Does unusual colour ATTRACT you or back you off?

[TrueColours]

As an offshoot to the unusual colored horses in the show ring thread, do you specifically seek out a suitable stallion or youngster or show horse based on criteria that INCLUDES a specific colour or markings or pattern being an integral part of the equation, or on the flip side - do you avoid certain colours / markings like the plague? Or does it even remotely figure into your thought process at all???

When I went looking for a stallion prospect for a client, while bloodlines, movement, jumping ability, correct conformation, height, etc all had to be part of the equation, I’d be a liar if I also didnt say being black with chrome wasnt a big factor in what we bought. It was the absolute tipping point for everyone involved in the decision to buy him over anything else we were considering, all things being equal.

I also know when I was looking for outside stallions for my homebred mares, all of those aforementioned criteria were at the top of the list - colour and markings included. It is a deal breaker for me in many ways if I couldnt tick off every single one of the “important” boxes.

I am now looking at a possible purchase. Very credible bloodlines through the sire line (winning UL competitor and I believe he has also produced successful UL offspring), just okay through the dam line. Beautiful conformation and movement. Attractive individual overall. Nice size, very nice conformation. But - here is the kicker. He is snow white as in not a coloured hair on his entire body. No - he is not a grey that has whited out nor is he a Double Dilute with blue eyes. His base coat colour is chestnut, and he is a Dominant White - where literally all of his facial and leg markings have “bled” into his entire body, turning him into one giant marking - head to toe, front to back, top to bottom.

So - he would produce genetially as any chestnut stallion would. Instead of having 4 stockings and a blaze - he is very wildly marked everywhere so he should produce an abundance of white markings on his foals

With all things being equal - he does well in his Stallion Test, he does well in whatever show career he has - short or long, and he produces nice foals, being a “different” colour that is not easily understood - is that going to back off more Mare Owners than it attracts?

Just pondering and thinking long term here and curious what the general consensus is

If looking for a well bred young stallion for your mare that did well in his stallion test and you liked everything about him - would being snow white attract you or back you off? Or would you even give it a single thought?

[Dressage_Diva333]

To be honest, it’s really not that big of a deal. I think in the case your describing, mare owners would probably be MORE interested, being the fact that the horse isn’t actually genetically grey (I’d be really interested to see pictures of the horse!). My FAVORITE colors are black and buckskin, I have two blacks, no buckskins. I don’t love greys, yet I’ve got a bunch of them (actually it’s not so much the color, it’s the melanoma issue, although knock on wood, I haven’t had a problem with that yet… ). I also really dislike chestnuts, but I’ve got those too. I think for me personally, the only thing I’d shy from is a cross that would produce a double dilute (which currently I don’t own any mares who are single dilutes, so it’s not really that much of a concern at this point). Double dilutes just aren’t my thing. If the horse (or pony) is nice in every other way, then I really don’t care what color it is (except for double dilute). I will admit to liking a bit of chrome, but absolutely not a deciding factor.

All that being said, I don’t know enough about the dominant white gene… what genetic markers would the mare have to have to get another dominant white?

ETA: I do not like pintos. I would not breed to a pinto for fear of getting a pinto, even if was a really nice horse.

[Kerole]

I have a dominant white mare, not one coloured hair on her body. Genetically she is chestnut. I specifically bought my mare because she was DW - the only studbook DW Hanoverian in the world. She had a non-DW colt last year and is newly in foal to Furstenball.

There is a 50/50 chance that a DW will pass on that gene. It is expressed in various ways from a normal body coliur with extra long stockings, to wildly lacy and speckled, to all white.

I am ALWAYS drawn to a funky coloured stallion! But I am almost always let down by something that has been compromised in getting that colour, usually it is bloodlines. In my mare’s case, she was a freak from two exceptional competition horses, so no compromise at all.

I have to say though, that I’m really not a fan of the all-white horse. The pink facial skin (and brown eyes) is not attractive to me. The speckly lacy DWs can look quite cool but my favourite is a normal body colour with masses of chrome.

If I were to stand a DW stallion it helps to have photos that show what the possible coat colurings may look like. Most people do not understand how dominant white works.

[Dinah-do]

Not a fan of funky colours ever. Will never own one and fail to see the attraction.

[MsRidiculous]

I personally wouldn’t breed to a DW stallion for fear of getting another DW. I find it very unattractive and wouldn’t risk it just to try to get chrome.

Color aside - with a “just okay” damline it’d probably be a no for me anyway.

[CrowneDragon]

I couldn’t care less either way, other than avoiding Appaloosas as a breed, and greys, due to health considerations.

[SmartAlex]

I like color as long as the horse wears it well. But some funky colors can make a nice horse look cheap.

[EventerAJ]

Color matters little to me. Having a gray mare, I would avoid gray stallions (would prefer not a gray, due to melanomas). But shopping for an individual already on the ground? Pretty is as pretty does. I enjoy some white markings, but it’s far down the list of my “must haves” in breeding considerations or purchases.

