Does colour influence you when you buy a horse?

[measles]

Goodness. When I posted this thread earlier in the day I had no idea we'd get to page 9!

After everyone's thoughts I should add mine, I guess. When buying horses I have no preference for colour as quality, presence, manners and ability come in all colours. However, in doing that I must confess to having to over ride my natural attraction to chestnut mares and brown horses.

I was fortunate to have a fabulous deep golden palomino with a white mane and tail 14.2hh as a child who won BSPS 15hh WHP classes and jumped to a high level BS and I still have a fondness for a deep, rich palomino though really am not keen on paler ones. Previous personal experience and good horses we have known are an influence often I think, either consciously or subconsciously. However, I do agree that a good horse is never a bad colour!

 

[measles]

Goodness. When I posted this thread earlier in the day I had no idea we'd get to page 9!

And certainly not page 10!

 

[seabsicuit2]

I love white markings- the more white the better! Colour wise, I don't mind in the least but do have a fondness for chestnuts with lots of white

 

[Starbucks]

I really like greys, I think just because I've had a couple of really good ones, although they are really not the most practical of colours!

 

[Meowy Catkin]

I'm very interested in horse colour genetics, but I own basic coloured horses with no fancy genes (although one might have satin). My favourite colour from an aesthetic point of view is a bright chestnut with white markings, but that didn't stop me from buying my grey.

I was tempted to ring up about a bay youngster that had a Gulastra plume (grey tail caused by sabino) because I used to own a fab horse with that colour, but I wasn't tempted enough to buy him purely for his colour.

The person who wants a Dun in the OP, probably wants either a Buckskin or a Bay Dun. Personally, I like Black dun and Chestnut dun more but Enfys' super Dunalino is the bees knees of all duns.

 

[star]

this is my pally boy - deep, dark, rich golden - ah, he was a stunner in his day.

http://image46.webshots.com/46/1/64/79/370916479ggfdmd_ph.jpg

 

[Paint it Lucky]

I have a thing for coloured horses, have decided I want my next horse to be a dark bay tobiano mare with a reasonable amount of (though not too many) white markings. White legs are quite important though! I will try to actively find one like this but in the likely event that I can't find a horse with these precise markings that matches my search criteria (must also have potential to be very good at dressage, have a lovely personality, sound and be able to jump), I will settle for something in a different colour-scheme which fullfills the bracketed almost equally important criteria!

I am not generally a fan of boring bays in principle but actually have met several of them that are absolutely lovely so like many others have said no I would not be put off buying a horse if it wasn't my favourite colour!

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

Yes they do.

I would not buy a boring bay
or
chestnut
black
they are common.

me I like duns firstly

then pagomino's.
then any other nice looking odd colour.


Tho must say I do have a soft spot for a nice grey.

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

Yes I prefer black or bay horses or minimally white marked black/bay coloureds would be my next choice.

I would like A buckskin/dun but you end up paying more for these due to colour which is annoying really.

 

[FfionWinnie]

this is my pally boy - deep, dark, rich golden - ah, he was a stunner in his day.

http://image46.webshots.com/46/1/64/79/370916479ggfdmd_ph.jpg

It wouldn't let me see. *heart broken*. Golden palomino is my fave colour ever

This is my girl jumping an invisible jump

 

[Sportznight]

It's not the keeping clean of a any grey, coloured or pale horse, that gets to me, it's the abundance of white/pale hairs that seem to stick to EVERYTHING!!! When I put my bay mare in-foal to a homozygous coloured stallion, it was because he ticked a lot of the boxes I was looking for AND was guaranteed a coloured. It wasn't until she was well in-foal that I suddenly realised that the foal was (knowing my luck) likely to have a brown ear and a patch over one loin, rather like a Jack Russell! So, in my infinite wisdom (or insanity, you choose ), I took to talking to her stomach, telling the unborn foal, that I didn't really care what colour it was, but please, if a filly, for God's sake have a black/brown tail and not matter what, as little pink on the nose as possible. And this is what I got - a black tailed filly

 

[Barney&Buzz]

Yes!! If its not Spotty/Roan/Dun/Coloured or Black I'm not interested. I have a Roan gelding, a Coloured mare and a bay roan fading to Grey foal who is likely to be interesting colours on the way

 

[now_loves_mares]

And certainly not page 10!

Only page 3 for me - the page comments always confuse me!

Anyway firstly, who are all those people saying they are more worried if it's a mare (Joss, FlyingCoo, I'm looking at you) then Boo Hiss to you

Secondly as someone else alluded to up thread: I tend to buy TBs and they tend to come in shiny plain colours. I've only ever owned dark bay, chestnut and bright bay. Bright bay is my favourite - hence I keep sneaking a peek at Impy!. All of the above shine with very little effort. Essentially I am lazy

 

[measles]

Bright bay a la Saffy and Impy is my least favourite colour but that is slightly balanced by the fact that they jump like stags!

