What’s the obsession with the duns and buckskin

[The Irish Draft 2022]

I was doing a bit window shopping and saw a ad for a 23 year old horse Dun horse. There where 200 comments and a lot of where saying how lovely the color was. I thought you buy a horse That suits your riding abilities not on looks . Why are people so obsessed

 

[windand rain]

People like pretty things and many are very appealing. I love the colour but temperament always comes first when buying as I buy weanlings

 

[Auslander]

It's ok to like a particular colour!
I like dark liver chestnuts with white trimmings, and I would buy one in preference to other colours if I found one that fitted my brief

 

[ycbm]

Most of the people commenting on the colour probably aren't looking to buy the horse, and they are attractive. I love the colour and if I came across one which was a good horse, I'd buy it before any other colour next time round because I've never had one.

I bought my spotty because of his spots because I'd never had a spotted horse. I'd never buy a bad horse for its colour, but if it's a good horse, why not?
.

 

[Squeak]

Through my years of looking after horses I've decided that dun/ buckskin is the most practical colour. Beige doesn't show dust and when you gut mud or poo stains then once you've brushed the worst off then the stain blends in. There's no white mane and tail to keep clean either.

I'm not sure that's the reason everyone else likes duns but it's the main reason I want one!!

 

[blitznbobs]

All the pretty colours!

 

[ycbm]

Through my years of looking after horses I've decided that dun/ buckskin is the most practical colour. Beige doesn't show dust and when you gut mud or poo stains then once you've brushed the worst off then the stain blends in. There's no white mane and tail to keep clean either.

I'm not sure that's the reason everyone else likes duns but it's the main reason I want one!!

There are enormous poostain hiding benefits to a horse that is white flecked with brown with more brown in some areas than others ? The mane and tail are a let down though
.

 

[Auslander]

I also like the way duns can get away with being really dirty. You hardly notice the smears of mud.

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

They're pretty, that's about the long and short of it. Sometimes you often find the favoured colour of the moment doing well in showing classes, so that could be a factor for some.

A friend of mine has the most gorgeous dark chestnut with a flaxen mane and tail, I would quite like one of those too, despite the cleaning downsides.

 

[Cutgrass]

I hadn't heard the term buckskin until relatively recently, so assumed it was an American term?

Rather cynically I think people like duns as they tend to look good on social media, etc. I don't think they stand out as much IRL.

 

[[153312]]

I like certain colours. I like genetics though, too.... She's eeAaGgnd2nd2LPLPPATN1PATN1 ?

?????????My fewspot ?????????????

(It's very much a Marmite colour though! I'd never heard of it before I bought her - but I bought her on temperament, I would have never looked at a spotted of any variety, and she's completely converted me ??)

Would love a champagne but really not fan of the conformation of most I have seen. Also love perlinos, and double pearls. Cream dilutes are pretty too. But then I also love a good bay and our dark bay TB looks like an oil painting!

 

[[153312]]

Oh god I sound like a doting mother gushing about their favourite child ?

Shut up snail ?

 

[fiwen30]

They’re PUUUUURDY.

 

[Cloball]

I hadn't heard the term buckskin until relatively recently, so assumed it was an American term?

Rather cynically I think people like duns as they tend to look good on social media, etc. I don't think they stand out as much IRL.

It was traditionally. However as colour genetics moved on it became the correct term for bay with a copy of the cream gene. Historically in the UK everything got called dun if it had a buff coat bit genetically speaking dun and buckskin and different.

 

[lannerch]

I am one guilty of going to view my horse because of her colour but I did not buy her just because of her colour she was potentially ( at the time only a 2yo ) all I was looking for except she was a year too young . I fell in love she is my dream horse and to date has done everything I’ve asked , I certainly have never regretted buying her .

 

[Cortez]

People can buy whatever they like the most. If that happens to be colour over conformation/athleticism/temperament that's their affair, and breeders of spotted, coloured/piebald/skewbald, palomino, dun, perlino, blue-eyed-cream or whatever, horses are delighted that it is so. I'm partial to certain colours and despise certain others. A horse's colour certainly would be on my metaphysical "list" of requirements when looking to purchase, although perhaps not at the top.

 

[Old school]

No competition in the bidding ring from me. Grey or bay for me, no socks, no blue, no pink, no spots, no stripes. Husband and children can purchase whatever colour they like. ......Very close minded person here!!!

 

[J_sarahd]

I love duns and buckskins. There’s two on our yard (ones a chocolate dun) and I’m so in awe of them.

I went to go and see my pony based on what he looked like. He did match my other criteria, but his colouring (he’s a blue and white with a wall eye) definitely made me interested in the first place.

