Karen Schultz, age 15, of illingboro, N.J., for her question:

WHAT KIND OF HORSE IS A GELDING?

A gelding is a male horse that cannot be used for breeding because it has had its reproductive organs removed. A stallion is a male horse that can be used for breeding.

There are a number of different names for female horses. Filly is a female horse that is less than four years old. Mare is a female horse that is more than four years old. The mother of a foal is called a dam.

A foal, of course, is a newborn horse. It can be either a male or a female. The father of the foal is called the sire.

Colt is any young horse, but technically the word usually refers to a male horse that is less than four years old. A pony is a horse that is less than 58 inches tall when full grown.

A yearling is a horse that is more than one and less than two years old. A race horse is considered a yearling from the first January 1 after its birth until the following January 1.