# Difference Between Sorrel and Chestnut



## lilkitty90 (Nov 11, 2009)

i don't believe there is a difference, but when i think of Chesnut i think of a more brighter fiery colored horse, and when i think Sorrel, i see a more brown not quite so shiny and bright, but still brown. but the words are interchangeable, as they mean the same thing. which is a Red based horse.


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## Brighteyes (Mar 8, 2009)

I use them interchangeably. The only difference I've found is that Western riders are more prone to using the term "sorrel", and English riders seem to prefer to call their red horses "chestnut".


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## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

In the English world, there is no "sorrel" - there is chestnut, and that's that. Liver chestnut is a rich, dark shade of chestnut. 
In the Western world, chestnut is considered what us English folk would call "liver chestnut" and sorrel describes lighter shades of chestnut. 
That's how I understand it, anyhow.


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## Arksly (Mar 13, 2010)

Ahhh, that makes sense. I've always ridden English and called all of our "Red" horses chestnuts (one red chestnut, one with a flaxen mane and tail, one liver chestnut and a chestnut overo). Anyway, the barn manager (who rides western) wrote Jesse's color down as Sorrel Overo. It just made me curious.


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## Tennessee (Dec 7, 2008)

I've always understood it to be sorrel horses are Western and that Chestnut horses are English. Anything more detailed is beyond me.


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## lilruffian (Jun 28, 2010)

JustDressageIt said:


> In the English world, there is no "sorrel" - there is chestnut, and that's that. Liver chestnut is a rich, dark shade of chestnut.
> In the Western world, chestnut is considered what us English folk would call "liver chestnut" and sorrel describes lighter shades of chestnut.
> That's how I understand it, anyhow.


 Precisely :wink: There is no actual difference between the 2 colors, though many western people do refer to "liver chestnut" as chestnut.


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## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

Woo! Glad I'm not completely off base! Thanks LR  
Believe me, I was completely confused when I started working for a mostly-Western barn... "go grab the sorrel with the star in that field -- no, not that one! The _sorrel_! "


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## NdAppy (Apr 8, 2009)

Genetically sorrel and chestnut are exactly the same. The difference is in shading.


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## Arksly (Mar 13, 2010)

NdAppy said:


> Genetically sorrel and chestnut are exactly the same. The difference is in shading.


I did some more research and that is just a debate. There are many many different shades of chestnut. Red, light, black, liver chestnut are just some examples. So really, it pretty much covers every shade of that coat there is.


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## Poseidon (Oct 1, 2010)

lilruffian said:


> Precisely :wink: There is no actual difference between the 2 colors, though many western people do refer to "liver chestnut" as chestnut.


I ride western and that's how I was taught: Sorrel is the bright orangey colour and chestnut is the darker shade of that..which is apparently liver chestnut.

Until I joined the forum that was always my thought. I'll probably still refer to them like that though because I don't actually know anyone who rides English.


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## lilruffian (Jun 28, 2010)

My lingo is always kinda mixed up lol When i was a kid, i was huge into reading all the horse books i could find & for some reason, nearly everyone of them is written in "english terms". 
So when i'm with my riding buddies (and _everyone_ i know rides western in my area) i still say canter instead of lope and chestnut instead of sorrel lol!


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## Poseidon (Oct 1, 2010)

Yeah. If I go sit at Barnes and Noble, reading random horse books, they're all English. I have neverrrr said canter. It's lope. And there are references to english tack. Let's be real, I hadn't even SEEN an English saddle until...September? And that was at a tack auction. It was just the one and it sold for $75 because no one wanted it. Haha.


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## lilruffian (Jun 28, 2010)

Yeah, our local takc ship only ever has one english saddle for sale at any given time & it's been there for years! They don't even sell the bridles or accessories!


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