chestnut mares

[Chestnuttymare]

i also have a chestnut mare. she is tb so is fine coated, thin skinned and feels the cold but that is her breeding to blame not her colour, she is the most loyal lovely girl. looks after me to the extent that i went into the field with my wee pony, the alpha mare that she shares with, went for us, teeth and feet. my girl went in between us and the mare and held her off til i got me and the wee pony out. she is very much my girl but not nasty to anyone else, just not interested.
she doesn't trust strangers but that is to do with her past life as a racer than anything else. i would not hesitate to have another. my friend also has one who is lovely too.

 

[Blaise]

I have a chestnut TB mare too and she's one of the easiest horses to do i've ever known. She's never grumpy, even when she's in season, gets on well with all the other horses and would never dream of biting or kicking anyone. She can be a bit of a sensitive soul but that just seems to be a mare thing in general and it does seem make her a very quick learner. I used to ride another chestnut TB mare when i was younger who could be a bit of a grumpy bum at times but was a real sweetie underneath and was determined to own one myself one day as i think there's something special about them. Definitlely worth going to see them if they seem to be what you're looking for, dont let the colour or peoples opinions of chestnut mares put you off

 

[Abbeygale]

I've had 4 chestnut mares - all of them were very opinionated and strong minded - but none were the stereotypical chestnut mare that you hear of.

I guess it depends on what you want - all the chestnut mares I have had have been quick witted, fast at learning new things, and have had a real strong sense of personality and humour. I love having a horse with a really good personality. On the down side of the mares I have had they have all been opinionated - which can make them stubborn at times. But then what horse isn't opinionated at times??

My TB chestnut mare that I sold in Jan, people used to stop me at shows etc to say how amazed at how well behaved she was! But in all honesty - deffo a myth. Get a chestnut mare - they're great!

 

[Carys]

I have a chestnut mare (with 4 white socks !!) and she's one of the best I've owned - never moody/awkward, works willingly, even goes so far as to almost put her bridle on herself (as soon as you get the bridle near her she lowers her head (I'm short), opens her mouth and takes the bit herself). Good on roads, hacks alone/in company & like kerelli I'd be hard put to tell when she's in season (except for the nuzzling over the fence with next door's gelding !). My earlier dark brown mare was 2000% more difficult, awkward, etc !! And a friends chestnut mare (again 4 white socks) is another genuine horse.

 

[Faithkat]

I've had two actual chestnut mares and two that were born chestnut and went grey. . . . I adore chestnut mares. The two actual chestnuts were both lovely people, totally different - one NF and one Dutch WB - but lovely, quite sharp but absolutely no malice in them at all. When I bred from my grey (born chestnut) mare, I prayed and prayed for a chestnut filly. She did have a chestnut filly who is now a peach-coloured roan well on her way to being grey

but she's very easy to do as well . . .

 

[SpruceRI]

I've had or loaned 6 Chestnut mares and a chestnut gelding.

All were very sensitive personality wise I'd say and would get easily upset if they felt mistreated or shouted at.

Apart from one mare, once I'd built their trust they'd try hard to please and were/are your best friend.

The other chestnut mare was fairly indifferent as was the dun mare and the various coloured geldings I've had.

3 of my chestnut girls had sensitive skin on their bodies but strangely not on their legs, rarely getting mud fever for instance even though they lived in a bog.

Most of mine weren't the sharp feisty types either.

My current one is terribly spooky especially in winter, but the other coloured mare and the geldings were too, so perhaps that's down to me!!

I admit to going out of my way to buy chestnut mares!!!

 

[Cop-Pop]

I have a chestnut mare and she's fab

 

[dozzie]

Mine is fantastic. She can be sharp but that is her breeding not her colour. She is by far the easiest I have had bar a family pony. She is however thin skinned and will often react to fly bites quite badly resulting in hair loss over a relatively wide area. She needs washing down if she sweats as she gets sweat rash very easily. She also seems to scar easily and can only be treated with salt water and powder, so just needs a bit of extra care with management of wounds etc. But I wouldnt change her for the world!

She is also very sensitive but i think that is again more a mare thing or breeding rather than her colour.

I agree with others. My bay geldings were far more difficult!

 

[rara007]

My 2nd pony was a chestnut mare. She wasn't atall mareish, or sensitive. She was sharp and could be fizzy but I know that wasn't anything to do with her colour.
You parents are being dumb, although my parents are the same about different things

 

[BigRed]

I have had two fantastic, bright chestnut mares. I have one now, she is mega.

If you go to the Hannovarian High Performance sales in Verden, the horses will be Black or Chestnut, with hardly any bays or brown. In Germany no-one cares about the Chestnut myth.

Stephen Hadly was commentating at the Olympics and he said in his opinion Black horses could be "hot", but he disagreed with people who were worried about Chestnuts as he had never had a bad one !

 

[DollyPentreath]

Looking fairly conclusive.. I had a cracking chestnut mare when I was younger, tough, sound, brave but sometimes spirited.

I've also had more tricky bay horses over the years..

