There’s an old horseman’s saying that, “a good horse is a good color,” meaning that qualities like a horse’s work ethic, athletic talent and disposition are what matter most, not the color of its coat. But let’s be honest. Most of us have a favorite color and if we can find a suitable horse that happens to be that special hue then it’s even more desirable.
Fortunately, horses come in a palette of colors. What is your favorite? Did you always dream of owning or riding a horse of a certain color? If you own a horse now, was coat color a deciding factor in your purchase? Or if you’re in the process of horse shopping, where does coat color rank on your list of priorities? Don’t be bashful about revealing your penchant for golden palominos, steel blue grullas, flashy pintos, dotted Appaloosas, tawny buckskins, striking dapple grays or any other distinctive color. And if you are indeed a lover of the classic brown bay or regal red chestnut, share your feelings as well.
Finally, if you bonded with a horse of a different color, one that you never thought would appeal to your sense of style, but you ended up believing it was the most beautiful color in the horse world, let your fellow horse lovers know about your experience. Who knows? You may convince them to appreciate even more shades of the horse color spectrum.
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All colors are beautiful because all horses are beautiful, but if I could have my choice I’d love a shiny black with two white socks and a heart-shaped star. I would also be satisfied with a tri-colored paint or a leopard appaloosa.
I think all horses are beautiful in some unique way, but if i could pick one horse of color to match the discipline that i ride it would have to be a gorgeously marked black and white tobiano or a tri-color paint.
Anything but a grey horse, I remind myself whenever I go horse shopping. They never look clean outside the wash rack and I don’t need the grief of melanomas that seem to come part and parcel of owning a grey. Of course anytime you make a blanket statement, circumstances will conspire against you. So when that adorable, well-mannered foal with a great personality that a family member is selling, that also happens to be grey, comes along at just the right time- what can you do? So now I own a grey and she’s one of the best horses I have ever had. And I still mutter under my breath every time she comes in with those funny shades of yellow, green or brown, “I can’t believe I bought a grey horse”.
I’d like to put a “hoof” in for bays!! If color were the only thing that mattered when purchasing a horse, then in my opinion a bay with no white would be the perfect color/horse! However, color is in-fact not all that counts. Example, my parents bought an all black horse (a color i have no interest in) and needed help riding some horses and I kind of adopted him for the summer and he turned out to be one of my favorite horses I have ever ridden. Also, my retired barrel horse is a sorrel. (another color i have no interest in, because there seems to be so many) I have a special bond with him now, I have had him for probably fifteen years now and there is no way i would get rid of him though just because of his color. I think it’s the horse’s ability and temperment is what should be focused on when purchasing, also health and age!
Color does not matter to me. It doesn’t make a horse who he is, I think disposition/personality is most important. I have to admit, I have a soft spot for Paints, but that’s a breed. So if the horse is a Paint AND he/she has a good personality then it’s love 🙂
i think anyone thats been in the horse world for lond wont judge a good horse by color. Yes color can be a factor in horse but if the horse has a great dispostion and really good conformation then it dont matter if its rainbow. Never jugde a book by its cover or a horse by its color. dont pass up a horse cause its not a color you want ,you may fall in love with the horse and its color later.
I’ve only leased horses, but color isn’t a “make it or break it” when deciding which to purchase. But color can help when deciding between two that you like and it fits all your requirements. I lease a liver chestnut horse that turns a beautiful golden chestnut in the summer. But if I could have a horse of any color, I would love to have a blue roan pintaloosa, or a dark brown with blond mane and tail.
Okay I’ll admit it…my favorite color is a very dark bay. Shine it up and it gleams like a dark chocolate candy bar. My eye is always drawn to dark bays and I don’t know why. I don’t care for white or dapple grey or blankets or spots, sorry folks. I know the day will come when this will change for me but for now this is how it stands. But still, since I still consider myself a beginner of sorts, I will always pick the safe horse with superb ground manners who’s a good listener over color any day!
I totaly agree. Dark bays are very attractive, I ride one, and she is a little mirical. I also think that blue roans and solid blacks are stunning also, though if i could choose, I would easily go with the dark bay.
Everyone in our group rode a bay and they were everywhere I looked. I said I would never own a bay. There were just too many of them. I found myself in the market for a dead broke horse and the best one was a 16 hand bay, 18 yr old so the other horses beat him up pretty bad, he looked rough. But he was the best one, so I took him home to find him to be the best best horse ever. I regreted my words of I would never have a dumb old bay.
All horses are beautiful. If I could have my choice I would probably choose a black or paint/Pinto horse. I know paint & pintos are breeds/types. I would shy away from whites, & grays because of sunburn and medical problems and chestnuts because of temperment also bays because they bleach so easily even though blacks do to. When buying a horse color is a very low priority unless all other factors between various horses are equal. Both of my horses have been bays and are wonderful. I also ride my trainers chestnut who is wonderful. If the horse has ability and a good temperment who cares about color.
I really love all horse colors! But my absolute favorite would have to be either an Appaloosa, or a really bright bay, or a palomino…there are so many I can’t decide!
If I were to buy a horse, finding a black one would probably be a high priority. The first horse I ever rode was a black Morgan gelding, and he is still my favourite horse six years later. I learned a lot with him, and now just the sight of a black horse is enough to catch my attention.
As a youth the copper colored horse was my color of choice. I would only look at that color, if it caught my eye nothing else mattered. I am much older know and fell in love with my Blue Roan q.h. I never knew what a blue roan was till I saw her. I am lucky that everything else about her is as amazing as her unusual blue tinge.
My favorite color horse is the dark golden palomino, where the color is like butterscotch pudding and the mane and tail are white as snow. My least favorite color was any type of paint because I felt they were too flashy. However, this sweet and gentle palomino paint mare came into my life and despite her markings I fell in love. I’ve found that it’s not what’s on the outside that makes her so special but her amazing personality and intelligence that hooked me from the beginning. My prejudice of paints has been cured as I’ll never judge a horse by its color any longer but at the beauty of the horse inside.
When I consider coat color I really cannot imagine focusing on that aspect of a horse. Typically I can’t even see the color once I get to know, ride and love the pony bearing the coat. That being said, a horse I may never ride or get to know but I can see from afar would be admired by me if they held a golden hue of palomino or a chestnut glint with speckles of white!
