# Sorrel or Chestnut?



## Boomer11 (Jun 11, 2012)

She's registered as a sorrel but doesn't fit what I see as a sorrel, I think she's more chestnut. However I'm not exactly sure what the difference is. I feel like this is obvious and way simpler than all these other color questions but help?


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## toto (Mar 3, 2013)

sorrel- that horse is red. 

If she was lighter brown id call her chestnut- if darker redish brown shed be a liver chestnut-- theyre all (ee) 'chestnut' technically.

I think shes real pretty by the way!


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## paintgirl96 (Oct 6, 2012)

I have a chestnut/sorrel gelding, he's a lighter, brighter red color, but most people, atleast where I live, call a "red horse" of any color variation; darker like her, or lighter like my boy; a sorrel. She's a pretty mare, love those hips!
The one up top is my gelding, the one below is one of my mare's.


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## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

The distinction between sorrel and chestnut is vague and dependent entirely on the context. Some people say the lighter red, with a lighter mane and tail is sorrel, others say only a brown colour is chestnut, some registries have their own rules, and some places don't even recognise the term sorrel as meaning anything at all. Genetically speaking, they are the same colour, and if you want to differentiate them, you will have to give us your location, the registry you are with, and what discipline you ride in order for us to even begin to make the difficult choice between two names for the exact same colour.


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## Peppy Barrel Racing (Aug 16, 2011)

The OP is from Texas so the best term is Sorrel in my opinion. Here in Oklahoma I rarely ever hear a horse being called a chestnut; 95% of the time red horses are called sorrel. So I bet it's similar in Texas. 
PS I LOVE this horses build so I'm betting he's a barrel horse right? ;-)
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

Peppy Barrel Racing said:


> The OP is from Texas so the best term is Sorrel in my opinion. Here in Oklahoma I rarely ever hear a horse being called a chestnut 95% of the time, red horses are called sorrel.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Unless the OP rides english, in which case it is chestnut...


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## Peppy Barrel Racing (Aug 16, 2011)

Chiilaa said:


> Unless the OP rides english, in which case it is chestnut...


Lol true but something screams barrel horse to me lol. Might be just what I would use him for lol :-D
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Peppy Barrel Racing (Aug 16, 2011)

Double post


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## Boomer11 (Jun 11, 2012)

Yes I'm from Texas and I ride Western, so sorrel it is! Thanks for the replies! 

Thanks Peppy, I'm glad you think she has the barrel horse look. She was going to be a barrel horse and I had high hopes for her but we are struggling with a mystery lameness, hopefully soon all will be well and she will continue with training!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Peppy Barrel Racing (Aug 16, 2011)

Boomer11 said:


> Yes I'm from Texas and I ride Western, so sorrel it is! Thanks for the replies!
> 
> Thanks Peppy, I'm glad you think she has the barrel horse look. She was going to be a barrel horse and I had high hopes for her but we are struggling with a mystery lameness, hopefully soon all will be well and she will continue with training!
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


I knew it! The horse just screamed barrel horse to me with that nice sporty build. She has many qualities I pick out in barrel horses. I hope you figure out your lameness issue. I am having to put corrective shoes on my barrel horse because he has gotten in a bad habit of favoring his left leg from being lame for a year. He's gotten stiff shouldered from this as well. Just take it easy with your horse don't get in a hurry with her. It's been hard not being able to ride at our fullest potential but getting him healed is the most important thing. Not sure what kind of lameness your working with but if its hoof related get X-rays if its body related look into equine massage and chiropractors. Equine massage and chiropractic has helped my boy out a lot. And with his corrective shoes he'll roll over himself correctly again and hopefully if he quits favoring the stiffness in his shoulders will go away. It took awhile to go through the motions to figure out what was hurting but once we figured it out it made a world of difference. I hope you find the problem with your horse soon. She's a pretty girl I see the potential!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Boomer11 (Jun 11, 2012)

