Chestnut mares

[1Anastasia]

My welsh cob mare is chestnut with four white legs and a white face which as I understand is the worst possible combination known to old horseman kind. She's certainly opinionated but I think that's more to do with being a clever welshie that being orange. She is the most delightful, versatile and sensible horse I have ever had the pleasure to own.

 

[Cortez]

In Denmark they say the same thing about greys...........

 

[el_Snowflakes]

Sexist, colourist rubbish IMO. I judge each horse as an individual.

The stereotype drives me mad as I've had people go on about it for years. If CM jumped at some flappy plastic, it was always 'well you would buy a chestnut mare', their black based gelding has a fit at the same plastic and it's 'poor boy was frightened.' *sigh*

I did read the links to the study on boars, but the way that a horse is trained, brought up etc, will have far more effect than the pigment in it's fur.

What about chestnut geldings/stallions, or chestnut mares + a modifying gene (eg palomino)?

Totally agree with this. My pet peeve is when people say 'typical chestnut mare'. I've had 2 and they had been the most lovely horses ever. My curent one is very sensible & docile. There are plenty of naughty horses who are badly behaved but if it's chestnut &/or a mare folk tend to say 'it's just being a mare' or typical chestnut mare. I can't stand when people try to pass the buck because they don't have the horsemanship to handle their horses! Fair enough when mares are in season their behaviours can change but you cant argue with nature.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

If all stereotypes were to be believed then I am screwed! We have 3 Shetland chestnut mares! They are the nicest, sweetest ponied you could wish for. One is a stubborn and likes doing things her way but the others are the most bidable, if not annoyingly in your face ponies you could meet lol!

 

[Capriole]

This. Plus temperamental isn't necessarily a problem - some people will class it as 'character' whilst others would describe it as 'difficult'.

!

Yup. Currently got three chestnut mares. Ones a complete angel, one tends towards the dramatic and one is generally an out and out beyotch. But...I get on with her and actually like her, I say it's character, most everyone else thinks she's obnoxious (truthfully I see that she IS obnoxious, but we get along). Had 2 other chestnuts but only one was a mare, and she was a card-carrying sweetheart.
I've had several Ee black mares but never a black gelding so I don't know about that.

 

[PollyP99]

Totally agree with this. My pet peeve is when people say 'typical chestnut mare'. I've had 2 and they had been the most lovely horses ever. My curent one is very sensible & docile. There are plenty of naughty horses who are badly behaved but if it's chestnut &/or a mare folk tend to say 'it's just being a mare' or typical chestnut mare. I can't stand when people try to pass the buck because they don't have the horsemanship to handle their horses! Fair enough when mares are in season their behaviours can change but you cant argue with nature.

Me too! As a ginger myself and having a chesnut mare I get both stereotypes, my mare whilst a spooky woose is very sweet to handle and never stubborn, me, well I m described as so laid back I'm horizontal, so I believe it's all rubbish!

 

[mandwhy]

I have two mares, both flaxen chestnut. We like to think the flaxen adds an extra 'demonic' tone to the chestnut ;-) the haflinger is truly exceptionally stubborn, and can be very grumpy, even a bit dare I say it, dominant! The little Welsh is sweet tempered but very sharp and reactive, so I guess fits the stereotype more but they're both awkward in their own ways, bless them.

 

[PolarSkye]

Meanest most stubborn horse I ever had was a black gelding

One of the nastiest (to other horses) I have ever met is a black mare . . . but stabled opposite her is another black mare who has the sweetest, most delightful temperament ever.

I think all this twaddle about gender and colour is just that . . . twaddle. Horses are individuals, just like us . . . it's like saying all naturally short people are nasty/bossy or all naturally "round" people are jolly.

P

 

[ihatework]

I have a chestnut mare and I think she is the bees knees.

In some ways she is the sweetest easiest horse I could hope for, and then she throws you a curveball!! She definitely has a brain in her head and very much knows her own mind. She would certainly be the most sensitive skin/coat wise of all the horses I have had.

I love the fact she is a chestnut mare - gives me a perfect excuse for my lack of riding ability if things are going a bit wrong!!

 

[Flame_]

I believe its a generalisation with truth to it. It doesn't apply to all chestnut mares and it doesn't mean all other colour horses are straightforward, but IME chestnut mares are generally "different", but I'm not sure "temperamental" is the right word. I like chestnut's best, and its not entirely because of appearance.

 

[PolarSkye]

I have a chestnut mare and I think she is the bees knees.

In some ways she is the sweetest easiest horse I could hope for, and then she throws you a curveball!! She definitely has a brain in her head and very much knows her own mind. She would certainly be the most sensitive skin/coat wise of all the horses I have had.

I love the fact she is a chestnut mare - gives me a perfect excuse for my lack of riding ability if things are going a bit wrong!!

She sounds lovely . . .

. . . but you could say exactly the same things about my grey gelding .

P

 

[TelH]

I have 2 chestnut mares. One is everything the stereotype suggests; quirky would be the polite way to describe her. The other one is not; she is 5 now but I got her as an unhandled yearling and she was one of the easiest youngsters I have ever dealt with.

 

[EstherYoung]

A lot of greys are genetically chestnut remember. And strawberry roans. And skewbalds. So if the stereotype was true, all those would be psychotic nutters too.....

 

[sychnant]

I voted "not sure" as I've never had one... but... I just bought one who's hopefully arriving on Sunday, so I hope the stereotypes aren't true! Will let you know

 

[huskydamage]

I have red chestnut mare (no flaxen mane either) and yes..she is grumpy, skitty and seriously affected with PMT rage (also very sweaty!! Is this a chestnut thing??!) I also have a sister with red hair who gets labelled with 'ginger rage' even though she is probably no more stressy than anyone else!
I think the colour thing is mostly rubbish. But I also think there is no smoke without fire! Maybe one too many moody chestnuts created a permantly label for all the nice ones out there. Admittedly my mare doesn't help the stereotype...but she is the best, most fun horse I've ever had, also her 'orange' cost always look lovely and shiney with minimal effort. 'Chestnut mare' would probably attarct me in an ad rather than repel'.

 

[paddy]

Of our horses, several are chestnuts. Flic - Hannovarian mare who can be a bit grumpy but she knows she's special. Not flighty and pretty sensible. Moo - Trak mare who has a sweet temper but is sharp and very quick. Candy - an angel of a pony who I'd trust my granny on and doesn't have a bad bone in her body. Foley - gelding this time who again is an angel and very sensible. I wonder if sometimes horses behave in a particular way because we expect them to? The old 'nature v nurture' debate. Treat a child as a problem child and it will be a problem child. etc, etc. (We recently bought a bay yearling colt. He had to be very special as he's the wrong colour).

 

[southerncomfort]

I have 3 chestnuts mares, all welsh and all very, very different personality wise and where their are common traits and I can put that down to breed rather than coat colour.

 

[PolarSkye]

A lot of greys are genetically chestnut remember. And strawberry roans. And skewbalds. So if the stereotype was true, all those would be psychotic nutters too.....

This is an excellent point . . . and would explain why you could describe my boy as a chestnut mare - he has chestnut in his tail and his flea bites are predominately ginger so we assume he was born chestnut - and he neighs like a girl .

Does that count? Or is that a generalization (or several) too far . . .

P