Brandy was an elder buckskin without much elegance. At first glance he was ugly with light fading patches and dark non-accenting hues. I was almost revolted by his horrible coat! Then it was time for my first few riding lessons and as I saddled up the experienced mount I was gawking at his scruffy dorsal stripe that wasn’t at all like my favored golden palomino in the pasture. As I sat hesitantly on this unattractive mount something came over me, a difference of opinion I suppose. I felt safe and that color really didn’t matter. Suddenly after about a year Brandy was my favorite and I lept fearlessly into a canter with him- he never let me down. I don’t go to that stable that holds my beloved Brandy anymore, but he taught me that the ugliest or more simple colored mounts are the most colorful on the inside.
My favorite color has been a rich Bay ever since I can remember. Even though it is a common color, it always looks striking to me. However, I appreciate any horse, no matter what color, if he has a good temperment and a willing attitude.
Personally I love grays! Any kind will do! My horse right now is a fleabitten gray. I actually liked liver chestnuts before I got my fleabitten gray, but now I’m stuck on whites, grays, and blacks! They just look sooo elegent in the show ring but take a lot of upkeep! I wash mine at least twice a week since she loves to role in mud!
Mark Rashid says there is no bad color for a good horse and I completely agree. My first horse was a paint and my two favorite horses were a bright chestnut with a blond mane & tail and a liver chestnut. I’ve owned bays and dark bays. Good confirmation and attitude are much more important criterea for choosing a horse. With a lot of love and elbow grease, they can all shine. I do tend to steer clear of grays and palaminos. They look good, but I am basically lazy and they take an awful lot of work.
I do have a few favorite coat colors, especially silver bay, silver dapple, & other silver coat colors. But I would never overlook a black horse with good qualities & choose a silver buckskin horse with not so good qualities.
“When I consider coat color I really cannot imagine focusing on that aspect of a horse. Typically I can’t even see the color once I get to know, ride and love the pony bearing the coat. That being said, a horse I may never ride or get to know but I can see from afar would be admired by me if they held a golden hue of palomino or a chestnut glint with speckles of white!”
Wow, that sums up my opinion almost completely! For instance, I currently ride a plain chestnut mare, and I barely notice her coat color at all…. the only thing I notice is all the mud on it! Haha, I’m just kidding. All I notice is how great a lesson horse she is. But If I were to pick a horse based ONLY on color, I do have a thing for blacks and certain bald-faced horses. Also, I like chocolate coats too and silver grays. lol, actually, I think any coat color can look cool/beautiful if groomed properly, and if it’s the right shade.
Like everyone else, I can fall in love with a good horse of any color. Once I’m sitting on its back and holding the reins, I don’t really notice the color. I’m more aware of the gaits and the horse’s training and personality. That being said, when it comes to personally choosing a horse, I go for a flashy one: dun, buckskin, roan, palomino, appy, etc. or a solid color with lots of white markings. I guess in my eyes a flashy or funky color just adds to the cuteness factor.
I’ve always been addicted to big black and steel/sliver gray horses! Howerver my first horse was a small firey red headed chestnut. Then after I surpassed his riding level and needed a new horse I swore I would finaly get my steel gray or dazzeling black, but….As fate would have it I came home after falling in love with another crazy chestnut,(liver chestnut this time)!Even though neither are my dream colored ponies I woulden’t change them for the world!Every time I see them I don’t see the color of thier coats,I see my teamate and my best friend! Like its been said before, “there is no bad color for a good horse”.
i guess its just the way the sun shines of the coat of a horse as if they were just what the sun’s ray’s were aiming for.my two morgans are dark bay and on a sunny day they look like a couple of model horses just wating to be seen.when i bought them the color was definetly a factor i love the way they look. i also really like the way tolbiano paints and appy’s look and i would like to find one that likes the way i look.
I remember when I was little I used to want an all black horse or an all white horse. It had to be one or the other, but I changed my mind when I was twelve years old. It was when I got my very own horse, which wasn’t all black or white. My horse was brown with a black mane, tail, and socks. He didn’t even have a star, but he became very special to me, and he still is. He is the best horse in the world and I wouldn’t exchange him for any other horse in the world.
I’ve always wanted an all black horse, and when i was horse shopping recently, that was what i was looking for (my mom was all for the palominos). But when i first laid eyes on Diamond, it was love at first sight. The way the sun hit her red/brown coat made her look like she was in the spotlight. The long black mane, tail and socks added to the appeal. She is the most beautiful horse in the world and i wouldn’t trade her for anything.
I would say for the most part I am color blind. Im a sucker for blacks and bays, but I also believe that there is soooo much more than the color of the horse! What really matters is the color of his heart!
When I was young and shopping for my first horse, I wanted a black horse like the one I watched in Black Beauty. I ended up falling in love with a white mare. I wouldn’t have traded her for the world. After a freak accident caused her death almost three years ago, I now own a palomino mare. I never considered a palimino either but I love this horse. Her color is like a gold coin. The perfect shade with a flaxen mane and tail. She has a star and snip and she’s my life.
When shopping for a horse, colour is of little importance to me. I think that personality and disposition to be of the most importance. I could have the uglyiest color of horse on the planet, but could be the most loving, forgiving, and honest horse ever. Know body should judge on color when buying a horse, I think that these people have a very shallow veiw of what they want in a good horse.
I think when buying a horse color is important. Depending on what your goals are. For example Breeding Stock (soild color paints) are frowned upon in APHA and have special classes that they have to show in. I am an appalosa girl so I love flashy coloring. When I was showing my app under a strictly hunter judge at a State 4H show, why was it that no matter how well anyone did the only horses that were winning were all BIG BAYS…depending on what kind of rinding/or showing that you do color can be a make it or break it factor.
Since I was a little girl, I always wanted to own a horse. By the time I was thirteen, I started praying for horse that was a specific color: a black gelding with a white star. For my fifteen birthday, I finally got my own horse, two of them to be exact; but although one of them was black, they were both mares. However, the fact that neither of them was my dream horse really didn’t bother me because I was so excited to finally be a horse owner. Imagine my suprise, when a couple of months later, one of those mares gave birth to a little black colt with a white star! My dream had came true! My little colt is now grown, and we are inseparable. He is everything I could hope for in a horse and more. I hope that he will remain an intricate part of my life for years to come.
