Last updated: July 4, 2026
Female horse terms can confuse people at first, but they matter in racing, breeding, and everyday horsemanship. A young female is a filly, an adult female is a mare, and a mare used for breeding is a broodmare. I’ve been around horses for more than 30 years in Louisiana — owning, racing, and breeding Thoroughbreds — and these terms come up every single day. If you know them, you use them correctly without thinking. If you don’t, the gap shows quickly at any barn or track.
What do you call a female horse? It depends on her age and role:
- Filly — female horse four and under (Thoroughbred racing) or under four (general equine use)
- Mare — female horse five and older (Thoroughbred racing) or four and older (general equine use)
- Broodmare — a mare used primarily for breeding
- Dam — the mother of a specific foal; a pedigree and breeding term
- Suckling filly — a female foal still nursing
- Weanling filly — a female foal weaned from her mother, typically 4–6 months old
- Yearling filly — a female horse between one and two years old
Table of Contents
Filly: Young Female Horses
In Thoroughbred racing, a filly is any female horse four years old and under — she becomes a mare at five, per The Jockey Club’s American Stud Book. In most other breeds, including AQHA and general equine usage, the cutoff is a year earlier — filly under four, mare at four and older. That’s why you’ll hear both numbers depending on who you’re talking to.
You’ll hear the filly designation constantly at the track — races are often split between colts and fillies specifically because young females compete separately from young males at certain levels. Some of the best racehorses in history were fillies. Ruffian was one of the greatest American racehorses ever, male or female. Winning fillies are a regular feature of major stakes races, and their performances are tracked separately in racing history precisely because the term has real competitive meaning — not just an age label.
Within the filly category, there are more specific terms that come up depending on the horse’s stage of development: a suckling filly is still nursing from her mother (typically under six months old), a weanling filly has been weaned and is eating independently, and a yearling filly is between one and two years old — the stage where Thoroughbred sales like Keeneland and Fasig-Tipton do most of their business.
Seamus’s Girl is a three-year-old filly I recently claimed. Still a filly by racing’s definition until she turns five, regardless of how mature she looks. If you’re still deciding on a name for a young filly, we put together a list of 237 girl horse names that might help.
Mare: Adult Female Horses
A female horse becomes a mare once she reaches adulthood — the exact age depends on the context. In general equine use and most breed registries, including AQHA, a female horse is a mare when she turns four. In Thoroughbred racing, the cutoff is five — that’s the standard in race condition books and Jockey Club records. Either way, the word comes from the Old English meare and has described an adult female horse for centuries. If you’re asking what do you call a female horse once she’s grown, mare is always the right answer.
Mares are used for everything a male horse is used for — racing, ranch work, trail riding, and competition at the highest levels of sport. I’ve raced and ridden mares my whole career. They can be as capable as anything in the barn, and the best ones will let you know exactly what they think about the situation — which is usually a sign of intelligence, not a problem.
Horseman’s Perspective: In my experience mares are more opinionated than geldings — they’ll show you when something’s off rather than just going along with it. I currently have a young filly that is more difficult to handle than any colt I’ve been around. Gender is one factor, but individual personality always matters more than the general rule.
Broodmare and Dam: Breeding Terms
A broodmare is a mare whose primary job on the property is producing foals. She may be a retired racehorse, a proven show horse, or simply a mare with bloodlines or traits worth passing on. In the breeding barn, broodmare is her job designation — it tells you her role, not her personality or her history.
That doesn’t mean broodmares are retired from everything else. We’ve had mares we continued to use for pleasure riding even while they were in foal, within safe limits. The term describes her primary purpose, not a restriction on what else she can do.
Dam is more specific still. It refers to the mother of a particular foal — it’s a pedigree term, not a general label for any female horse. When you read a Thoroughbred sales catalog or a breeding record, the dam is listed alongside the sire to document the foal’s parentage. You wouldn’t walk up to a mare in a field and call her “the dam” unless you were referring specifically to her relationship with a named offspring. She becomes a dam the moment she produces her first foal, and that designation follows her in every breeding record from that point forward.
For more on what the transition from racehorse to breeding mare actually looks like, the article on when racehorses retire and what they do next covers that in detail.
