Chestnut Horses

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Eothain

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We all read things about horses not carrying chestnut genes and people generally being happy about that.
Does anybody care to let me in on the secret of what is soooo bad about chestnut horses in general. Frankly, I think its an old wives tale completely blown out of proportion
 
Totally agree as I adore chestnuts and some of my best horses have been chestnut however I am afraid from a marketability POV as bad as it is, many people are still loathe to by a chestnut....even less a chestnut mare!

Actually, from a scientific POV it has been proven that chestnuts are more 'sensitive'. In short it is somewhat akin to redheaded people, their skin in more sensitive and as such they by return can be sensitive when being ridden potentially due to the more sensitive skin.
 
As an owner of 6 chestnut mares over the years, I think the whole thing about them is rubbish. Something dreamed up because of the "red head" saying. We still have a chestnut mare & like the others she is full of character & no worse then the black, bay, & better then the appy.
 
I have a chestnut filly and so far has been a dream to own and do anything with. I can do more with her than some can do with adult horses!
Quite funny though that a lot of people said to me what on earth possessed me to buy a chestnut mare with 4 white legs! Also that she would be a handful!
What a load of rubbish.
 
I agree the whole anti-chestnut thing is rubbish. One woman on my yard used to refused to lead my mare as she is chestnut girl and would be unpredictable!
She is no more or less difficult than any other horse male or female! She has produced a lovely kind natured bay filly and is in foal again. While I know the next foal will also be bay, the resulting colour is of the least importance to me.

If the old wives tale is linked to ginger hair, why do we not have the same things linked to blonde women being said about palominos?
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I always like to point out that some of the best mares ever to come out of Ireland are chestnut; Ado Annie, Echo Beach, Shannondale.
The chestnut Cruising stallion Flexible is a bit of a superstar as well!
 
My two year old chestnut is brave sassy gorgeous and talented with a great temperament. There is a lot of chestnut going back in he dam line and also the sire line so inevitable really. No white markings except for a little feather on his forehead. He is very sensitive skinned and needs looking after winter and summer very carefully or he i prone to rain scald and fly bites in the summer.

Remember the old saying "A good horse is never a bad colour"
 
I love chestnuts and the only reason the thing in dressage kicked off about wanted homozygous black stallins, was there is a big demand from America for black pretty horses, so thats what the Germans started breeding more and more off. yet look at some of the greatest dressage sires of recent times, Donnerhall, Weltmeyer and more recent younger super sires such as Belissimo and Fidermark - all chestnut

Any one who discounts a horse because of its colour is an idiot in my book.
 
Looking in competition many successful hoses have been chestnut....

Abbervail Drem - liver chestnut
Baloubet du Rouet
Headley Brittania
Toytown
Tankers Town
Kanselier
Ocolado
Finbarr

and many more
 
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Looking in competition many successful hoses have been chestnut....

Abbervail Drem - liver chestnut
Baloubet du Rouet
Headley Brittania
Toytown
Tankers Town
Kanselier
Ocolado
Finbarr

and many more

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Not to mention two of the top dressage horses of today:
Mistral Hjoris and Parzival.
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We have an exceptional chestnut filly (4 years) at the moment, she is destined for a career at the very top.

BabsDuRouet-13_web-1-1.jpg


She is out of a Cruise On mare by Balou Du Rouet, hence the spots

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WOW
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She is beautiful and what a jump!
 
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I think we should start a chestnut breeding revolution!!!

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Deffo, there was a time when half my broodmare herd was chestnut lol... bringing in new bloodlines tho ment its now looking rather bay
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My old pony who was a chestnut mare and part arab was an absolute angel, fantastic temp, talented and very easy to handle and ride.

My current bay gelding is much more quirky.

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I'm not the only one then
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I love chestnuts ! there is something extra special about them, - I've always owned chestnuts,one of mine is chestnut and he knows he is special, mind you every now and then he has a red headed moment!, I don't understand why some people don't like them either- maybe they secretly do like them!!-

Yes there are lots of successfull sport horses/horses out of Ireland that are chestnut. Does anyone know what colour King Of Diamonds was? I'd be interested to know.
 
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Funny you ask about the King Of Diamonds. Would you be suprised to know that he too was chestnut

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Ha ha, thats very interesting- thanks!- I just googled him and found that he was dark chestnut! the same as my boy- my horses papers got lost in Ireland so breeding is unknown however everyone says he must be v closely related to K of Diamonds as they say he looks like him and apparently has a similar (at times OTT) temperament too! - (although he is not nasty tempered really!)
 
just before I bought my chestnut colt someone phoned up about him asked what colour he was and put down the phone when told. You could not have asked for a more gorgeous boy or fantastic temperament...I was always glad they hung up!
 
I had loads of people say they weren't interested as soon as I told them the colour when I was selling my chestnut mare.

MoyraL won't hear a word against bays either tho as I love my current one to bits. He's a bright/blood bay depending on the season and looks very smart with his black points.
 
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Funny you ask about the King Of Diamonds. Would you be suprised to know that he too was chestnut

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Oh thats good news! My mare, who is grey, is out of a Jack of Diamonds mare (if thats the correct way to say it) and I have ordered a chestnut filly. I don't mind if she goes grey afterwards, though.
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Don't you think a lot of people like horses who are easy all the time? Hence not wanting mares as they may have character? I love mares, the extra character is a plus to me. Add in chestnut with its bad press and you may end up with a horse that can think! Heavens above.
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Criso - I don't really have anything against bays either! We have a very bright chestnut and white 3/4 bred mare who always stands out in any crowd, which is fine when she is good (most of the time) but when she is naughty you can be sure it gets noticed too. Sometimes we joke that it would be good to have a bay and blend in more.
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Personally I've always liked chestnuts- as others have quoted, 'a good horse is never a bad colour'!

Having said that, I'm a chestnut mare, so maybe I'm biased?
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