Buying a horse for its colour.

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tessybear

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Would you ever buy a horse for its colour, when you go looking to buy a horse do you go by colour or whaat ?:)

Personally we do a price range sweep haha!

But would you buy a very pretty looking horse with lovely markings if it had a few vices :)
 
No.

Colour is an extra to me. Don't get me wrong, our 'thing' with the cobs is unusual colour, but, conformation and temperament come first and foremost. If they pass on that, then any 'funky' colours are welcomed.
 
ChristmasSparkles said:
No.

Colour is an extra to me. Don't get me wrong, our 'thing' with the cobs is unusual colour, but, conformation and temperament come first and foremost. If they pass on that, then any 'funky' colours are welcomed.
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Yes thats what i go for :) Temperment and if it does the job after price :)

We are just lucky our cob has lovely markings ;) :P
 
Hahaha bless her :) I always joke about putting some of the piebalds out in the cattle fields and they'd go unnoticed - they'd go through winter very nice and covered in them fields lol!!!


Sparks just gets called a little Indian pony.
 
ChristmasSparkles said:
Hahaha bless her :) I always joke about putting some of the piebalds out in the cattle fields and they'd go unnoticed - they'd go through winter very nice and covered in them fields lol!!!


Sparks just gets called a little Indian pony.
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That is a great idea ! haha ! we were naughty the other week and took a spin round the golf course, my friend who lives near it said she phoned mark the local farmer because she just saw a flash of black and white and blamed a cow :')


She is very pretty but oh so cow like
What breed is sparks ?
 
Sort of. We wanted something cobby that hubby could take hunting. Saw one advertised that looked the spitting image of his horse that he lost about a year previously and that is the one we went to see and subsequently bought. So it wasn't the first priority but it was what made us go and see him rather than any of the others advertised :)
 
I've decided if I ever get another - it won't be grey!
I'll have a list of requirements but colour will also come into it. - trying to keep a grey that lives out 24/7 clean for shows is a PITA.
 
My favourite colour is black, never been particularly keen on bays (I think they are smart, but just a bit 'usual'. My late horse was black. I wanted another black. What have I ended up with? A fooking bay!! Still at least I know he must be the one, for me to be able to put that aside lol! He is a stunning bay though, real deep coppery colour
 
tessybear said:
Would you ever buy a horse for its colour, when you go looking to buy a horse do you go by colour or whaat ?:)
Yes, but the bloodlines have to be right too. I don't even look at anything unless it is the colour/pattern I want.
The exception is my daughter's mare which was bought as a riding horse, so colour didn't come into the equation.
My own mare is certainly the last colour I would ever consider, but her breeding is exceptional and purebred don't come in yellow sadly :(

Personally we do a price range sweep haha!
Within reason price is irrelevant if everything else ticks the box

But would you buy a very pretty looking horse with lovely markings if it had a few vices :)
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Depends on the vices - if it isn't the right colour, and I was buying for my own herd then pretty doesn't do it. If I am buying to sell, then pretty/flashy would come into consideration, but it would have to be very unusual or eyecatching
 
My neighbour sold her pony a few years ago. In the advert she clearly stated 'second pony' 'forward going' 'can be strong' but the photos showed just how gorgeous she was! One of the girls who viewed definitely wasn't suitable and Autumn really took advantage of her being a novice but the girl after looked at her mum and said 'oh but she's the same colour as my hair :(' and went home crying!
 
When I was 13 my parents bought me my second horse. I was brushing my first pony one evening and my mother was with me, and she said 'if you had a new horse, what colour would you like it to be?', to which I said 'palomino, or dun' (I liked the idea of something a bit different!). Her reply was 'well how about a nice black one?', which is what they'd already bought me. Back then it seemed really important to me!

Now, I've just got me a plain old bay. She's done me the world of good and I wouldn't care if she was black, grey, chestnut or purple! So if I ever bought another horse, I think I can safely say it's colour wouldn't make a blind bit of difference anymore.
 
We have bought 3 this year because of their colour, all chestnut fillies, as future wives for our palomino colt. Their bloodlines, conformation etc was also to our liking.
I always buy something i like colour & markings wise, i show the ponies so they have to be pleasing to my eye (all usual criteria have to be right too)
 
I bought my Dun because if its colour. Was not even looking for another horse, but just reading the horses for sale section in the local paper ( as you do) one day at work, saw an advert for a 7 year old mare for sale, then almost as an after thought, the seller put at the end.....also 3 year dun filly for sale. Rang up, as really close, and arrange to go and see her after work that day. Had always promised myself that i would have a Dun before i gave up riding, after having ridden one when i was 14. Went to see her, and bought her there and then, no vetting nothing. 13 years later she is still here!
 
