If buying a foal/youngster would the fact that it was grey put you off ?

[Eothain]

I'd buy any colour horse except a coloured. I can't stand them. If I were offered the ride on Utah Van Erpekom in the morning, I'd turn it down!

I'm a sucker for horses with a big white face and white socks. Something like Cian O Connor's Complete

 

[Faithkat]

I'm pleased to see so many grey lovers out there as I'm (hopefully) selling a 3 year old grey filly this year!

Having trawled through all the replies, I'm with the coloured-haters, I don't like them either. I know that a good horse is never a bad colour but I'm afraid I wouldn't even go to look at a coloured (sorry)

 

[Clodagh]

I was lent a coloured horse to go hunting on, when my grey was lame. Every time I saw my reflection I thought - 'So wrong'...had a good days hunting on him though.

Funny us anti coloureds though because it seems they are so in now, I thought I was in a minority of one!

 

[Simsar]

Your going to hate me but I must tell you Spyder's companion is a coloured!!! But he is not owned by us he is on loan and yes Helen (owner) knows we dislike coloureds! You can imagine my disgust when she said I could ride him! All joking apart he has done a us a great service and he is cheap to keep, but he still looks like a cow!

 

[Simsar]

PS if anyone calls me a "PYKEY" he will have to go!

 

[Tallguywales]

If you are buying the horse as an athlete or companion why would the colour matter!?
Its ability to do the job you require is of more relevance, this of course doesnt account for personal preference, or showing peeps (that world is a mystery to me!).
Grey, black, chestnut, would you care if you were winning! ;0)

 

[FrodoBeutlin]

No matter what we say on here it is well known that dressage buyers dont like greys and love blacks, thats why the germans breed lots of pretty black flashy dressage horses, they know there is a market for them.

The jumping crowd tend not to care what colour it is as long as it jumps a fence.

I think this is so true. Obviously if a horse was perfect in every way then I don't think many people would choose not to buy purely on the grounds of its colour, but if, hypothetically speaking, there were two identical horses with the very same characteristics, movement etc, one grey and one black then most dressage people would go for the black, without a doubt.

I have heard that a lot of judges mark greys more strictly, no idea why. But it is true that at the very top level there aren't that many greys.

Then obviously there are exceptions, see Matiné for instance!

 

[Serenity087]

Oh no! Sister wants to do dressage on her silly coloured thing... this isn't going to go well, is it...

I do like a nice coloured, and I love cobs, (my ideal horse number 2 is a chestnut skewbald warmblood though!). However, it's so easy to get bad markings on them!!

 

[guccigivi2001]

now that i have a grey mare, no... she has the amazing ability to be rugged up to her eyeballs and stiull be plastered in mud underneath & even when shes in the stable or rugged up i spend more time scrubbing & brushing and washing than i do riding now that we can start to take her places... if i could get one that never got dirty then yeah of course

 

[BayJosie]

Colour doesn't affect temperament. end of. Basically.

but it's personal preference, I wouldn't go out there looking for a chesnut but if it was the right horse I'd buy it.

 

[BayJosie]

I think this is so true. Obviously if a horse was perfect in every way then I don't think many people would choose not to buy purely on the grounds of its colour, but if, hypothetically speaking, there were two identical horses with the very same characteristics, movement etc, one grey and one black then most dressage people would go for the black, without a doubt.

I have heard that a lot of judges mark greys more strictly, no idea why. But it is true that at the very top level there aren't that many greys.

Then obviously there are exceptions, see Matiné for instance!

Yes agree with this completely. I've also heard the same thing about chesnuts for dressage.

 

[volatis]

Yes agree with this completely. I've also heard the same thing about chesnuts for dressage.

Do you mean you've heard that riders prefer them, or that judges mark them harsher?

An incredibly high percentage of GP dresage horses are chestnut considering it is a recessive gene and the love of breeding for black in the dressage world

 

[BayJosie]

Do you mean you've heard that riders prefer them, or that judges mark them harsher?

An incredibly high percentage of GP dresage horses are chestnut considering it is a recessive gene and the love of breeding for black in the dressage world

Yep I meant that dressage riders prefer them!

 

[JanetGeorge]

Yep I meant that dressage riders prefer them!

So I MIGHT be able to flog this chap for dressage then??

 

[madmare22]

yes i will have him janet. (you do mean the one in the yellow jacket dont you ?)

 

[BHF]

I love greys but was always put off by the thought of all those stains.

But I fell in love with a grey section A five years ago and we are still together. His character is fantastic. But I have to say he is a dirty little bleeder, loves to roll in anything that will make him dirty!!

I wouldn't have a chestnut mare if you paid me. Over the years I've worked with loads of them and have never met one that didn't have a quirk of some sort.

 

[NicoleS_007]

I always loved chestnuts and h8ed greys but somehow ended up turning down a chestnut gelding for a grey one lol but hes a really dark steel grey with a big white face i love his colour ... dont lyk 'white' greys or fleabitten though ... but i would chose colour over potential that would be stupid

 

[Anteres0]

I actively avoid greys, but purely because I breed dilutes & coloured, and because I have so much interest in achieving a specific colour (aswell as quality / temperment etc, not just breeding for colour) I wouldn't want the colour 'greying out' as the horse grows older.

 

[jendie]

I bought a liver chestnut filly and four months later she is fast turning into a grey. She is gorgeous and I wouldn't care if she turned purple