Opinions: Would a grey horse put you off?

Dusty85

Dusty85

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Call this a little experiment; Im after people's opinions: would you buy a grey horse?

Would a grey horse put you off/make you reluctant?

No other details on the horse, just whether it would make you hesitant or whether it wouldn't bother you at all.

(this is after _GG_ and I were talking and Im curious)


Thanks all in anticipation.
 
No .... Grey hair is obvious and gets everywhere, greys are a nightmare to keep clean and I know of too many who have suffered from sarcoids/melanoma.
 
There is a risk of melanomas but most greys will die or be PTS because of something else .
Some of my favourite horses where grey , I own two ATM .
 
It didn't, my boy is homebred and I picked a grey stallion because I wanted a grey horse.

However, out of 40 odd horses that have been on the yard over the last 5 years, 1 has had a melanoma and 2 have had sarcoids. All 3 have been grey (my boy has sarcoids).

So my answer now is yes, I'm afraid it would put me off buying one.
 
Owning one I would say no, (dirt, sarcoida, melanomas, more poo stains than is reasonable - had them all) but if it was the right horse for the right price then yes!

I think I have worded that back to front but I think you can get what I mean!
 
My only stipulation when I was looking was not a grey. However, I came home with a white grey mare and she is absolutely wonderful and I have never regretted buying her. Luckily she is pretty clean and not a mud wallower so cleanliness is not an issue. I'd never let colour be the only thing that put me off buying a horse- my preference would always be another colour but if the horse was perfect in every other way I'd always take that compromise :) and out showing I think there is nothing more dazzling and beautiful than a super gleaming white grey!
 
No - not at all. I have one - no issues with melanoma (he's 16 now), he's a genuinely nice boy (temperament-wise), is reasonably talented, is a nice stamp and I love the bones of him. I didn't have a colour in mind when I was looking, but he caught my eye (he is an attractive looking boy) and although he is a pain to keep clean, it isn't that onerous.

P
 
When I set out to buy a new horse, I didn't want a grey mare. Purely because bay geldings are far easier to keep clean!

I ended up with a grey mare. She has already had sarcoids and she's only 5, but they've been easy to treat and she's an amazing horse.

So yes it puts me off but if it's the right horse I'll buy it!
 
If a horse was suitable in all other aspects, I wouldn't reject it just for being grey, though if it already had sarcoids I would think long and hard about it.. However if I had the choice between two horses identical in all regards except colour, I would choose the non-grey.
 
I adore greys - other people's at least :winkface3: I have one - who I adore, but he's a nightmare to keep clean and aged eleven has multiple melanomas in his salivary glands, they've been there for five years now without much change, but we're waiting and I'm sure at some point they'll rear their ugly heads.

Would I have another? Probably not.
 
Always said I would never have a grey, have had a skewbald and piebald, and just keeping them clean compared to my chestnut and bright bay was a nightmare. The main issue (rightly or wrongly) was worried about the complications of sarcoids etc. However, I met my beautiful boy who is grey (definitely getting lighter each year) and I thought how can I pass you by because of your hair colour?:) So in the end, no it didn't put me off.
 
It wouldn't be top of my list, but have had a few grey ponies for the kids, and my old, yet young pony ended up grey, so it is what comes into my life.
Groomed several greys, stunning when clean, disheartening when yellow,green or brown!!
Any hints of sarcoids or melanomas would send me running i'm afraid.
 
Have had two, no sarcoids or melanomas and i have seen sarcoids far more often on bays than I have greys. Melanomas I have seen have only been on pink pigmented skin, but I know you have known of one on black pigmented skin....not sure if there is any difference.

You know my thoughts it wouldn't put me off. But I love greys and I LOVE the look of this horse so I'm just contemplating not talking to you ever again if you end up with it. ;)
 
No, not at all. My last horse was grey. I'm not sure if I'd have been so affected by him at first sight if he'd been any other colour.
 
