# Genders

On EquinoxMC, every horse is assigned a gender that affects **breeding, behaviour, and roleplay realism**. Understanding how genders work is important for managing your horses — especially when it comes to breeding and discipline selection.

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## 🔹 Available Genders

* **Mare**\
  A **female horse**. Mares can become pregnant and give birth if paired with a fertile stallion. They may go “in heat” on 3 random days a month, making them eligible for breeding during that time.
* **Stallion**\
  A **fertile male horse**. Stallions can breed with mares and often have a more spirited or dominant personality. Stallions can be **gelded** if you want a calmer horse or wish to prevent breeding.
* **Gelding**\
  A **castrated male horse**. Geldings **cannot breed**, but they’re often more even-tempered and easier to train than stallions. You can choose to geld a stallion at any time by visiting a vet.

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## 🧬 Infertility

Some horses — regardless of gender — may be marked as **infertile**. These horses **cannot be used for breeding** under any circumstances. Infertility may be:

* Randomly assigned at birth
* A result of illness or injury
* Chosen for roleplay or realism

Infertility is permanent and cannot be cured.

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## 💡 Good to Know

* You can check a horse’s gender and fertility using the `/horse info` command.
* Only **mares** and **fertile stallions** can breed.
* Geldings and infertile horses are ideal for non-breeding roles such as competition, trail riding, or schooling.
* Choosing to geld a stallion is **permanent** — make sure it fits your long-term plans!