Color is pretty important, but no so important that I’d pass up a good horse because of it. I have a gorgeous, golden palomino QH stallion with huge, dapples that stay year round. I also have a dun mare and a buckskin colt. I prefer colors like blue roans, goldens, creams and black, but a pretty horse is a pretty horse no matter what color.
I always imagined that if I bought a horse it would be a brown bay. Now that I have met and ridden a brown-white sweetheart named Dixie I know that color doesn’t matter. The true color of a horse is their personality. From dreaming about a brown bay to constantly thinking about a brown-white I know that color doesn’t matter on a horse.
Personally, I actually don’t have a favorite colour. I think from a breeder’s standpoint that colour is only important for the genetics needed to create a particular foal. Otherwise, if it is a good horse, colour doesn’t matter.
Since I was a little girl, I dreamed that my perfect horse would be a tall, bay mare with a blaze. If that didn’t work out, a palomino mare would be great too. But, if it was palomino, it HAD to be a mare. For me, a palomino gelding was a definite no-no. I mean, isn’t that a girl color?
Well, when the Lord gave me a 14 hand, Haflinger, palomino gelding with a star, I couldn’t help but fall head over heels! He is perfect for me and since I’m not tall, he and I make a stellar team. He loves the dressage we are learning together (which is something I always wanted to do) and racing through the pastures on a crisp autumn day with just a halter and lead rope is his (and my) idea of fun.
Black, bay, chestnut, grey, palomino, sorrel, paint, buckskin, roan…if we see the magnificent souls underneath those colors, then I think that all horses are a beautiful work of art, painted by the skilled Creator, no matter what colors of the rainbow are used.
In my opinion,it does not matter what color the horse is. I mean my horse could be mud caked and look like an old rag, and I would still love her(even though my horse is keep nicley groomed).Even though I don’t care what color,i’m a suck-up for bay saddlebreds because that’s what my horse is!
I love shiny things so it shouldn’t be a surprise that I like a lot of chrome on a horse. I just love an oddly marked paint horse. However it also has to be a well put together animal with a stocky build and a level head on it’s shoulders.
A good color doesn’t mean or make a good horse!
I don’t care what color a horse is. color don’t make personilty, or brains, or heart. All color is, is for some imature person to look at aand say ooo look at the pretty horsey. take away the color and what do you have? A natural all around horse that loves you no matter what.
Even though I own several unusually colored horses such as a red roan, a black roan leopard appaloosa and a brindle blood bay, color was not and never will be a factor in deciding which horses I get. There is no bad color for a good horse! A horse and rider are a team, what a horse looks like does not matter compared to how a horse acts and works. Good conformation is what i strive to find in a horse, not a certain color!
I like most horse owners have seen a horse that has a beautiful color and it has left me in awe. It is most horse owners dream to have that special horse with that special color.
My favorite is liver chestnut with flaxen mane and tail and I was lucky and found that perfect horse with that perfect color. I must say though that color ranks 4th when I am looking for a horse. I also have a big sorrel horse whom I have fell in love with. His temperment and trust worthy manner makes him very beautiful to me. Color can never over take the quality of a good horse..
Conformation, temperament, and health are, in my opinion, more important than any coat color. I will be completely honest, though; I do have a certain affinity for the dun-factor markings and my horse’s color was the first thing that caught my attention when I read her ad. I couldn’t have asked for a better horse, and her lovely coloring is just an added bonus to her wonderful personality and excellent conformation.
Personally, there isn’t a coat color I haven’t liked! seal brown, strawberry roan, dapple grey, dun, you name it and I can tell you something about how pretty the color is. A good horse, with a positive disposition, and good conformation, and a sound mind, makes his coat look beautiful. I have seen ugly bays and beautiful bays, ugly paints and beautiful paints, but it was the way he acted that made him ugly or beautiful. Ths horse he is underneath is what makes his coat shine! I haven’t found that one special horse yet but I can tell you that his coat color is low on the list of deciding factors. If he’s a match for me then I know he’ll be the most beautiful horse in the world no matter what color his coat is.
I love all coat colors because sometimes the color can describe the horse in many ways, like his or her’s personality.
I love a horse’s color! However, if the personality isn’t great, I’ll pass on color.
Buckskins have always been my personal favorite, but I feel personality trumps color every time. As long as the horse has a golden heart, whether he has an equally golden coat or not is only an afterthought.
I’ve always loved buckskins, palominos and paints! But the outside isn’t as important as the inside! Some beautifully colored horse could be a crazy handful, so as much as I’d like a beautifully colored horse, I’d better stick with a horse with a personality that fits me best!
But the most important thing to remember is “You can’t judge a horse by its color.” However, I do happen to be a fan of the “classic brown bay.” But if it’s a horse of a different color or no horse-I will go with any color! It’s the inside that counts.
In my opinion, coat colors dont matter, I don’t even need to have a cute horse. My motto is all horses have their own true colors. Meaning they all have their own personality and something unique and special.All horses are colorful.
I know it is said that you can’t ride color but I always find myself drawn to horses with lots of chrome. Right now, in my barn stands a gray, a liver chestnut with white on all four legs and her head, a bay with socks and a black horse with four stockings and a huge blaze.
As a kid, I always wanted the bright flashy, flaxen pinto, who stood out like a new diamond ring. Until, I found Gracie. A little silver dapple pinto Miniature Horse, who in my eyes came to be everything to me. Her silver dapples stood out in the sun, with the most pinto markings. I couldn’t have asked for a better horse. Personality comes first to me, and she has it all. The spunk, the willingness, and the strong ability to learn.
Well, my first horse Halle was the color I always wanted in a horse. But I have since learned that color isn’t everything. However, I am still drawn to flashy horses…my horse now is a chestnut with two white back socks, and she is a very pretty horse.
