Horse prejudice.

[ycbm]

A colour genetics thread got me thinking.

It wasn't that long ago that "coloured" was a term of derision in horse circles and broken coat colour came with a lower price tag.

Only last year I was advised not to let other liveries know that my horse was a standardbred , by a yard owner whose yard I chose not to go to partly because of that.

There are others, I know. What horse prejudice have you come across?

 

[Cloball]

I mean I was a bit insulted when someone called my fell pony a cob

 

[Auslander]

Cobs, Arabs, Thoroughbreds, Warmbloods, Standardbreds, etc etc I don't think I've ever come across a type that someone hasn't been anti. We like what we like

 

[Snowfilly]

It’s not so long ago that a few dealers near me had a steady stream of ‘Irish sports horses’ or ‘nice riding club all rounders’ which were actually ex racers who were stripped of their racing names as no-one would buy a TB.

Shetlands always get a bad rep, but I’ve known plenty of good ones.

Anything with blue eyes tends to get judged harshly as well, I’ve seen people refuse to go and look at a blue eyed horse for sale.

 

[hollyandivy123]

Strange isn't it

Many years ago a livery who had a warmblood commenting that my cob was only hanging around with RDA ponies and not socialising with the WB and TB in the herd......even went on to mention that it must be a class thing!

I agreed...due to their in breading they probably wasn't a lot of conversation coming from WB/TB pool..
There is nowt as strange as folks...
For me it doesn't matter what breed the horse is....especially if does the job it needs to do

 

[ycbm]

It’s not so long ago that a few dealers near me had a steady stream of ‘Irish sports horses’ or ‘nice riding club all rounders’ which were actually ex racers who were stripped of their racing names as no-one would buy a TB.

Standard practice before mandatory passports. So many "7/8ths sports horses" were off the track TBs, especially if for sale anywhere in a radius around Ascot or Doncaster sales.
.

 

[Goldie's mum]

Mules.

 

[Landcruiser]

I have a bit of a "Criollos are the master race" thing going on......

 

[cauda equina]

Certainly there used to be a lot of snobbery towards piebalds and skewbalds

I remember reading a dressage report in H&H some years ago
The owner of a coloured horse said she had been told 'This isn't a circus' when out doing BD, and on another occasion had been asked where his cart was

 

[southerncomfort]

I mean I was a bit insulted when someone called my fell pony a cob

Someone said last week that my Fell looks like a small heavy horse!

 

[Kaylum]

A livery who had a tb wouldn't ride out with me because I had a clydesdale. 2 miles down the road found her spinning around the road. Rode passed her saying looks like your having fun.

Got quite a few looks when we went drag hunting. My boy was a go anywhere do anything type and he led the nervous ones over the jumps. A few people messaged me asking if I would sell him.

My friend's coloured cob won scope pony of the year. She was fast and careful. Oh the jumping snobs were out that day.

 

[Cortez]

Chestnut mares; that seems to be a very British Isles prejudice - in Denmark they don’t like greys.

 

[tda]

Having a pony rather than a "proper horse"

A cyclist once called my grey dales mare a small Shire horse!

 

[Hackback]

When I was young Arabs and TBs were the horses all little girls dreamt of owning. They were at the top of the horse hierarchy. Coloured and feathered ponies were considered coarse and common. How the tables have turned!

 

[spookypony]

Mares in general! Though once people that "would never get a mare" actually get a mare, they tend to suddenly convert from their misophorist (is that a word? Could that be a word?) ways.

 

[Supertrooper]

A colour genetics thread got me thinking.

It wasn't that long ago that "coloured" was a term of derision in horse circles and broken coat colour came with a lower price tag.

Only last year I was advised not to let other liveries know that my horse was a standardbred , by a yard owner whose yard I chose not to go to partly because of that.

There are others, I know. What horse prejudice have you come across?

Cobs! Mine was looked upon with such contempt, well until she beat everyone while galloping she was fast

 

[Jenko109]

New Forest Ponies!

Even just today I saw someone comment that they all go for meat. It seems that too many people still are of the mindset that these ponies are worth nothing.