I am neither attracted nor opposed to pintos, dilutes, or other unusual colors. Judge the horse by his conformation, quality, and performance, not what color his hair is.

[TrueColours]

Dressage_Diva - here you go - some examples for you

I LOVE this stallion - Artic Blue. He is a Dominant White with a black base coat colour and will reproduce exactly as a black stallion would with the added bonus (if you want that) of some neat markings as well …

http://stonehousemeadows.com/stallions.html

On this page you’ll see several DW’s - chestnut base coat colour and bay base coats and a cremello colt which is totally different than DW but looks pretty similar except for the blue eye colour on the cremello

http://stonehousemeadows.com/for-sale.html

And on this page the first filly is a bay based DW showing some early colour that may stay or may fade over time - hard to say right now

http://stonehousemeadows.com/foals.html

All very interesting from a genetic perspective and what they are capable of producing!

[TKR]

The deal breaker for me would be a damline that lacks strength in a stallion. I put alot of stock in a damline. I am not a fan of wild or funky or attention-getting colors. I love a pretty bay, chestnut or black with some tasteful markings, but would not buy a palomino, paint/pinto, cremello, etc. Just not my taste or style. I’d rather have any attention directed at good performance or pedigree, not to say they wouldn’t just not for me.
PennyG

[Halt_Near_X]

As someone who can only own one, maybe two horses at a time:

I’d buy a horse by a DW (or certain other color/patterns) stallion on the ground, where I could be sure the horse checked off all my other requirements and it was just the color that didn’t float my boat.

But I wouldn’t breed to one. There are just too many nice stallions out there who check off all my requirements and are colors I DO like. All other factors being equal, I’d go with one of them.

[Fourbeats]

My favorite color of horse is a palomino with four white socks so you could say I love color on a horse. Theoretically, if the stallion met all my criteria (conformation, temperament, ability, pedigree, and production to name a few) and the only difference between him and another equally qualified stallion was color then I’d pick the colored one.

[JB]

You know me, I am immediately drawn to any color different, whether it’s a dilute, pinto, silver, lots of bling, whatever.

However, once I’m past the googly eyes, I do try to objectively evaluate quality.

I fail to see the attraction in a plain, simple, typical, boring chestnut

[Snowfox]

I love a grey horse! And if all things are equal I will always buy a grey horse. Currently we have 14 out of 30 that are grey. Grey’s are a “thing” in our family so we’ve probably have had over a 100 since the mid '50’s. We have never had one that had serious melanomas and none of them have died of them. We rarely sell our horses and they live long lives --usually into their late 20’s - late 30’s. My two horses that died “young” (1 was 15 (colic) the other 20(cushi ings)) were both bays.

[cnm161]

If color is mentioned in the first 5 words of a stallion’s promotion, I’m backing off. Similarly, if color isn’t paired with performance or offspring quality, I’m running away.

It’s a different story if I’m looking for a riding horse-- it can be any color as long as it’s quality. But if I’m looking at stallions… lots of running.

I’ve also noticed some oddly high stud fees for some cremellos/perlinos/other dilutes, while chestnuts and bays seem to have to earn those $$.

[ThistleDewDressage]

Personally I prefer the “bling” in a horse to be exceptional movement and confirmation. Sometimes color gets distracting. I like a pretty buckskin or palamino. but wouldn’t breed for one specifically. Too much white is not my favorite, but it would detract from my purchase decision. Blue eyes are an absolute no for me, I just can’t get past them. Its a love it or hate it thing for me. PS Snowfox, I have a grey or two to send your way, they are my least favorite color and somehow I have 3 out of 4 that are grey, go figure, though it is proof that I put the horse before the color.

[netg]

I love color and it gets my attention, but I love performance more. Three of our four horses are bays, my least favorite color, and two have almost no white. The third is a crippled rescue mare who fell in my lap. Even my chestnut filly has only a star and bracelet above one hoof - but I do love her flaxen mane and tail.

As much as I love it, I prefer less white due to melanoma risk because all our horses spend a lot of time in the sun by choice, and I would hate to have to confine one to keep it shaded. In a stallion I doubt I would pick with color really having much influence at all, or stallion tests. I want to see a performance record or foals I like - preferably both. I would only be a personal breeder, though, not for a business, so what would make a baby marketable isn’t on my radar.

[magicteetango]

Not huge on color or white so it would actually turn me off over a more traditional looking stallion. But if I liked the bloodlines, performance, etc I wouldn’t say no I guess.

[melody1]

I’m not attracted to color for purposes of breeding or purchasing. I have not yet come across a stallion with color (beyond white on legs/face) who interests me, so should I find one who has all of the qualities I want AND color, I honestly don’t know whether that would be a big enough turn off to persuade me not to breed.

The #1 stallion I have in mind is plain bay without a speck of white, and has produced a number of nearly identical replicas. He has produced some grey, and my mare is out of a grey, so that would be a possibility.

[Narleta]

I couldn’t care less about color. A good horse is a good horse no matter what it’s wrapping.