Of the four horses I’ve ever owned, two were black and two were bay. Color has so little to do with my preferences, my horses have all just “fallen into my lap” in the sense that I didn’t pick them out. Maybe they picked me. But because of the four plain colored horses I’ve owned, I seem to have developed a liking to “plain” colored horses. They aren’t plain at all, as anyone can see once they’ve spent some time looking – my mare Ashley is solid jet black – no fading and NO white. And get this – she’s dappled. That can be hard to spot, because she’s all black, but they’re there, more obvious on some days than others. My gelding Hammer looks black most days, but on those sunny summer days, when the light reflects of his sleek shiny coat, it’s easy to see that he’s really chocolate. His head and all four legs are as black as can be (except for one sock on his hind right foot, just like Black Beauty’s) but he has the most gorgeous creamy chocolate color to the rest of him. Nine, my new gelding, is the plainest looking boy you’ve ever seen – dark bay, with a snip, no other white. His head is plain except for a whirl on the right temple, but he has the most awesome conformation! My first horse, Red, who passed away 7 years ago, was a blood bay with four socks, a star and a snip. He had the most white of any of my horses!
My mom – a die-hard Appaloosa lover – gets so bored with my “plain” colored horses! But she just doesn’t see the subtle markings that make them beautiful.
My favorite color horse is probably palomino horses. I lease an absolutely GORGEOUS palomino. But i just leased a bay. I like horses to have something unique. The QH mare i just leased had a crooked blaze to give her that extra touch. but a good horse outweighs the color of the horse by far. I just purchased my first horse, a light gray OTTB, and i love him. I find color to be an extra bonus. But that feeling you get riding “the one” can’t be beat no matter what the color of the horse is.
I have never been able to pick my own color of horse but my favorite is a palimino paint and buckskin. Neither of these do I own. I owe a paint, a bay and a dark bay lol
I ride dressage, and paints aren’t my favorite horses. I like traditional colors like bays or greys. I think some people worry too much about color. It’s a horse, and it loves you, and that’s what truly matters!
I love pinto horses and strawberry roans because they’re so unique and they stick out.You don’t see that many Strawberry Roan horses. Although color doesn’t matter much to me.For me, a horses temperament matters more than it’s color.
I have several favorite horse colors. It is very hard for me to choose just one favorite color. If i had to pick i would pick blues and grays they just draw me in. I have a sorrel gelding. I never thought i liked sorrel but it turns out that after having him awhile it grew on me.
I do have my few favorite color coats, but I would never change the coat of any horse, I think a horse’s coat is as unique & beautiful as their personality & the horse itself. When buying a horse, I dont even think about the coat color, although I would prefer not to have a black coated horse (I hate the way it fades in the sun, & its so much to care for) its the horse that matters, not the coat. Of course, everybody loves those stand outish coats that are so pretty too 🙂
Of course there are colors that just draw my attention and stand out in a show ring. But once you find that special horse, he’s the most beautiful thing in the world, regardless of color.
My mare’s sweet personality and goofy facial expressions were the deciding factors in purchasing her, but thanks her to her Paint/ Tennessee Walker bloodlines, she’s an eye-catching solid black with one blue eye and one brown eye. Black was never a color that I had any special interest in, but now I love the way she stands out in the crowd of bays and chestnuts.
I bought a palomino partially because it was my friend’s favorite color horse. He ended up being my favorite horse I ever owned because of his wonderful personality and great show ring ability and now I like palominos!
my horse is a black horse and yes it is one of my favorite colors! every since i say black beauty when i was young i always wanted a black horse but with markings…. and now i finally have my dream horse, im not saying that i bought her becouse of the markings, i dislike the color chestnut, not that there is anything wrong with that color i actually loved that color once but i like thatone least now since its to plain.
here are my favorite coat colors:
-Cermello (though i would never have a cermello horse because my country has tons of sun!)
-Black and Buckskin are tied for 2nd!
-Apaloosa
-Blue roan
-Bay
-Polomino
-ect/ect. after that there all pretty much the same they are all pretty but dont catch my attention as much
To be honest, I could really care less what color a horse is, as long as its a horse that suits my needs etc etc. That said, I really do love the look of a nice dapple gray.
Someday when I have my own horse, I would like it to be a more unusual color like palomino or pinto and not chestnut or bay. However, for me it matters more that the horse has a good temperament and is well suited for what I am interested in doing with him than that he is a color that I like. It’s the inside that counts. A color that I like is just a bonus for me: not a necessity.
I really do not have a preference for color of the horse. Sometimes, I even like the more interesting colored horses. I have to admit though, I have owned two palomino horses in nine years (so far). Both were different. The first was more golden, while the other (Cheerios) is nearly white in color. I believe that the breed and temperment of the horse is more important than the color. However, as a child I always wanted either a blood bay, a black, or a black and white paint. Now, I really do not care which color, as long as they are the breed and have the temperment that I want.
I always loved dapple gray horses and told myself that I would never get a plain brown horse. Now I have two horses. A sorrel and a bay and I wouldn’t trade them for the world. Besides their coats shine much more in the sun than a gray’s would.
When I bought my late horse Bronx I was looking for a bay. He was a gray but it was something in his eyes that made me buy him. It was a connection. I had sworn never to buy a gray because they were hard to keep clean. The old saying of never say never applied big time. I bought that beautiful gray part arab gelding and he turned into the horse of a life time. Every spring it was like getting a christmas present. Once all of the dead hair was off of him it was fun to see how much his flea bitting had changed. I now love gray horses and it is no more extra work to keep one clean than a bay or chestnut. If I had been color blind I would have missed out on one of God’s most special horses. Oh! I do have another gray but love those paints!
I owne a white horse right now and I love him. Although, my next purchase I’m hoping will be a solid black with a star…like Black Beauty! There’s just something about a black horse that is soooo majestic!
I own a bay Arabian mare, whose dam is black and sire is chestnut. My all time favorite color is BLACK (thanks to the Black Stallion!). I have had her DNA tested and she has a 50/50 chance of giving me a black or a black bay. I have therefore been shopping for THE one, but have got to admit that in this search for the perfect mate, I have come to realize that bloodlines, disposition and confirmation are a lot more important than color. I have not lost interest in looking for THE one, but if I fall on a stallion that would complement my mare better, I would pick him over color. I really do not care to own a gray, but once again have seen some gorgeous ones.
