Colour Prejudice

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icestationzebra

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I have been thinking about this following on from KatB's post about a potential JRN horse being a chestnut mare and would this put people off.

If you were looking for a new horse - specifically to compete (any discipline) do you have a preferred colour? Would you consider something else? Is there a colour you would actively avoid?

I kind of assume that people are put off a colour because of a bad experience in the past, or is it sometimes just an aesthetic thing?

Chestnut mares are fine by me, but I wouldn't want a Palomino or a Black horse. I would like to say that it is just because I am not keen on the colours, but when I think back to my childhood I was dumped regularly by ponies of those particular colours!!

When I was looking I really wanted a grey or a chestnut - ended up with a bay :rolleyes:
 
i love coloured horses but really not too bothered about colour.

i would rather not have a grey again as i hate all the washing and grooming but if the horse was what i wanted in every other way it wouldn't bother me.
 
Colour doesn't really put me off when choosing a horse, although I tend to look for colours I like. I'm the opposite of you isz, I ended up getting a black horse (I love the colour) and she is very easy to keep clean and shiny ;)
One horse type that does put me off is 'coloured's' I don't know why i think i just prefer a block of coulour, but if it can do the job i could be persuaded!
 
I've had three greys in a row (coincidence, not choice!) so anything but grey!

OH claims that greys are less flashy than other colours and it makes a difference in terms of impressing dressage judges, but I am not sure he is right (might just be because mine are not very clean!)
 
Colour really doesnt bother me at all, i have known lovely chestnut mares and horrible bay geldings so have no preference!!

Saying that when i was looking i really didn't want a grey - what did i get?!?!?!

I think unusual colours can be an advantage - i have often been told that were i to sell B his colour would make him much more attractive than if he was bay. There often seems no logic to buying and selling to me so i don't really know!!!
 
If it can do the job why should it matter? But then, I've always ended up with Bays and Chestnuts and a roan....

I have zero preference for colour. I think advert wise unusual colours only have the advantage that they stand out from the crowd.
 
Booboos said:
OH claims that greys are less flashy than other colours and it makes a difference in terms of impressing dressage judges, but I am not sure he is right (might just be because mine are not very clean!)
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I agree with this, I don't know why but a lot of judges seem to be less generous with greys and coloureds. I have often heard that Matiné would have had even higher marks had she been bay or black!

Obviously if I found the horse of my dreams and it was grey, then I'd buy it anyway, but given the choice I'd rather avoid a grey / coloured.
 
If looking at adverts for horses, I'd probably avoid a bay tbh, I'd be more likely to go for a chesnut, coloured or a dun or something unusual.

Always geldings though, couldn't have mares at ours :)
 
Not sure i agree with the greys/coloureds not doing as well dressage. B is both grey and coloured and is very consistent in his scores. Regularly in 20s BE and Placed everytime at BD Novice this winter. Perhaps it will change as he goes up the levels, i realise that its relatively low level stuff we've done so far but judges seem to really like him.
 
I'm afraid I am shallow and have to like what is looking over the stable door if I was to pay good money for something.

The only colour I would definitely not purchase is a cremello as I think they are pig ugly.

All other solid colours are fine.

Coloureds/roans/spotties I'd consider providing they were either nicely marked and/or really proving good at their job - but I would choose their equal in solid coloured if available
 
icestationzebra said:
If you were looking for a new horse - specifically to compete (any discipline) do you have a preferred colour? Would you consider something else? Is there a colour you would actively avoid?
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I must say my preferred colour is chestnut - particularly dark chestnut or liver chestnut! Second choice would be a nice dark bay. I would prefer not to have a grey or other light coloured horse because our horses are turned out a lot and you have to put in a lot of time to get a grey looking spotless for competitions!

However, if there was only one horse with the right credentials, and it was grey, then I would still buy it. However, given two animals with similar performance and potential, if one was a chestnut mare and one was a grey gelding I would choose the chestnut mare!
 
when i was looking i specified NO GREYS as i cant be bothered with all the washing, im too ocd and it would drive me bonkers.

you could have offered me Matine for a fiver and iv had said no!
 
AutumnRose said:
Not sure i agree with the greys/coloureds not doing as well dressage. B is both grey and coloured and is very consistent in his scores. Regularly in 20s BE and Placed everytime at BD Novice this winter. Perhaps it will change as he goes up the levels, i realise that its relatively low level stuff we've done so far but judges seem to really like him.
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I am not saying that greys cannot get good marks, far from it, just that there are colours which catch the eye more.

