What's Your Favorite Color?
It is probably best not to get your heart set on a particular color when you begin looking for a horse. Color is certainly not as important as age or temperament. But because color is the first way of identifying a horse, it is good to know the definitions of various colors. It will help you visualize a potential horse as you scan advertisements and feel more confident talking to owners.
The two most common colors are the Chestnut and the Bay. A bay horse must have a black mane and tail and have black around the tips of his ears. The legs must also be black, except for any white markings. The body color can vary from red (called a blood bay) to a reddish-brown to black. Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish between a black horse and a dark bay. The difference can be seen around the muzzle. A true black horse will have black skin and all black hairs around the muzzle while a bay will show some brown in this area.
A Chestnut is red to dark brown in body color with a mane and tail of the same color. A Sorrel is essentially the same color as a Chestnut, but is usually referred to in horses that are ridden under western tack. Both the Sorrel and the Chestnut may also have lighter colored, or flaxen, manes and tails.
The Palomino horse always has a flaxen or white mane and tail. Palomino is one of the color patterns so unique it has become a separate breed of horse. These are known as color breeds and often incorporate other registered breeds of horses in their pedigree. According to the Palomino Horse Breeders of America, a registered Palomino must have a mane and tail that is at least 85% white. The ideal color is that of a United States gold coin, although they vary from creamy yellow to yellow/brown. The underlying skin color must be dark.
Paints and Pintos are also color breeds. These are horses with large patches of white on their bodies combined with any other color. The difference between a Paint and Pinto horse is the other registered breeds that are allowed or required in their pedigree. Paint horses only allow Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred bloodlines into their registry. The Pinto registry allows for many different breeds, with the exception of Appaloosa, Draft or Mule bloodlines. Pinto Mares and Geldings can be registered on the merits of their color alone.
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