Top coloureds????

[SatansLittleHelper]

Im wondering why you never see coloured horses at top level competitions in showjumping etc...??? I obviously dont mean cobs (no offence to cobs..I love them!!) but warmblood/ISH types???

 

[Crosshill Pacers]

It's not just showjumping, I'm involved in harness racing and there's absolutely no coloured horses making it to the top level. Even in qualifiers (races run without prize money for horses to meet a certain time over a mile without making mistakes) coloured horses get left behind by lengths and lengths.

The top harness racing countries like the USA, Canada and NZ never appear to have coloured horses running in their biggest races either...

 

[Enfys]

The top harness racing countries like the USA, Canada and NZ never appear to have coloured horses running in their biggest races either...

I can't really answer about the showjumping etc, but I imagine the short answer is that they (competitors, trainers etc) just haven't found a coloured horse with the ability they require - yet.

With regards to Standardbreds:
As I am sure you are quite aware, they are purebreds and if there is colour in them then they are either a very obscure and unfashionable line or not pure bred.
Standardbreds are pretty uniform in appearance, usually bay or black (generally with very little white on them) chestnut and grey are very few and far between. I can just imagine what all the trainers (in Canada) I know would say about a coloured one

That said, apparently, according to this:

http://www.standardbredfanclub.com/breed.html

Coloured standardbreds are being re-introduced. It would be interesting to know where the colour is coming from, but, like tbs, some lines do produce white, sabino and dilutes (we have a reknowned tb stud producing dilutes and sabinos just down the road from me) so if the tbs can, no reason why some obscure SB lines cannot be re-introduced. SB racing is all about the money, if it is fast enough, and makes enough dollars, then it will be used whatever colour.

 

[Crosshill Pacers]

SB racing is all about the money, if it is fast enough, and makes enough dollars, then it will be used whatever colour.

That's the thing though, they're not fast enough. Racing of coloured SBs in the US hasn't taken off because they can't compete at the same level. I know at one point over there they were crossing them with Appaloosa's to introduce different colourings into the breed (and for other bizarre reasons I'm sure), but it's possible that there's a genetic reason why coloured SBs aren't as fast as 'normal' pacers and trotters. People only perservere in this country because there's another level to harness racing that is exclusively for coloured pacers.

Perhaps there's a genetic reason why coloured horses can't compete at the highest level in showjumping etc, or perhaps it's as Enfys said, and the right coloured horse hasn't fallen into the right hands. Perhaps if a top trainer had a crack at it all with a coloured horse we'd all be able to say 'well there we go, there's your top coloured'.

 

[showpony]

Its a real shame they arent more coloureds in every dicipline. I may be berated for this BUT I do think there is ALOT of " horse racism" out there when it comes to coloured horses - many of my horsey friends turned their nose up when I said I was buying a skewbald & many times we are out we are asked is she a Cob - now nothing wrong with cobs but she is an ISH!

It's not just showjumping, I'm involved in harness racing and there's absolutely no coloured horses making it to the top level. Even in qualifiers (races run without prize money for horses to meet a certain time over a mile without making mistakes) coloured horses get left behind by lengths and lengths.

The top harness racing countries like the USA, Canada and NZ never appear to have coloured horses running in their biggest races either...

 

[tallyho!]

Angrove Stud are producing racehorses....

 

[Farma]

What about John Whitakers stallion Utah (something else after that cant recall the rest) that was a top sj coloured stallion.

 

[JCWHITE]

Michel Robert and Catapaulte?
Take a look at youngstock at Elevage Morinda, lots to like there, and by the above named stallion!

 

[FfionWinnie]

There are less of them than solids in the breeds mentioned so it stands to reason there aren't many or any at the top.

I have the same with my sheep dogs. They are merles and you need a merle to breed a merle so there are hardly any compared to black and white.

 

[mturnbull]

Almost every succesful show horse i see at any age tends to be a coloured. I may be biased as my newest baby is a coloured and she is going to be a superstar ;-)

 

[Bobbly]

What about John Whitakers stallion Utah (something else after that cant recall the rest) that was a top sj coloured stallion.

Utah Van Erpekom

I wonder if it's because of the breeding, that it lacks quality a lot of the time, there are some awful coloured stallions out there that seem to be stallions just because they are coloured?

 

[Silvermiyazawa]

I have suddenly been noticing coloureds everywhere. Maybe because I have just taken a skewbald on part loan but I was wondering if they were considered "fashionable" at the mo. Didn't see so many at the Olympic though!

 

[tallyho!]

Never liked coloureds... except appaloosas, ok I know they are not strictly coloureds but you know what I mean, and you don't see many of them on the top row...

 

[amage]

Why do you not really see them at top level sj? Simple really...very few of them are good enough! Utah Van Erpekom is the most recent blood coloured that springs to mind, Brianne Goutal the American rider has a super 1.45 speed horse that is coloured but by and large the coloureds on the ground dont have the ability for top level

 

[tallyho!]

Well, exactly, if they were up to the game, then we would be watching them. Looks like the bays and greys will keep topping the charts for some time yet...

 

[Sparkles]

I'd guess, where the original warmbloods and sport horse types were started being bred specifically for the job decades back, coloureds were not 'acceptable' then, so therefore, wouldn't have been bred for that job. If they are to make a debut in top level competition, then they need few more decades of strengthening the breeding to try and catch up....but even then, the warmbloods will then still be on the rise all the time too.....

Think it's a watch this space moment. For a few, I'm sure they can scrape by at that level, with a very professional rider. But as 'whole', It will either happen, or it won't.