I love my mare and had she been any other color it would be OK, because she is sweet, loving and a real trooper!
My favorite horse color has always been silver bay and buckskin…however, now that I own my own two horses, my dream horse colors are silver dapple and black medicine hat pinto!
My #1 absolute favorite coat for a horse is black though I’ve never owned a black horse. The first horse I truly fell in love with was black. We were going to buy him but before the deal was finished he was traded by the owners daughter. Today, 3 of our 4 horses are sorrel in color, the stallion and sire of 2 of those 3 is a palomino. I love every color of horses though I’ll admit I do play favorites in the color pool. 🙂
I would take any color horse but i’ve gotta say that my favorite color would have to the a dark hershey brown and white paint the (the color of my mare) i wouldn’t care if she was a different color because she is an amazing horse but have her be a paint is the icing on the cake
Even though there are many striking color patterns, I have to say that I have a certain attraction for dark bays–I find them beautiful and stunning in their own way–simple rather than patterned.
I confess: I do have a preference. No innocence for me- there is only one color that embodies power, elegance, dominance, beauty and romance quite as well as the hue of…black. My dream horse is a pure black Arabian dressage or halter horse, but I won’t let the color change my choice when I go roaming for that special hoofed someone.
I would love to have a buckskin or grulla mustang. Of course, if there is a horse (or pony for that matter) that fits the bill, I would get him/her. But, as always for me rescue first!
I actually fell in love with chestnut horses after many years ago I was traded a black spanish mustang and a little 9 month old chestnut fill in exchange for my buckskin Qurterhorse. The filly’s coat shone like it was glazed with gold in the sun. I absolutely loved watching her. Unfortuanetly, not long after I had to make a 2,500 mile move and had to chose between my two horses. When I was younger I had always wanted a black horse…well I had him. But now I had my little Flicka as well. Sadly Flicka was too young to travel so very far in a horse trailer and cross the border between Mexico and the United States. So she was sold, and I took my black horse Tornado with me to the States. Later, because of my memories of Flicka, I bought another chestnut filly that was three years old and is decended from Man O War. Her name is Special. So color has had some influence in my choice of horses
My color prefrence are bays. I have a dark bay thoroughbred who, when clean, shines a almost bronze color that takes my breath away. Also blood bays have always fasinated me with there stricking color.
In the my husbands horse world the only color is a sorrel or chestnut. But in my horse world I have had blacks, bay, sorrel, and chestnuts. I had a bold face, blue eyed bay not the prettest horse but what he wouldn’t do for me. He tought me how to train a horse with patience and understanding. Made me be a rider and showed me that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
I love all colors of horses. My favorites though are colorful Appy markings or Paints. But there are bays out there that have the most eautiful temperament. I alos love grey horses- although they can’t resist a mud puddle even if u just gave them a bath.
I think color should not be an important factor when looking for a new horse because you may like the color but soon find out the horse has a horrible temperment. Or you may hate the color and you miss out on the wonderful quiet gelding there.
Colour is not important at all when one knows a horse or needs one for a certain task. But colour is very significant for first time impressions. Not many can deny upon seeing a field of browns and bays, that a particularly shiny black or bright palomino doesn’t stand out and catch their eye. But once you get to know the horses and their individual personalities, colour has no significance at all. Plus conformation is definitely a bigger factor in beauty.
I for one, always loved blacks because of reading Black Beauty, but when I got my very own first horse she was a beautiful bay and I haven’t looked back since. I prefer solid colours to paint and spots and in my opinion, a nice shiny brown beats out the fancy colours any day.
Except… I have to admit that if I got the chance to own an Akhal Teke with a metallic golden coat I would be over the moon. But still, I would never trade an ugly horse that I loved for a spectacularly hued superstar.
I LOVE all horses and I don’t really care about the color, but, my favorite color is….Grulla (I love the zebra stripes), Blue Roan, Red Roan, Palomino. Basically all the diluted colors!
I don’t care about coat color, I ride grays, blacks, and chestnuts! Sure grays and whites need a little more effort put in the keep them clean, so maybe when I buy a horse of my own I may look at other colors first, but if I fall in love with a gray, then I’m not going to put that aside because of the color!
Color does not matter too me… like the old tradition, only the heart, the brain and the hooves matter to me. It’s the kindness, intelligence and strength in horses that I admire and love.
I like horses of every color I look to see if we match first and get along then if the horse is good in the field that I want it for or several I’ll bring it home. Of course I’d love a dapple grey but the three I have now are a red chestnut, appaloosa a blue dun color and a palomino draft. I love all colors and to me the color don’t make the horse. But to alot of people eye appeal is buy appeal.
Sometimes color matters/ sometomes it does not/ and I often get the urge/ to connect my appy’s dots. There are paints so flashy colored/ they make me cross my eyes/ and to own a buttermilk buckskin/ of happiness I’d die. I love so many colors/ I can never get my fill/ but a appy-palo-painted-chesnut just might fit the bill!
Color means very little in the horse world. A horse, just like a person, is pretty on the inside, not the outside. It all depends on the horses demeanor and ability.
However, sadly, in the show rings, color is important. The flashier, more attractive the horse and it’s color, the more attention, and thus the better score.
In my opinion, color is a factor in a horse, but it should not be all you look at. An amazing horse may be a plain bay, and just because that gorgeous gray over there is…gorgeous…doesn’t mean it’s going to do well in the show ring.
I’ve always been taught that by breeding for color it generally takes away from smarts. However I can honestly say that there have been Paints and Appaloosas that have taught me a great deal and shown their smarts including a Paint mare that I started on barrels. Not only was she a looker and quick on the pattern but she had a great attitude and a willingness to learn that was amazing!
My dream of owning my first horse would have been a dappled grey. I’ve always liked different colored horses. What I did end up is with a chestnut, who now blends into the herd at his boarding barn. He is often mistaken for the top mare!
Colors shouldn’t matter in the horse world, but it does pop out in shows and barns. I like my “plain brown wrapper” horse just fine, as he is still a great horse in every way.
my favorites are bays. i love the rich brown tones…and the flowing black manes. no i have never owned one,but it is my dream. now,i also love the leopards for their unique look,and the palomino for beauty..and if i ever got a horse i would look at them too. but nothing can beat a bay.
i have owned a mini,and came to love his tan color with flaxen mane (he did have a bit of a dapple too 🙂 ) i’ve also owned a donkey…and found out that longears are fun,even though they would seem bland with a dull gray. its the spirit and personality that counts,not the color.
