Claudius Aelianus mentions that he heard that mares are the only animals that once pregnant allow stallions to copulation. He compared them to women. Mares are extremely passionate and therefore Roman strict moral censors called lascivious women “mares”.
Women “mares”?
Sources
- McKeown J. C., A Cabinet of Roman Curiosities: Strange Tales and Surprising Facts from the World's Greatest Empire, 2010