 

[BBP]

We have a black, a grey and a buckskin. When clean and shiny the black is my favourite colour due to the shine on him but buckskin is by far the most user friendly colour. The black shows the dust, the grey shows the mud and poo stains and the buckskin everything just blends in.

I’ll admit I bought my new yearling as I was initially attracted to his unusual colour (which did get hundreds more responses than all the ads of grey connies). He was sold as a chocolate dun but I have no idea!

 

[TGM]

I have always loved duns (even before the days of social media) but never owned one. I also love chestnuts and seem to have ended up with a lot of them, although I didn't consciously choose them for their colour. However, it is possible that subconsciously I am drawn to adverts featuring chestnuts! I would never buy a grey (for cleanliness and melanoma reasons) or a cremello and would have to think hard about a coloured if it had a lot of white!

 

[Polos Mum]

Blatant excuse for cute 'dark sooty buckskin' photo - he changes colour week by week almost. much lighter in winter and close to bay in summer.

No dorsal stripe or leg / ear stripes so apparently he can't be dun.

 

[awelshandawarmblood]

My WB is buckskin & it doesn't half niggle me when people say 'oh you must have bought him for his colour?'
Yes he's handsome but I would have bought him if he was the plainest of the plain! I love his bloodlines & watched his grandsire for years - unable to afford a direct foal by him so went down that route.
His temperament is second to none & he's so so easy! Which is my priority!
I must say though . . . . I agree with the user friendliness of the colour, most things blend in lovely!

 

[asmp]

Through my years of looking after horses I've decided that dun/ buckskin is the most practical colour. Beige doesn't show dust and when you gut mud or poo stains then once you've brushed the worst off then the stain blends in. There's no white mane and tail to keep clean either.

I'm not sure that's the reason everyone else likes duns but it's the main reason I want one!!

Exactly! I’m not very keen on grooming which is great when my dun comes in as a mud monster. Saying that, the spotty one is quite good at not showing dirt either (and clipping marks, which as my clipper blades died on me mid clip spotty one is wearing a patchy clip at the moment)

 

[asmp]

View attachment 81939

Blatant excuse for cute 'dark sooty buckskin' photo - he changes colour week by week almost. much lighter in winter and close to bay in summer.

No dorsal stripe or leg / ear stripes so apparently he can't be dun.

I often say mine is a ‘true’ dun when asked his colour as he has the dorsal stripe and zebra leg markings.

 

[Peglo]

I bought my haflinger because she was a haflinger. They are always chestnut with a flaxen mane and tail so guess thats similar. But both mine are fab ponies.

if I bought another horse it would have to be on temperament as I really like so many colours I couldn’t choose on looks alone.

Nothing better than a field of horses of many colours.

 

[ester]

Through my years of looking after horses I've decided that dun/ buckskin is the most practical colour. Beige doesn't show dust and when you gut mud or poo stains then once you've brushed the worst off then the stain blends in. There's no white mane and tail to keep clean either.

I'm not sure that's the reason everyone else likes duns but it's the main reason I want one!!

Someone unfriended me when I admired that about their new horse , never spoken to me since ?. I thought it was a very strong pro point!

 

[MotherOfChickens]

they are pretty and when I was growing up, quite unusual. If thats what floats your boat there's no harm. I am a late convert to black myself, they can wear anything. Although I am partial to blue roans too (I had one as a kid) and so might be looking at blue roan Dales and NF youngsters next yer, shoot me now! But I also love a classic bay and chestnuts. dammit, love them all (even softened my stance on spotties in the last few years).

 

[LadyGascoyne]

Huge vote for murky brownish dun horses here.

The palomino is very pretty but honestly you can’t even tell what colour she is today, she’s so revolting.

I did buy her because she was pretty but probably more that her breeding makes a pretty showy horse rather than her specific colour being the selling point - but it’s just as shallow a reason to buy one as colour.

I wanted a pretty, happy little pet to have in the field and make me smile, and she does that brilliantly. It was an unexpected bonus that she’s actually lovely to ride. No regrets here!

It's ok to like a particular colour!
I like dark liver chestnuts with white trimmings, and I would buy one in preference to other colours if I found one that fitted my brief

My favourite colour is liver chestnut, and one with white trimmings sounds just perfect.

 

[Ambers Echo]

I think duns are beautiful and after years of a white mud monster, I can really see the appeal. A dun connemara was my dream as a child. I would view a dun if it looked like what I wanted but I would not pay a premium or overlook issues for one.

 

[stangs]

Can't believe no one's mentioned the film Spirit. Surely made quite a few people fall in love with the colour buckskin?