I don’t think horse color is that important. What matters is if you love the horse for what it is on the inside. A horse could be the ugliest color imaginable but have the sweetest, kindest, and most gentle temperament. As the saying goes…”you can’t judge a book by it’s cover”.
I think color doesn’t matter, although if I was going to buy a horse a one with my favorite color would probably stick out. I would still look at all and chose the one with want I want other than color. I think you could chose a horse with any color,whether you like the color or not and still see the horse as beautiful because It’s really a horses personality that makes it pretty!
When I was a teenager there was nothing I wanted more than a flashy horse, but had red sorrels always. Now, in my adulthood I found myself gravitating toward those copper chestnuts in my search for a horse to share my time with. Chili Pepper came home with me, and can you believe it? As red as they come…
After I got a job and turned 18 I decided I wanted to buy myself a young horse to train and have as my main trail mount for the years to come. My mom told me to try to find one that was my favorite color; which is a buckskin, palomino or any color Paint.
Long story short I went to a breeder who raised Paints (they had a black/white Paint and bay/white Paint for sale, along with a solid sorrel).
Well…I ended up falling for the solid sorrel gelding and brought him home. I wouldn’t trade him for any buckskin or palomino, he’s special to me the way he is…he could be pink and purple for all I care lol.
As I like to say…there is no bad color for a good horse!
Yes, I am. I am slightly ashamed of it, but I have found out that when I ride black horses, they end up hating me and dumping me. Bays always love me, and chestnuts are bored with me! If I ever do get my own horse, I want a bay so that I don’t have to worry about the horse becomeing bored or mad at me!
Yes, as a girl I USED to be very picky about horse color. I only took pictures of, drew, colored, watched, and looked at grey, palomino, or paint horses. Then, as the years went on and I started looking for a horse of my own, I figured out that it doesn’t matter what a horse looks like on the surface. Under it’s coat is what really counts. For instance, a beautiful grey-almost white stallion that looks like the MOST BEAUTIFUL horse in the WORLD could be spirited, mean, and untrainable! And your average bay plodder might be the ugliest horse you’ve ever seen, but on the inside he’s gentle, easy going, and very sweet. Yes, I still love greys , but when you’re looking for a horse of your own color doesn’t count.
Color is a plus for me. If a horse is a color I love it just makes it more desireable. But I am not against buying a horse just because I don’t adore the color. My fav horsie colors are grey, bay roans, golden palomino, and dun. Happily now I have a baby that is turning grey!! But there is still nothing wrong with an old bay ploder!!!
My favorite color is black on a horse. I love black ponies and horses. Color is a plus for me, if my future horse or pony is black that would be even better!!!!
Meh, color doesn’t matter. Palomino is pretty, but makes me cry since my favorite lesson horse was palomino and he died. Greys are SO hard to clean, and chestnuts and bays are both boring. Black is cliche. I love pintos, but they are a) hard to clean as well, and b) not judged fairly in the show ring. Grulla is nice too, and I’m a sucker for a buckskin or dun.
I try not to look at colour first…but I’m a sucker for dapple greys. Yes, their a pain to clean, but I think they look so classy. I think a good colour is like a cherry on top, but only if the horse is already of good quality.
All horse colors are beautiful in thier own way. Paliminos look like a golden piece of sunshine and the greys and blacks are majestic. However, it is the inside that counts. You could see the most gorgeous horse in the world, and he was also the meanest. You never know, the ugliest horse could be your new best friend. Never judge a book by its cover!
Color has never been an important factor in choosing a horse. Currently we own 3 bays, a chestnut, a grey, a black, and a roan. They are all unique in their own ways. The 3 bays are OTTBs, and are completely different from each other in personality. Of our horses colors, I like the roan color the least, but she has the sweetest personality, has lived 35 years, and is a pony.
I like a horse of any color, but there is something about a jet black horse that is humbling. The light shimmers on the black coat in such a way that makes the horse look like it is from heaven.
My Appaloosa is a real head turner in the show ring! He is a beautiful pure white, with red stripes on his face, red legs, mane and tail. I couldn’t wish for a more unique horse
When I was looking for a horse, I just wanted one that I could possibly show Western Pleasure. It didn’t matter what color, it would just be nice if it possibly had papers although my first choice would’ve been a black horse.
I looked at a beautiful black horse, but that didn’t work out. I looked at a couple other horses, and then found a Palomino. I have always loved Palominos, but I never really thought I would end up with one. Four days after I looked at this Palomino gelding, he showed up to the barn, I had finally found my “dream horse”.
I wouldn’t say that I would let the color of a horse keep me from getting it if it worked well and had a great “personality”, but I definitely like Black, Palomino, and Paint the best.
well… no offense to all 1 color horse but they are ugly you want a horse that POPS out at the judge like a paint. lol no offense
I had a childhood dream of owning a dapple gray Arab. I went for 20+yrs. horseless and had an opportunity to get horses again. I bought the first 2 horses I saw. One was a Shetland pony cross who was beautiful and absolutely wonderful with 2 young children. The other horse was terrible. The next horse was green broke and flighty. I wanted a well broke horse that I could ride. I found a 16h sorrell Qtr horse who has turned out to be the best horse I have ever been around. I love this horse. I have two other horses that I like, but would sell. My sorrell horse, who by color I would never have chosen, will stayt with me until he needs to be put down, which I hope will be a very long time from now.
To me it doesn’t matter the actual color of the horse,to me it matters that the quality and care the coat is given. I’m a professional show groom, so it really matters. I have to admit that I used to dream as a little girl of a dark dapple grey. Now, I realize my “simple” bay Hanoverian has the most beautiful coat. It isn’t just bay- it is a deep red gold with some dark-chocolate dapples on his haunches. A little dark cinnamon color layers over the whole thing. The black mane and tail is beautiful. Mind you, when I was purchasing him he looked less poetic. Yes, he was “just bay”. I really was in the market for a dapple grey mare at the same stable. She was beautiful and talented but had a nasty streak. Just before I signed the papers the little bay poked his head out of the stall and nudged me. He seemed to say “Don’t look me over, I’m just a bay, and I’m really small, but I have a good heart and I can REALLY jump.”