 

[SEL]

My old YO had a story about taking a piebald into a showing class some decades ago. I can't remember what they were there for but the judge had to ride. Big eye roll at getting on the "should be pulling a milk cart" horse and then surprise when he realised how beautifully schooled and how light in the hand said cart horse was.

Still didn't place her top 3 though!!

 

[millikins]

When I was young Arabs and TBs were the horses all little girls dreamt of owning. They were at the top of the horse hierarchy. Coloured and feathered ponies were considered coarse and common. How the tables have turned!

I am of that generation, I still adore Arabs though don't own one and they are currently very unfashionable, anything PB is usually a lovely useful looking animal and often seemingly underpriced. I like SBs too, I always root for the underdog, I follow a retraining SB group on FB and there's lots doing really well.

 

[Skib]

Chestnut mares; that seems to be a very British Isles prejudice

No. All tangled up with witches but not uniquely British. The red mare was a horror in Scandinavia?
Wikipedia -
"According to the Vatnsdæla saga, Thorkel Silver has a dream about riding a red horse that barely touched ground, which he interpreted as a positive omen, but his wife disagreed, explaining that a mare signified a man's fetch (fylgja), and that the red color boded bloodiness."

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

Don't understand why you could not say your horse was a standardbred. Seems strange when there is nothing really that should alienate a standard bred as something of distaste or something to avoid oin a livery yard.

I would not hesitate to accept one on my yard, I personally don't like cobs but had had many on my yard and have one now.


Yes some breeds are harder to handle or be around/work with due to being feisty, hot headed, anxious etc but that is as far as it goes. IMO

 

[rabatsa]

There are good and bad in all breeds, I often find that the owners are the problem in a lot of cases rather than the horse.

 

[ecb89]

I’ve been told my ID is a stupid thick thing. Didn’t realise bone = stupidity

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

There are good and bad in all breeds, I often find that the owners are the problem in a lot of cases rather than the horse.

Absolutely this!

 

[planete]

RSomeone said last week that my Fell looks like a small heavy horse! tly

My Fell x is definitely a small heavy horse! I must admit that after a lifetime of Arabs and their crosses I did slightly look down on the heavies. I am now in awe of my pony' s personality, loyalty and sheer ability.

 

[GoldenWillow]

1994 and my wonderful coloured mare was definitely cheaper and looked down upon and a lot of people were offended to be beaten by a coloured cob show jumping! I do think cobs still tend to be looked down upon as not a "proper" horse and have noticed a prejudice against Standardbreds and trotters.

I find it interesting that my excellent equine vet who treats horses with huge price tags is always super complimentary about my little coloured cob.

 

[malwhit]

Years ago cobs were not the hairy coloured horses that are called cobs, or traditional cobs now.They were short backed, square horses - they were the body of a horse on the legs of a pony. The skewbald/ piebald "traditional cobs" were just called Gipsy horses/ponies.

My first horse was piebald with some feathering. She was not what I started out looking for, but when I tried her I knew she was coming home with me.One of the first things I did was trim her legs and sort out her mane and tail to make her look more presentable, in my eyes at least.

She was a lot cheaper than solid coloured horses, which was an added bonus

 

[paddy555]

I used to find many "traditional" type of riders looked down at my arabs. I think they especially looked down at OH on a 14.2 arab.

Didn't regard them as proper horses in the way they did their 16.2 bay 7/8 TB. I soon realised the problem was that the arabs were probably more intelligent than the riders and they riders were never going to give in and form a partnership.

I have a bit of a "Criollos are the master race" thing going on......

I don't anyone else who does. No one seems even slightly interested.

When I had Peruvians no one was even slightly interested. Not sure why people are so uninterested and almost prejudiced against gaiting horses in the UK.

 

[Esmae]

I have a bit of a "Criollos are the master race" thing going on......

I just adore Criollos. We have had 3. Wonderful horses. The thing that drives me up the wall is the "Arabs can't jump" brigade. All sorts of prejudice against Arabs.

 

[OrangeAndLemon]

My sharer got chucked out of a livery arena when another livery wanted to school her dressage horse.

The other owner said it was a waste of an arena and no point trying to school a heavy horse. She's an instructor and a dressage judge (unaffiliated).