Imagine the very same extended trot, identically executed by a grey and a chestnut with four white socks - it's inevitable that the latter will catch your eye more. It's not a preconception, just an optical effect (same reason why dressage horses for sale are always shown to clients with four white bandages :) )
 
FrodoBeutlin said:
I am not saying that greys cannot get good marks, far from it, just that there are colours which catch the eye more.

Imagine the very same extended trot, identically executed by a grey and a chestnut with four white socks - it's inevitable that the latter will catch your eye more. It's not a preconception, just an optical effect (same reason why dressage horses for sale are always shown to clients with four white bandages :) )
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I think this is OH's point as well. A solid colour may get a higher mark from the same well executed movement than a grey. Of course if the grey is miles better than any other horse in the competition it will get rewarded, but if it's a matter of like for like, the solid colour may get a higher mark.
 
Personally wouldn't buy (or look at) grey, palomino, cremello or coloured (unless majority dark) as personally not keen on them and couldn't be doing with the cleaning ;)

Other than that no preference
 
Interesting - hadn't really thought about it like that but i guess you are right. Same reason i use black bandages on his legs then :p

Maybe judges just like B because he's cute and unusual - that's bound to wear off as we go up!!!
 
icestationzebra said:
If you were looking for a new horse - specifically to compete (any discipline) do you have a preferred colour? Would you consider something else? Is there a colour you would actively avoid?
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I know I know, I didn't really need to reply to this as we all know I'm a sucker for a bright bay, but I swear this is because of my long and lovely relationship with William Hill. I am ginger-averse thanks to too long with Tango (promised me the world and I believed him:(), love greys but hate the work involved, dark bays are scrummy, and coloured ponies are off the menu because OH has threatened to throw me out if I ever take one home :rolleyes: (Ralph is currently hiding in the crew yard, trying hard not to be noticed;)).
 
Somewhat ironically, despite never actually liking ginger horses, my best one was ginge, white face, 4 white socks -- lots of scrubbing but great for poncing -- and my new one looks like she'll end a liver chestnut once her coat is through.... My fav colour was my bright bay 14.2, but sadly I couldn't grow him :(. Wouldn't buy a coloured (found a bad 'un), and a grey would have to be really special to justify the scrubbing (lazy, moi? Noooooo :o)
 
I like chestnuts best too, I'd love a liver chestnut mare.

After chestnuts I like coloureds and greys.

I dislike Palominos, cremellos, spotties and blacks.

Personally I think that for show jumping colour should be the very last consideration, but I can see that it might be a factor in choosing a dressage horse and obviously is quite significant for showing.

I think in terms of catching a judges eye white markings can be as crucial as the base colour, those pristine white socks can make a big difference to the impression given by a bay, black or chestnut. I also like to see a bit of white on a horse's face, but not much. It can be difficult to make a roan or a grey look like it gleams the same as you can get with a bay though.
 
Good points Katt, I forgot about the faces - I think it was Carl Hester who wrote, in one of his books, that ideally we would want to avoid horses who have funny blazes on their faces which are almost diagonal (like Rauti, I must add! :( ) or not perfectly straight, because the judges might get the impression that the horse is tilting his head when, in fact, he isn't.
 
FrodoBeutlin said:
Good points Katt, I forgot about the faces - I think it was Carl Hester who wrote, in one of his books, that ideally we would want to avoid horses who have funny blazes on their faces which are almost diagonal (like Rauti, I must add! :( ) or not perfectly straight, because the judges might get the impression that the horse is tilting his head when, in fact, he isn't.
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I have to agree, Missy (coloured) had a white blaze that was off set and everytime we plaited her forelock we would always get comments such as "off centre line etc" when we left her forlock unplaited we would always get good comments for centre line and often 7s or 8s.
 
nothing grey or coloured, far to much work involved getting them clean everytime you want to go out. Having said that the coloured I had was worse than the grey, as he had totally white legs. Coloured with black legs and tail wouldnt be so bad. However if horse was perfect, the colour cold be over looked
 
I didn't actively search for mine as a grey, but he is an odd grey, and was a brown/grey roany type dun when we got him. He still has the eel stripe, but gets paler each year :(

I find with greys the best thing to do is just shut your eyes with regards to dirt, and only look and deal with it for special occasions! :o :p :D
 
When i was searching for my last horse i did actually say that i didnt want a Chestnut, ive never liked them & thats honest. It wasnt just that i didnt like them i had never met a good one (not that they dont exist they do just i hadnt met any).

I was desperatly searching for that lovely dark Bay i had in my head, so what did i end up with a Massive gangly Ginger thing lol!

I actually have totally changed my mind about Chestnuts now as he is very striking & i can call him the Red Dragon lol. I even find myself amiring Chestnuts now as well :0
 
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