Man, was he right.
I love my bay.
It was just with a little care that I realised I was really lucky. Along with his loving and troublemaker personality I got a super jumper and a beautiful bay.
When I first thought about buying a horse I thought that I would buy based on color. Now that I have met a horse for sale that has won my heart, I know that color is not important. She is a cute white and brown pinto mare. I love her, no thoughts to color.
The very first horse I ever owned was a golden palamino named Amber. I lost the love of my life to colic but I will never forget her. I now own 2 palominos that are leaving hoofprints on my heart as well. I don’t have a good reason for loving that golden color in the sun but I just do.
Because I primarily ride Saddlebreds, I’ve come to see any horse that’s not a chestnut as special. Of course, since Saddlebreds seem to almost always come out chestnut, I like for them to have that metallic-like chestnut sheen or a flaxen mane and tail.
To me the the outside doesn’t matter it’s the inside that counts so the color doesn’t bother me. I just happened to buy a very pretty chesnut with a big blaze. I am a sucker for blazes and buckskins though ;).
When I was first looking for a horse, I thought it would be awesome to own a black or blue roan. Something different that would stand out in a crowd. I wasn’t a fan of the more common colors like bay and chestnut. And, ironically, what do you think I ended up with? A chestnut draft horse and a bay Thoroughbred! Since then I’ve learned to look past superficial things such as color and be more concerned about the horse’s function. I believe that conformation and personality is what makes a horse stand out from the rest and color is pretty much irrelevant. I wouldn’t have my two beautiful horses if I had been hung up on color!
Um… I’ve never had a horse before but i would kill to have one. I’ve switched back and forth between buckskin, black and white. I came to loving the buckskin color because of the movie Spirit. But in my opinion there is no such thing as an ugly colored horse.
Gray, they are more intelligent and a bit wild.
I would like a chastnut or black horse,but I really don’t care what type of color I get as long as I have a horse.For example,I had a beautiful chestnut named Smokey and he was a great horse.Then my boss has a bay horse named Buddy and he is great too.So it doesn’t matter to me about what color a horse is.
I love dark bay horses. I have always wanted a dark bay. All my lesson horses were either gray or white. There was one bay horse that I rode when I got older. But he was a mahogany bay. Gorgeous but not the color that I love.
I finally found a dark bay TB (my dream horse) on craigslist and jumped on the opportunity. He was 2 so I could train him my way so he could be the perfect horse.
Although I love dark bay horses, my first horse was a chestnut TB mare. She was a jumper and that was what I was looking for. My second horse was a 5 month old mahogany bay TBxAppy. I wanted to train him my way. They are the best and I wouldn’t trade them for another color.
Color should not be important when looking for a horse. The horse should meet the requirement of what you will be doing with the horse. Would you buy a grulla QH trained to work cows to be your next eventer over the chestnut holsteiner that has competed at the prelim level? No, because it isn’t trained to do the job you want it to do. But finding a horse trained to do what you want in your favorite color is icing on the cake.
I have always wanted a black and white Gypsy Vanner. But really, as long as you love your horse and he loves you, you’re perfect for each other!
My horse, Star, is a plainly colored bay and doesn’t attract attention in the show ring, but I love her more that anything and trust her wholeheartedly. She is the best horse in the world; however, it wouldn’t hurt me if God would have thrown in a little palomino coloring when he put her together. I love the dazzling gold coat that palomino horses sport.
At first I loved black. In fact i wanted a wild black Arabian, but i also wanted to be a jockey. My dad and i went to my riding instuctor barn and there was a ery skinny but beautiful bay. His name was riseballl. we bought him and we are now the reigning english halter champions. People always say whites are more flahier than horses that dont have a speck of white on them but when we showed a bunch of heads got turned
I admit I am more drawn to Paints but just because the coat is unique doesn’t mean the horse has a personallity that fits. I used to ride a beautiful Paint gelding named Jet. Jet was a good horse but he was a little slow and didn’t seem to have a personality that matched mine, and now I have a Paint gelding named Lil Bit and he is every bit as unique as his coat, also I have a little bay mare and her coat may be common but she is such a good horse I wouldn’t trade her for any Paint. So in the end color doesn’t matter
Growing up I had horses of many colors, mainly appaloosas and paints. Now I own a black and white paint mare named Sapphire. She was about the ugliest thing I’d ever seen when I met her. It was August and she still had her winter coat and was about 300 lbs under weight. It was an instant bond between us; as if she needed me as much as I needed her. I traded my Appaloosa gelding straight up for her. Everyone thought I had made a bad deal, but in the end I got the better deal. There is something about the bond between a girl and her horse that color or men will never come between them.
I always wanted a grey and white horse, but since I started riding at my stables my trainer picked out a black and white appaloosa. I consider him mine but he stays at the stables. He is my favorite horse and I love him very much.
I always loved the black horses,such as Friesians.And Paints. But,since I’m a horseless horse lover, I’ll take anything,from bays to roans I don’t care.
I always told myself that beys were too common and I didn’t want one. Yet, here I am now with my wonderful bey mare, and I wouldn’t trade her for the world. Color really doesn’t matter, it’s the horse that matters.
I truly do love anything dappled. A nice dapple bay or gray horse is awesome. But my boy Charlie is the most beautiful color, a blood bay. 😀 he shines red in the sun. As soon as I saw him I knew we were meant for each other.
My favorite color has always been buckskin. Theres somthing so mezmorizing about the color, I’ve always loved it. When I got my boy, Diego, he was just a plane Sorrel/Chestnut QH. But I wouldn’t trade him for any buckskin in the world. I couldn’t have asked for a better team mate and friend.
I try not be color blind but I have to say that my least favorite color of horse is chestnut.
I love Palominos the most, but I don’t believe color really matters.
I look at the personality and behavior in a horse first, and if the color matches the personality it’s all good.
