Filly
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A filly is a young female horse, too young to be called a mare. There are several specific definitions in use.
- A common developmental definition is a female animal that has not reached sexual maturity; this usually means it is under 24 months of age.
- However, horse owners more commonly define a filly as a female horse under the age of four years years old, on the grounds that the average animal reaches full physical maturity at age four.
- In thoroughbred horse racing, yet another definition of filly and mare is used. In this context, female horses are not classified as mares until the fifth January 1 (for horses born in the Northern Hemisphere) or August 1 (for horses born in the Southern Hemisphere) after their actual date of birth.
- Harness racing sets the cutoff age for fillies as younger than four years.
The equivalent term for a male is a colt. When horses of either sex are very young, they can also be referred to as foals.
