronounced in certain disciplines or at elite competition. These findings merit consideration when selecting breeding stock or planning competition schedules, particularly for riders working with younger horses or at lower levels, though the absence of sex effects at the highest tier warrants cautious interpretation before drawing broad conclusions about inherent capability.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Sex status appears to influence eventing performance across lower to intermediate competition levels, with mares potentially disadvantaged in dressage and cross-country phases relative to geldings and stallions
- •The performance gap between sexes narrows or disappears at Advanced level, suggesting experience or training may compensate for any inherent differences
- •Mare owners competing at BE90 level may see an advantage in showjumping penalties compared to male horses, which could inform competition strategy
Key Findings
- •Significant performance differences between horse genders were found at all competition levels except Advanced
- •Stallions and geldings generally outperformed mares across most competition levels
- •Mares demonstrated significantly better showjumping time penalties than geldings or stallions only at BE90 level
- •Gender-related performance differences were highlighted in average phased scores, total scores, competition rank, and median BE points per competition