Female Horse Terms by Age — Quick Reference
Here’s how the terminology maps across a female horse’s life from birth through adulthood. Note that in Thoroughbred racing, The Jockey Club uses five as the filly/mare cutoff, while AQHA and most other disciplines use four.
| Term | Age / Stage | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Filly foal | Birth to weaning (~4–6 months) | Also called a suckling filly while still nursing |
| Weanling filly | ~4–6 months to 1 year | Eating independently; no longer nursing |
| Yearling filly | 1–2 years old | Key sales stage for Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses |
| Filly | Under 4 (general) / 4 and under (Thoroughbred racing) | Age cutoff varies by breed and discipline |
| Mare | 4 and older (general) / 5 and older (Thoroughbred racing) | Adult female horse regardless of use |
| Broodmare | Any adult age | Mare used primarily for breeding |
| Dam | Any adult age | The mother of a specific foal — pedigree term |
What About Baby Horses in General?
A foal is any baby horse regardless of gender. Female foals are filly foals; male foals are colt foals. The distinction between filly, colt, and foal trips people up regularly. For the full breakdown of baby horse terminology — including differences between filly, colt, and foal, how fast they grow, and what to expect in the first year — the complete baby horse guide covers all of it. Also worth noting: a pony is not a baby horse — it’s a separate classification based on height, not age.
FAQs: What Do You Call a Female Horse?
What do you call a female horse?
In Thoroughbred racing, a female horse is called a filly through age four, and a mare once she turns five. In most other breeds and disciplines, the cutoff is a year earlier — filly under four, mare at four and older. A mare used for breeding is called a broodmare, and the term dam refers specifically to the mother of a foal in pedigree and breeding records.
When does a filly become a mare?
In Thoroughbred racing, a filly becomes a mare when she turns five — that’s the cutoff used in race conditions and Jockey Club records. Some other breeds and disciplines use four as the dividing line, so you’ll hear both numbers. The transition is based on age alone, not size or breeding status. In racing, the change happens on January 1 of the year she turns five.
What is a broodmare?
A broodmare is a mare kept primarily for breeding purposes. She may be any age as long as she is four or older. Broodmares are not restricted from other activities — many continue to be ridden or worked while in foal, within safe limits — but their primary role on the property is producing foals.
What is a dam in horse terms?
A dam is the mother of a specific foal. It is a pedigree and breeding term, not a general descriptor for any female horse. When you see a sales catalog or breeding record, the dam is listed alongside the sire to document the foal’s parentage. A mare becomes a dam the moment she produces her first foal.
What do you call horses at different ages?
A baby horse of either gender is a foal. In Thoroughbred racing, female horses four and under are fillies; males four and under are colts. Females become mares at five, intact males become stallions at five. Castrated males are geldings at any age. Female foals nursing from their mother are suckling fillies; weaned females under a year are weanling fillies.
What do you call male horses?
Male horses go by several terms depending on age and status. A male under four is a colt. An intact adult male is a stallion. A castrated male is a gelding at any age. For a full breakdown of male and female horse terms, see the differences between filly, colt, and foal.
Are female horses easier to ride than males?
There is no definitive answer — it depends entirely on the individual horse. Geldings tend to be the most consistent day to day, but plenty of mares are calm and easy to handle, and plenty are not. I’ve owned difficult fillies and extremely quiet stallions. Training history, handling, and individual personality matter far more than gender.
Key Takeaways: What Do You Call a Female Horse?
- Filly = young female — four and under in Thoroughbred racing, under four in most other breeds
- Mare = adult female — five and older in Thoroughbred racing, four and older in general equine use
- The cutoff matters in racing — race conditions are written specifically for fillies and mares as separate categories; knowing which your horse is affects what races she’s eligible for
- Broodmare = breeding role — describes her job on the property, not a permanent restriction on other activity
- Dam = specific relationship — the mother of a named foal; a pedigree term you’ll see in every sales catalog and breeding record
- Foal is gender-neutral — filly foal or colt foal once sex is determined; foal is correct for either before that
About Miles Henry
Racehorse Owner & Author | 30+ Years in Thoroughbred Racing
Miles Henry (legal name: William Bradley) is a professional horseman based in Folsom, Louisiana. He holds Louisiana Racing License #67012 and has spent over three decades managing Thoroughbreds at premier tracks including Fair Grounds, Delta Downs, and Evangeline Downs.
Expertise & Hands-On Experience: Beyond the track, Miles has decades of experience in specialized equine care, covering everything from hoof health and nutrition to training protocols for Quarter Horses, Friesians, and Paints. Every guide on Horse Racing Sense is rooted in this “boots-on-the-ground” perspective.
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