I love chestnut mares, but do believe they are much more difficult to sell. Good luck!
I couldn’t not reply when I saw the title to this thread! Here is my very redheaded TB girl that I bred, raised and started myself doing her first little (2’) cross country on Sunday, at KHP no less, my first time ever to compete there, and certainly hers. 
I wasn’t looking for a chestnut (she came from a long line of bays), my last TB I competed years ago was also a chestnut mare, but I really love her redness now. And at (cough) 50-something, I’m not crawling on just anything.
Plus she is turning out to be a little bit brave, very honest and I love her to pieces!
Doing our best to dispell the myth! :yes:
I used to lease (for 6 years) a chestnut Anglo-Arab mare. “Opinionated” was how I usually described her, but she was a blast!
[QUOTE=DLee;7238589]
I couldn’t not reply when I saw the title to this thread! Here is my very redheaded TB girl that I bred, raised and started myself doing her first little (2’) cross country on Sunday, at KHP no less, my first time ever to compete there, and certainly hers. I wasn’t looking for a chestnut (she came from a long line of bays), my last TB I competed years ago was also a chestnut mare, but I really love her redness now. And at (cough) 50-something, I’m not crawling on just anything.
Plus she is turning out to be a little bit brave, very honest and I love her to pieces!
Doing our best to dispell the myth! :yes:[/QUOTE]
She is beautiful! Is that you on her? What’s her breeding?
[QUOTE=beowulf;7238607]
She is beautiful! Is that you on her? What’s her breeding?[/QUOTE]
Thank you! Yes, that is me, here is her pedigree. http://www.pedigreequery.com/online+romance
I guess the chestnut isn’t as far away as I thought, I like to think she’s a bit of a throwback to Secretariat and Little Current.
Mr.DL and I met online, hence the name. 
DLee, Your mare is nicely bred! She looks like a good girl. Congratulations on your first, and probably not your last, run at the KHP. I had wanted to have Piper that far along, so that we could give Octoberfest a try. At least, the weather was much nicer for you, than at Team Challenge. Are you thinking about taking her to the Hunter Pace at Masterson this weekend?
Crossing over from H/J land - I love chestnut mares and plan to have a whole barn of them eventually (in my dream world where I have the time and money for that :lol: ), and I have a wonderful chestnut OTTB mare who is my horse of a lifetime and I love to death… but she definitely fits the stereotype for chestnut mares. She has the attitude, the temper, and the heart (if she likes you). My trainer says Nikki and I are soul mates, so I guess I fit the stereotype too.
Agreed with the person who said that some people are mare people and some people aren’t; I could see that being a bigger factor in resale than the chestnut color.
I love and will love my chestnut mare until the day I die. An amazing horse. She was not easy, a very technical ride, but I learned more from her than any horse I have ever ridden.
She taught me to REALLY ride every stride. She was bold and brave and taught me the true meaning of cross country riding. Some of my best memories of my fabulous girl are of us flying up a huge hill, flat out, full gallop, free.
She was my first FEI horse. She was NOT built for it. Her tremendous heart is why we even made it there. She tried so hard for me and was truly my best friend.
She was gone too soon. Even though she has now been gone nearly two months, she continues to teach me, daily, about riding and life.
Don’t pass on any horse because of sex or color. In the end, it’s all about what you love and the bond you form with the horse.
I love my chestnut TB mare. In general, I’m not a mare person but I am for this mare. She’s definitely not for everybody but she’s very, very special. She’s opinionated and moody, though never nasty and that’s why I love her. She tolerates no fools and is the first to let me know if I’ve done something stupid (she will turn away treats if she’s pissed at you). At 19, things are done her way or they are not done at all and by learning how to ride her her way I’ve become a better rider on anything I get on.
My DH also rides a chestnut mare and that horse is worth her weight in gold. Of the mares in our barn, the one that probably exemplifies every mare stereotype more than any other horse I’ve known happens to be bay. Color doesn’t matter, what matters is you clicking with a particular horse regardless of what they look like.
The very best horse I ever had was a chestnut mare.
My mare was sent to my trainer to be sold last winter after her previous owners had advertised her for some time with no luck. She is opinionated and can be a handful at times. She is truly of the “ask a mare” club but I am having a good time with her. I have to pick my battles with her carefully to win the war so to speak!
https://www.facebook.com/lori.revis.9/photos#!/photo.php?fbid=10103367605014475&set=t.1317835889&type=3&theater
Hell hath no fury like my chestnut half-TB! Then again, hell also had no fury like my plain bay Holsteiner…
No no no no no! Chestnut mares are the evil spawn of Satan and you must not have one!!! (That leaves them all to me! Mwa-ha-ha-ha!)
Seriously, we had two outstanding chestnut mares at the same time; a Selle Francais and a Dutch Warmblood. Although both left this world many years ago, DH was reminiscing about the DWB this evening over dinner as being the finest horse he’s ever known. The rider would look at a fence, and she’d handle the rest. A beautiful mover, her dressage was always a slam dunk. The only question was her making time XC at Prelim. But it was always a given that she’d take care of her rider.