Well I’ve become partial to Appy’s but that’s just because i own one myself.And even Bobby (my horse) doesn’t have many spots he’s sortof a brownish chesnut-color. But really when it comes strait down to it- personality matters so much more than looks!!!
I love me paints! But, when I am getting down to actually going to buy a new “family member” I’m all about their conformation, spirit, manners, drive and human to horse connection.
As a girl with a dream of owning a horse, I always wanted either a gray, chestnut, or bay horse. When I finally received my first, she was a striking red roan. Now I prefer the flashier ones that stand out in the arena, but in all honesty, I do not take color into much consideration when thinking of buying a new horse. I have never brought myself to do it, though. I guess it’s just the way I am, I typically want a horse that carries itself high and will at first glance strike a person as purely beautiful.
I don’t think coats matter too much. I don’t show so I don’t have to worry about it. But a color I really like is dun. I once read this book called Misty’s Twilight and Twilight got kicked out of a cutting competition because she wasn’t solid colored. I thought that was unfair. That taught me don’t judge a book by it’s cover.
I don’t thinbk coats really matter, but I really like buckskins. I think there’s just something about them that makes them special. I don’t have my own horse, but I would love to have a dappled grey or a bay.
I always say “Pretty don’t ride” and when it comes to a good horse always go in colorblind.
It shouldn’t matter what color horses are but I am guilty of preffering horses that are milti-colored, like horses with, paint, appaloosa, and dappled patterns. Color does matter though when you show at halter, then if you are shopping for a horse to show at halter, it is okay to be color blind, but don’t make it a habit.
I have always wanted a solid black horse. I don’t know why I just like them. Maybe its cause I like Zorro’s horse..lol…jk..idk. The horse I have now is a Palomino and now I am starting to favor them also. Her color was one of the reasons why I picked her when I tried her out. The others were bays and I knew I didn’t want a bay..they are too common. So I got Abby my Palomino Quarter Horse. And when she is all clean and shiney she looks gorgous. She has beautiful dapples also.
Horses are special because of their heart. But if you ask me the word is BUCKSKIN! I am leased a black Mustang who I love to death, but my dream horse of my own in a buckskin Mustang.
I absolutely love bay horses. I think they are very classy and elegant looking, especially the brighter bays. I have always wanted a bay horse, but the horse I have now is palomino and I love palominos also. But if I ever found a good horse, it wouldn’t matter what color it was!
I think color shouldn’t matter in a horse, but I always end up looking for grays, palominos, or buckskins. I like a splash of color. But a good horse, is a good horse, no matter the color.
I think that a horse is a horse no matter what color. I do like pinto coloring and also palomino. No matter what color they are though, they always have a special place in your heart, even if they aren’t yours.
If a horse is a good horse that wont stop me from liking it. but I am a huge sucker for grays and somehow I always end up with them whether its my choice or not.
I am riding a paint, and after some research about his particular pattern, I realized what a variety paints and pintos include. Not to mention how pretty they are!
I am totally color blind, I love all horses no matter the color. I’ve ridden so many horses of different colors. I love them all. Color doesn’t make the horse.
A horses color won’t play any factor in my decision when looking for a horse, but I can’t say I won’t call out a horse driving down the road for it’s color. I have to say “aww” at some of the roans, grays, and unique paint patterns you will see dotting the pastures. I do also have to say I prefer to not have a chestnut horse, I’m not sure why though some of my favorite horses have been chestnuts. I will have to say also, when it comes to markings on the legs and face that’s the first thing I notice.
I absolutely LOVE dappled gray horses. I think their beautiful, and also very original. I also love black and white paints.
But coat color had absolutely NOTHING to do with buying a horse. The horse I bought I didn’t even see until she was at my house( we tried her out for a week)and i could’t be happier with her. And she is solid chestnut with s striped and connected star, as well as a snip (mostly only seen during winter). Ironically enough, the people we bought her fromdid barrel racing with her (so colour has NO meaning at all) and they sold her partly because her daughter wanted a more “flashy” mare.
I get compliment on her caost ALLLLLLL the time!
I love when horses are black, dun, palomino, or bay. But I don’t go off of color I go off of personality, my sister always thinks I’m stupid when I say I don’t care what color, she thinks I NEED a black horse to have a good riding horse!
I love dappled gray horses, but I love my fiery chestnut Quarter Horse and I don’t need her to be any other color.
I honestly don’t think color matters. All that matter is the horses personality. When you look at a horse with a less attractive color you aren’t distracted by thee color you look at the real horse, not just a preety coat.
I don’t think coat colours matter
I think its not the color of the horse that makes me love them but the way they carry themselves and their willingness to please you.
I really dont think that color matters. All that matters is the connection that you and your horse share!
I don’t think the color of a horse matters. What’s in the inside of a horse is what counts.
Even though colors are pretty, when it comes to horses I don’t care at all! If the horse is nice and sweet and smart and obediant, I will look at it no other way except as a friend.
In my mind a horse’s coat color is just that, a color. Sure, everyone wants to have a beautiful buckskin, but would you sacrifice personality to get a color? As the saying goes, “You can’t judge a book by its cover.”
I am much more interested in what is going on between my horse’s ears than his coat color. I have to admit, when I started shopping for a new horse three years ago, I looked at color, but not as my primary criteria.
I saw a shirt that said something like there not being a bad color for a good horse. There couldn’t be anything more true, but in my opinion, color is a cherry on top!
I think coat color is just about how much care you want to spend on your horses health. If the horse is black you might have to cool him down more often. If he has pink blotches of skin under a grey coat then he may get a sunburn more often. If you don’t want to worry as much then a brownish horse could be a better choice.
Colors read how others approach the horse. For me, it’s a great way to think, “okay, people see this horse as a beauty inside just as it is outside. let’s see how true that is.” Other than the occasional rose-grey, I don’t mind treating every horse to a treat or two.
Color isn’t very important to me. It’s the personality that ties the knot. Altough, I’m a sucker for chestnuts.
I really don’t care about colour, just the horse on the inside…. good thing to go by for humans, too. But i really like whites an dapples!
To me, coat color is not the most important quality of a horse, but I do like it though! Colors that really catch my eye are the browns and the reds, especially the bays. As long as their character is the right one for me, I don’t mind the color of the coat.