When looking for breedingstock then yes, colour does come into it but everything else has to be right - the bloodlines, the conformation, height, temprament etc. No point in having the colour you want if everything else is naff!

I don't like excessie white markings on horses. If they have a star it has to be small, a blaze has to be narrow and not go past the notrils, socks have to be even - none, 2 or 4. If 2 they have to be behind and evenly matched in size, if 4 they the front 2 have to match and the back 2 have to match - preferably all match together. No splashes, splotches, no fleabitten greys! If multi coloured they have to be more dark brown or black than white with a black/brown mane or tail. No palaminos, no cremellos, dun are acceptable in certain breeds. Not asking for much am I? :D

So what do I now have? A dark bay with one white hind sock to mid-cannon and a big wide blaze that goes through his muzzle, lips and under his chin ... Lol! I went to see him whilst he was still on box rest, I saw him faffing around on the horse walker nd then attempt to walk away and trot back to me so I could see his movement - that turned into more of a prancy/swagger, 3 strides of trot and a complete explosion on the end of the lunge line but that was enough to convince me to look past the white.

I always say - no point in having a horse that isn't pleasing to your eye if your gonna have to look at it everyday!
 
fidleyspromise said:
I've decided if I ever get another - it won't be grey!
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Good luck with that one - every time I look I try really hard not to look at greys and then guess what I end up with each time :rolleyes: It has even happened TWICE that I have gone along to look at a bay and accidentally ended up with a grey - one of these times the seller even told my mum the pony was bay just to get us to go there!
 
Ah didnt think of breeders ! :o

Just made me think as mum was telling me some tales of her past life as an instructress who sroted out problem ponies and a spoilt child got bought a lovely looking fully black pony who was beautiful bearing in mind she was a noivce this horse napped badly and would tank off with a nervous rider .. :P some people huh '


Oh we were on a tight budget under £2000 so did that first XD if only you could win the lottery some lovel ones on there aboe £2000
 
No, but I wouldn't go for a grey! We have a grey at the yard and its unbelievable how mucky he gets - I'm sure he does it on purpose. My favourite colours were always dark bays and blacks - luckily I ended up with a black!
 
rockafella said:
No, but I wouldn't go for a grey! We have a grey at the yard and its unbelievable how mucky he gets - I'm sure he does it on purpose. My favourite colours were always dark bays and blacks - luckily I ended up with a black!
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One of our greys used to barrell down to the far point of the field where there was a sand patch and roll, squirm, roll some more until he was absolutely orange. None of the others were particularly bothered about where they got mucky, but he really did like the sand!
 
Colour is an important factor when I purchase a horse, but for me it's more than just colour - general attractiveness, markings and presence go a long way too.

But not at the expense of conformation, temprement and talent.
 
Colour and looks are definitely things that would make me take a 2nd look at an advert. I don't like coloureds with too much white or a wall eye, not keen on chestnuts and love dapple greys.

I wouldn't specifically go looking for a particular colour though.
 
3 out of 4 of mine have been grey. I won't be having another. My first pony kept himself pretty clean - it helped that he lived out so no stable stains - and dirt doesn't show too much on the fleabitten grey I share, but my pure 'white' boy is half horse, half hippo and has put me off greys for life, not to mention the melanomas.

I wasn't very keen on chestnuts and avoided them when I was looking, but given the choice between a chestnut and a grey, I'll go for the ginge next time! Black, bay or dun would be my preference but temperament and suitability would be my first concerns.
 
If I had money, then yes, partly I would be looking for 'colour'. Normally horses just tend to ''find me'', regardless of their colour though. Over my life time, I've mainly be attracted to Blacks and Dark Browns, or is it that they have been attracted to me?? :) I love Duns and would have a yard full if I could. Of course, I'll also be looking for mares/fillies only as I prefer them.
 
I would love either a black, silver liver or dun/buckskin horse :) Quite live palominos as well but people want you to pay for the colour sometimes.

Id be just as happy with a bay or a predominantly solid DARK coloured but Id pas on a mastly white or a grey no matter how cheap, talented or perfect.

I cant stand how dirty they look no matter how much you bath them. Also dont really do red chectnuts but would take one over a grey :)
 
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