So "Chestnut Mare"--Is That Really a Thing?

[beowulf]

@ecileh

My big mare comes from a family my trainer has tapped into many times. I know a LOT of her sisters and brothers (both full and half). All handled the same way as foals, all trained and backed and broken the same way, by the same people. The only mare of that set of siblings that was a raging bitch was the chestnut one. (Though they are all capable of it–she just wears her temper on her sleeve.)

That said…I have known many chestnut mares who were great and only a handful that fit the stereotype.

You know how they say “bad things happen in threes” but it’s not really that bad things happen only in threes, it’s that people stop counting after 3? I think it’s the same for stereotypes - we look for small pieces to arrange in a way that is meaningful to us, to justify our preconceived notion that XXYZ should be ZXY way… so we can yell “aha!”.

I really, really don’t give any credence to the stereotype and I think it is just that people see what they want to see. My best boarders have been chestnut. My favorite horse to ride is chestnut. I own exclusively bays (all plain wrappers at that) and still, the chestnut herd-mates are the horses that you can pull out of a field after 3 months of no work and hack around bareback in a halter on… Some of the chestnuts I’ve known you couldn’t pay me to own, but that’s the same for any color: black, grey, pinto, bay…

Of course, a bad apple is a bad apple but I wouldn’t blame it on the fur color… once you start doing that it is a slippery slope… what’s the difference between fur color and skin color?

The only thing I truly believe, and it is backed by science, is that some darker pigmented domesticated species are generally calmer/more tame (rats, pigs, dogs & cats) - but not in horses. That has to do with melatonin.

[kashmere]

I find it so funny that we even entertain this is a possibility! Do you truly believe that redheaded women are “feisty” (or the less flattering descriptors often applied to them?) Or that blondes are dumb?

My hottest horses have been bays. My calmest, like Beowulf’s, have been chestnut. Doesn’t mean a damn thing, given the infinitesimally small sample size. Mares have a hormonal component to their behaviour which geldings do not deal with, so their personalities tend to reflect that.

[Chestnut_Mare1]

There must be some truth to it.

I am a “chestnut mare” and my horse is a bright WB/TB chestnut mare. We get along great, but I have been asked more than once “Why did you buy that horse?”.

I think there we choose horses, or they choose us, for a reason. My girl pretty much made me bring my anxiety down 100% because she would be a mess if I was anxious around her. It took 2 years for us to connect, but now we are soulmates.

I’ve never been the emotional touchy feely type, but this hot headed, sensitive, opinionated mare changed my life for the better.

[NancyM]

People who make generalizations about colour or sex of a horse haven’t dealt with enough horses to have a significant sample size. Some of the best horses I have known have been chestnut mares. The craziest horse I have ever known was a bay mare, and the dumbest, most unpredictable, and probably most dangerous horse I have ever known was a grey gelding. Don’t make generalizations based on colour or sex. How is that for a generalization? Each horse must be judged as an individual, and on it’s suitability for it’s owner/rider’s needs for the purpose intended. No generalizations.

[equisusan]

@phippsie62

Mentioning the words “chestnut mare” seems to elicit a chuckle and a verbal eye-roll on the Forum and elsewhere. Does the bad rep have any real justification, or is it just a kind of myth/joke among horse folk?

Yessss they are terrible. Cursed really. If you have one about 16.2, 8yo that jumps with her knees to her chin I’ll take her off your hands free of charge. And if she has too much white showing in one of her eyes I’ll only charge you gas money to pick her up and save you.

[CHT]

@kashmere

I find it so funny that we even entertain this is a possibility! Do you truly believe that redheaded women are “feisty” (or the less flattering descriptors often applied to them?)

.

Science has shown that red headed people feel pain differently/more acutely on average than the rest of us, so there may indeed be a connection between hair colour and temperament in equines.

(My easiest to train mare was a liver chestnut)

[RugBug]

My chestnut mare mostly just fits the mare stereotypes…to a degree. She’s pretty darn easy to live with for the most part, does does approach the world as if it should cater to her. That has nothing to do with her chestnut-ness…but I would wager it does have to do with her mare-ness.

@findeight

Look at WBs in their varying percentages of “blood”, usually from TB, sometimes Arab sources. Look at the foundation QHs too. Not a lot of bright chesnuts with chrome.

There are plenty of chestnut QHs…they just call them sorrels. they have also selectively bred the chrome out by calling them Paints and not allowing them to be registered.

As for Arabians? with so many grays in their lineage, you would expect to see more grays and bays vs. chestnuts.

Genetically speaking, gray is dominant and bay is the most frequent color. Not sure it can be traced back to blood. It’s just a factor of numbers…

@alternate_universe

From my experience, I have seen higher skin sensitivity in chestnuts. I am currently working with a chestnut TB whose idea of an ideal grooming session would be me wiping him off with a baby wipe. You have to be so, so gentle with brushing his body. Hard curry combs are not an option, only soft, flexible styles.

Both my chestnuts love a good grooming. My chestnut TB gelding especially enjoys a good curry. Sure, I’ve known plenty of horses that didn’t appreciate it, but they range the color…and breed…spectrum.

[CorazonLock]

I love the fun of playing into a stereotype, but do I actually believe them? Nope. I have a redhead friend that I love to give grief to, but in all honesty, she is her own individual, just like any chestnut mare.

I always joke about my chestnut gelding - well, he’s a red dub, but you know. He’s a mischievous sort and while a safe ride and a great partner, he’s a quirky one!

[Mukluk]

I absolutely LOVE my OTTB Chestnut Mare. She can be excitable but always has a healthy sense of self preservation. She is sensitive to bug bites (just like me). Otherwise, she is steady, level headed and has done all manner of activities from being in parades (with Junior High school Orchestra marching behind), to drill team, to horse camping and navigating some difficult trails in the High Sierra, to cattle work, to eventing (all lower level so far due to time/money constraints). She has also done well in trail classes and in “spook” clinics. She happily gives pony rides to the young and old. She is very sweet and has outstanding ground manners. AND she is beautiful.