Same with the SF. We could take her out of a field, spend a week “buffing her up” and go prelim safely. We sold her on to someone who did hunters and jumpers with her on the same day. When that rider’s DH was aboard for a gallop one day the stirrup bar broke and he panicked. That lovely horse gently stopped and waited for him to get rearranged and then they walked back to the barn.
Both these chestnut mares were worth their weight in gold, and I never would’ve been able to afford either if there wasn’t a terrible prejudice against chestnut mares.
So don’t dispel it!
[QUOTE=Auburn;7236853]
I already own the 4 year old, OTTB chestnut mare. Because my 14 year old, event mare has come back sound from her injury (I gave her six months off), I want to downsize. My OTTB’s name is Chasing Piper. I have contacted several trainers for her to go into their Training/board, to sell programs. Because the red heads have a bad rep, they believe that it will be more difficult to sell her, thus my questions to you. Most of the trainers agree with all of you. However, Joe Q. Public seems to have issues with the “dreaded Chestnut mare.” [/QUOTE]
16+H - pro
no chrome - con
Before sending her out for Training/board/selling, consider how much you’ll be investing (I think she’s at home with you at present?) - what if she sells in 6 months, a year, not for 18 - 24 months … I’d try selling her 1st, as is; or free lease her to someone that is able to get her going, then either wait to sell her or offer free-leaser a share in the sale etc.
Don’t forget that MMSC may want to be involved.
Hope you’re recovering well after your fall :yes:
I got a good deal on a nice little chestnut mare this summer. Not only was she a chestnut mare, she is also only 14.3hh. An inch smaller or a few inches bigger and a different color would have made her sale price higher than what I could afford. She definitely does not fit the stereotype.
My first horse was a chestnut mare who was very difficult, but I think it was because she was unhandled until she was 8 years old, not her color.
alto, Both of my girls are boarded. I have spoken with several trainers and found a couple with very reasonable training/board situations. One of them has some folks lined up to look at horses, as soon as their Eventing season is done. Yes. Susanna, at the MMSC, is aware of my plans and is fine with them. After my fall, I visited my Chiropractor and have been back in the tack for almost 2 weeks. Thank you for asking! :yes:
Auburn – I think the prejudice is certainly there, and is a shame.
I have only sold one horse in my life – and it was a chestnut mare! She came to me straight from the track last year. The trainer was a friend of a friend, and wanted to send her to me – free and even paid the transport. :eek: She is chestnut TB, lots of chrome, and I was quite concerned about being able to resell her. Several trainers said, shaking their heads “oh, you know, chestnut mare – you’ll never get rid of that one.”
She found the perfect home, and I never even advertised her! :lol: I mentioned to someone on a group on FB that I had one that would be ready for resale, but was not currently advertised. She had her friend contact me, and before I even knew what was happening, she came to see her, made an offer, and BOOM, she had a new home.
Now, does she fit the stereotype? No, as to the hard to sell part, obviously. As to the stubborn, opinionated part? Well, her new owner has very much enjoyed her brave nature, and fortunately has the right personality to work through the stubborn part :lol:
As with everything else, each horse/situation will be different. You will run into that prejudice, but you may also have the right person pop right up and find her a new home without even having to advertise or promote her.
Good luck with whatever you decide!!
Libby
FWIW…when someone walks into my barn and a variety of heads ranging from liver chestnut, orange ch,red, ches ( all pretty with some white ) to bright bay, dark brown and grey…the grey is 1. Bright bay w/ blaze 2 and dark brown 3 with chestnuts last in order of customer going to look or pet face…and they always ask if chestnuts are mares…never fails…
Dark brown bay or black with low or high white socks and some white on face ALWAYS gets looked at tried or called about over chestnuts…I have 3 exceptional,chestnut geldings who if bay or brown would be long gone.
Imhad a bidding war over a grey and a small blood bay blew out of here …same horses in red would still be here trust me…me I shop physical and mind not color…but sex yup…geldings or colts!!!
I am not sure how well the stereotype fits, but I’ve met a few of “those” chestnut mares. OTOH, the best school horse I ever rode was my long-ago instructor’s QH/Morgan cross mare. She was the instructor’s personal horse and a real sweetheart (and named “Valentine” because she had a white heart on her forehead, awww). But when she had to be retired, my instructor bought a chestnut Anglo-Arab mare, and that thing was NUTS.
At current barn, there was a chestnut Trakehner-cross gelding who was dubbed an honorary mare, because he exceeded the chestnut mare stereotype and then some.
[QUOTE=Auburn;7239641]
alto, Both of my girls are boarded. I have spoken with several trainers and found a couple with very reasonable training/board situations. One of them has some folks lined up to look at horses, as soon as their Eventing season is done. [/QUOTE]
Sounds promising, as I recall she’s quite nice so should get some attention.
Yes. Susanna, at the MMSC, is aware of my plans and is fine with them.
I was hoping they might want to list her on their site again - or not as you prefer
So great that you were able to be sorted by your chiro!