 

[BronsonNutter]

I don't care what colour it is - although any variation of brown is quite practical and means I save on shampooing time!

I do like horses with a nice face though, not sure if I could have an 'ugly' horse...

 

[starryeyed]

When I was horse hunting I didn't search for a specific colour but I have always had a huge soft spot for duns, palominos and dappled greys so did get more drawn towards those as I scrolled down endless web pages
When I went to see my 'chosen one' i will admit (as terrible as it is!) that i fell completely in love with her appearance rather than her personality! She is wonderful but when I went to try her she was completely nuts. If she had been any other colour (she's blonde ) then I know I would have walked away.

 

[MegaBeast]

Only page 3 for me - the page comments always confuse me

Same here, changed the default setting to 40 comments per page rather than 10, much easier!

I have always lusted after a rich palamino but am unlikely to ever own one as like TBs, or TBxID. From a logical point of view would avoid greys but if a good one comes along then it wouldn't be an issue. I tent to do a full bath twice weekly anyway all year round so not too bothered about the keeping clean aspect. Any solid coloured horse with white stockings and blaze is a real eye catcher.

Any colour is fine however in all honesty. But could not cope with an unevenly marked coloured where the two sides don't match. Also have a thing about big white faces, not a fan.

 

[WeeBrown]

Yes colour was really important to me I definitely did NOT want anything grey (or 16hh or mare)and what did I end up with?! I would love Impy, your recent dark boy or your new dun but my OH allowing my 2nd and 3rd horse purchases surprised me, I'd def not get a 4th without offloading one of the other 3 first

 

[FfionWinnie]

Sportznight what a stunning horse!

 

[3bh]

I won't have another grey, had two, lost one to a very aggressive spread of melanomas, got brown ones now and realise that I wasted a good few years of my life just cleaning the bloody grey things! No matter how much you bath/scrub/polish you still look like you have only made half an effort. Clip them and you look like you have skinned them. And yes I agree that white bits grow thicker and fluffier and shed twice as enthusiastically as any other colour!! That said, I bought a lovely dun connie that is rapidly turning white -ARGH!!

On a personal note, and absolutely no offence intended as some of my very good friends have the following, I'd never have an appaloosa, I could be persuaded by a good minimal coloured, I LOVE a nice roan of any colour, mum has a bay and a strawberry and they are so lovely!

 

[PuzzlePiece]

Yes, I prefer coloureds and have a real soft spot for big chestnuts, but I'd never disregard a horse on its colour if it'd do the job i wanted.

When we were looking for our first horse we said we didnt want a coloured/grey cob so we ended up with Bella: a blue skewbald (looks grey) cob x ID, and she has been just what we needed.

 

[Sportznight]

FfionWinnie - thank you! I was extremely lucky! She has a wonderful temperament too

 

[Undecided]

Everybody has that image of their perfect horse in their head so I'd say that yes some people go out looking for a specific colour. I really wanted a steel grey when I was looking but ended up with a bay because he did everything I asked of him willingly and looked like he could really become something with a lot of work and that was more important to me than colour. We are still working hard 3 years on but he is improving every single day to become my perfect horse

 

[Javabb94]

If the horse is right for me, then no colour to me doesn't matter in the slightest.

Obviously there are colours I like more than others although when buying colour has no influence for me although that's just me, other people may be looking for a specific colour for what they plan to do with the horse

All the horses/ponies I have ever owned have been bay or chestnut - must be my lucky colours as they have all been fab!

 

[MandyMoo]

I am slightly biased towards chestnuts because every chestnut we have owned has been worth their weight in gold. However I really am not fussed, I will acknowledge a horses colour on viewing them, however I wouldn't put it into account when deciding if they were 'the horse for me'.

 

[JGC]

I would look at any colour but I do worry about the cancer risk in greys (I have just been offered a ride on one though!) plus I am pants at turnout. I have secretly always wanted a black beauty though.

I have a friend who when buying refused to look at anything that wasn't a dark bay - she has that coloured hair and takes matchy matchy super seriously ...

 

[Polotash]

plus I am pants at turnout. I have secretly always wanted a black beauty though.

Black beauties show the dust badly you know ;0)

I was just reminded of this thread when looking on BD classifieds. There's a very nice mare on there who has a face marked like a Hereford cow... now for £22,000, that would put me off!

 

[Puppy]

Black beauties show the dust badly you know ;0)

Oh yes. Especially at harvest time.

 

[rhino]

I was just reminded of this thread when looking on BD classifieds. There's a very nice mare on there who has a face marked like a Hereford cow... now for £22,000, that would put me off!

See, I love bald/white faces, especially on a ginger

 

[JGC]

Black beauties show the dust badly you know ;0)

Oh yes. Especially at harvest time.

Perhaps for the best it is still just a dream then