Peppy Barrel Racing said:


> I knew it! The horse just screamed barrel horse to me with that nice sporty build. She has many qualities I pick out in barrel horses. I hope you figure out your lameness issue. I am having to put corrective shoes on my barrel horse because he has gotten in a bad habit of favoring his left leg from being lame for a year. He's gotten stiff shouldered from this as well. Just take it easy with your horse don't get in a hurry with her. It's been hard not being able to ride at our fullest potential but getting him healed is the most important thing. Not sure what kind of lameness your working with but if its hoof related get X-rays if its body related look into equine massage and chiropractors. Equine massage and chiropractic has helped my boy out a lot. And with his corrective shoes he'll roll over himself correctly again and hopefully if he quits favoring the stiffness in his shoulders will go away. It took awhile to go through the motions to figure out what was hurting but once we figured it out it made a world of difference. I hope you find the problem with your horse soon. She's a pretty girl I see the potential!
> _Posted via Mobile Device_



Thank you so much, I saw potential too! I hope your horse has a speedy recovery! We've been taking things nice and slow. I got her in November as an 8 year old. Never been ridden just used as a family pet. Owner couldn't keep her because he took a job traveling. I went and saw her and thought I'd take a risk, she was free and not in great condition, it may not have been the best decision. A 1,000 pound mare that has been treated more like a dog than a horse is a handful! My boss is a trainer and took her for me around Feburary and did a lot of ground work with her and she wasn't showing any lameness then. He sent her off to be ridden about three weeks ago. She shows lameness in her right front shoulder under saddle after a few rides, it comes and goes. The vet came out to draw coggins on all the horses at my bosses barn and took a look at her, a quick one because my boss was running around like a chicken with his head cut off trying to get things sorted out for a week long trip to a show, but at that time he said she looked great and the lameness didn't show up. Things are crazy hectic and she isn't in obvious pain so the vet is planning another visit soon and he will look at her more thoroughly. Anyways hopefully we will get it figured out soon!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

I've always thought of sorrel being more orangish red and chestnut being more brownish red. Both of these horses are AQHA registered. The one on the left is registered as a sorrel and the one on the right as chestnut.


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## phantomhorse13 (Feb 18, 2011)

Boomer11 said:


> Tdid a lot of ground work with her and she wasn't showing any lameness then. He sent her off to be ridden about three weeks ago. She shows lameness in her right front shoulder under saddle after a few rides, it comes and goes.


Next time your vet is out, have her/him take a look at the horse's back. Any time a lameness appears only when riding is involved, it makes me suspicious of bad saddle fit causing back pain. Back pain can show up as all sorts of 'random' lameness. My DH's distance horse was having saddle fit issues and he showed us by first seeming to be lame in the LH, but high up in the hip, then coming up lame in the RF, seemingly in the shoulder. Did some more investigating and realized it was his back. Different saddle and no more lameness issues!

She is a beautiful mare (who I would call chestnut because of my english and ayrab backgrounds :wink and I hope you get her right asap!


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

Curious here (not meaning to steal the thread) but then what would you call this horse?

Sorrel or chestnut?






















I always called him a sorrel .... until I was talking to my cousin (who I bought him from) who said he's a chestnut. Sure enough, checked my APHA papers for him and he was registered as a chestnut. 

I never really understood the difference I guess. I'm not a color guru!


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## Boomer11 (Jun 11, 2012)

Thanks phantom will do! I will definitely get him to check that out, next time he comes I think he is going to observe here being ridden to see what we see because watching her move on the ground he couldn't detect anything.


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## nvr2many (Jan 18, 2011)

beau159 said:


> Curious here (not meaning to steal the thread) but then what would you call this horse?
> 
> Sorrel or chestnut?
> 
> ...


It is genetically the same thing. Just different parts of the country or discipline's seem to call it different things. Here I would call that Sorrel, but as others have said, if you ride English you may say chestnut. Potato, patato I always say.


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