Am on my second grey. The first lived to 26 and did have melanomas under his dock from the age of about 14 on (and probably many more internally as he was euthanised due to colic); he was a LOU case much earlier in his life...but due to nothing other than mis-management.

Current model is 5.....watch this space! Having said the above, I have had many other bays, browns, roans and blacks in the interim.
 
I would not buy a grey with known existing problems, but assuming it was healthy at the time of purchase and ticked all the right boxes then no, the colour would not put me off on its own. There are so many unexpected things that can go wrong at any time with a horse of any colour, anyway, that I wouldn't let the POSSIBILITY of future problems keep me from getting a horse that was grey and healthy and perfect for me right there and then.

I've leased a grey before, who had no problems with sarcoids or melanomas, mind, and the keeping her clean aspect has not put me off greys at all. I don't think a good horse can be a bad colour.

Of course.. had I lost a grey to any related problems and experienced the heartbreak to go with then my answer would quite possibly be a different one.. I completely get why some would choose to shield themselves. Owning a horse is always a risk to take regardless.
 
I'd far prefer a dark colour, but I wouldn't either buy or rule out a horse on the basis of colour so if it was the right horse I would buy a grey. Mind you every time I see the colour my OH's grey mare's tail is at present or the huge stable stains I am so glad I own a nice shiny black without any white to keep clean!
 
Would never buy a grey. Had a terrible accident when I was 11 riding a grey ( very lucky to still be alive!) and since then, as much as I like the look of them can not sit on one, let alone ride one
 
I bought a grey because he was exactly what I wanted and he has proved to be worth his weight in purple shampoo! Having said that, my last 3 horses (well 2 of mine and one share pony) have been grey and after all that cleaning I'd be reluctant to go and buy yet another....only if the horse was very special. I have to say, I think greys are just stunning when they are clean!
 
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Was put off greys after having one when I was a teenager living in Devon.

No matter how much effort I put into getting him clean before hunting, as soon as he sweated up, all the red Devon mud would surface. He was teasingly known as Henry the Pink, but I was mortified :o.
 
Tiddlypom said:
Was put off greys after having one when I was a teenager living in Devon.

No matter how much effort I put into getting him clean before hunting, as soon as he sweated up, all the red Devon mud would surface. He was teasingly known as Henry the Pink, but I was mortified :o.
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Kali came from a private home in Hereford - they have red mud too - when I brought him home, his tail and his legs were orange :).

P
 
I love greys, our best pony was grey and always looked immaculate because we clipped him out completely summer and winter and never let his tail get yellow he was stunning in every way and super talented. New boy is tobiano, long white stockings on all four legs and a white bum. frankly I wouldn't have chosen a coloured horse but his temperament is superb.He's harder to keep clean than the grey but equally stunning with a bit of elbow grease, a good squirt of stain away and lots of white chalk. He really stands out and is much admired! Totally agree with Faracat there's no such thing as a bad colour.
 
Jinglesmells said:
Have had two, no sarcoids or melanomas and i have seen sarcoids far more often on bays than I have greys.
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Not fast enough on this to get the right comment but ANCCE say bay based greys are most likely to get melanoma.
Maybe because they already have one modifier in agouti... you can only take so many mutations.

OP: Anecdotal evidence says they may be less popular (could translate onto your scores) for dressage.

Some breeds (PRE, PSL, ID, percheron, some arab lines) the grey gene is so prevalent that the best examples are grey. I wouldn't like to pass up the best for the sake of coat colour! My mother on the other hand believes only a bay can really show off it's conformation and movement.

They are hard work to turn out*. And they are the very devil to match as a team for driving. You don't want to be up against a team of well matched dapple greys in a turnout or trade class though.

Also sarcoids, melanoma.... everything dies of something.
(eg Black labradors are very prone to hypothyroidism yet it's still the most popular colour, and labradors generally are very prone to cancer)

* one great thing about greys is there isn't such a dramatic mattifying effect when clipped and I think they look much smarter in this situation than other colours.
I'm afraid to say I would think twice about a coloured horse though. I wouldn't reject it, but I would consider more dispassionately.
 
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