 

[Angua2]

[ QUOTE ]
Looking fairly conclusive..

[/ QUOTE ]

it is isn't it!!

Which horse trainer was it that said something along the lines of ...."no horse is a bad colour"

 

[jotesh]

Mine is a total cow when it comes to rugs (think its the sensitive skin as she also gets eaten alive by the flies and suffers with conjunctivitus if she doesn't have a fly mask on) - puts her ears back, kicks the stable wall - but in every other respect she is such a sweety and would never dream of even standing on you.

Had her 10 years now, she was my first horse (following ponies) and even though I'm too big for her really I've never been able to part with her. She is such a trier and full of personality, I wouldn't be without her. She turns her hoof to whatever you ask of her and although totally mad with me I can put my cousins on her and she knows to look after them.

However, I've had bay geldings that have been total sh1ts and couldn't wait for them to go!!!

 

[Angua2]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Looking fairly conclusive..

[/ QUOTE ]

it is isn't it!!

Which horse trainer was it that said something along the lines of ...."no horse is a bad colour"

[/ QUOTE ]

found it...... it was the title of a book that I had seen and the title had stuck in my head

A GOOD HORSE IS NEVER A BAD COLOR

 

[redmerl]

My friend let me ride her chestnut mare last season.

She is perfect, level head, she trys her best and is v pretty.

She clears up at all RC events and has evented to Novice. She is now helping a teenager try dressage.

Awesome horse and real 1 in a million.

 

[skye123]

my old horse was a chesnut mare. she was a bit grumpy when doing up the girth etc but she was lovely and i`d def have her back

 

[carys220]

QR, the whole thing about chestnut mares is a stupid myth! I mean come on, be realistic, a horses' colour does not denote it's temp!!

I can imagine people obviously notice it more because they are expecting them to be naughty.

I have a chestnut mare and she is lovely, as playful as the 4 yo she is but nothing else.

 

[Vicki_Krystal]

My chestnut jumping mare was the best pony i owned.

She was a star and never had a mareish day.

I wouldnt let a colour put me off a good looking horse tbh

 

[Silverspring]

I haven't read through this thread as I'm sure it full of I own a chestnut mare and she's just lovely. All I wanted to say is you're crazy to rule any horse out based on a pre-conception, yes sometimes they are correct but more often than not they aren't. I know plenty of dosile thoroghbreds and I know plenty of lively clysdales, they go against everything people believe they will be!

If the horse sounds like what you want and happens to be chestnut and female I think you'd be nuts to not go and have a look.

Oh and I have a chestnut mare who's a complete moody loon but that what I wanted so no complaints here

 

[rosiesmumof4]

Had four chestnut mares over the years - the first was my first pony, then for the past 25 years i've only had a chestnut TB mare (or a couple at a time). The first of the TB's evented up to OI level with me - i didn't even own a trailer at that point so she had about 6 competitons a year when I hired a trailer - all BE, the second was her foal not as talented but not moody or flighty. Third is current horse - has a few quirks but i like them like that but she's come on leaps and bounds this year - going from not having seen a xc fence to BE confidently (would be PN if any events ever ran in N. Yorks), is easily ready for it. She's no different when in season either.

 

[BroadfordQueen]

[ QUOTE ]
I haven't read through this thread as I'm sure it full of I own a chestnut mare and she's just lovely. All I wanted to say is you're crazy to rule any horse out based on a pre-conception, yes sometimes they are correct but more often than not they aren't. I know plenty of dosile thoroghbreds and I know plenty of lively clysdales, they go against everything people believe they will be!

If the horse sounds like what you want and happens to be chestnut and female I think you'd be nuts to not go and have a look.

Oh and I have a chestnut mare who's a complete moody loon but that what I wanted so no complaints here

[/ QUOTE ]

*Whispers* it isn't ME whos against chestnut mares! It is mainly my dad, who has never sat on a horse in his life so doesn't know what he is talking about, but likes to think he does, and he has heard all the myths. Unfortunately what dad says goes, hes the one who would be buying the horse after all! But I am sure me and mum can sweet talk him round...

 

[tikino]

i have a chestnut mare who i rescued she was untouched. she was so scared when i got her but still wouldn't hurt a fly. she was the easiest horse to train and was backed and ridden away in a couple of weeks i still have her and she will be with me for life and is the nic est horse you could have. she doesn't spoke or anything so easy ozzy and she is 16h3 idx

 

[jennyy]

I have a chestnut mare who is the dopiest and most laid back on my huge yard of over 100 horses. And to ride she is perfect. It is just a myth i mean there are loads of naughty horses out there and maybe some of them happen to be chestnut and a mare but in most cases they are just the same as you would expect a horse to behave. And colour makes no diffrence. x

 

[vieshot]

Used to know a real mean one years ago. Vicious(sp?) little s***!!! When you went in the stable it would bite and kick, launch at you etc etc, really nasty mare! A year down the line i met the same horse and she had come right and was as sweet as can be. I dont believe horses are born bad- they are made bad by the way they are handled.