# Are there color discriminations? or myths?



## paintluver (Apr 5, 2007)

I don't know if it is with all greys/whites, but both of mine get REALLY fuzzy in the winter...


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## Jessabel (Mar 19, 2009)

Greys are more prone to skin cancer. That's the only one I believe. :wink:


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## herdbound (Aug 30, 2010)

I heard one last night actually...If a horse has 4 white socks run like hell...Mine happens to have 4 knee high white socks and I have been told she is a crazy nut...anyone else ever heard that myth?


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## DressageIsToDance (Jun 10, 2010)

Oh there are tons of myths. The most popular one I've heard is "red heads" (chestnuts that is) are crazy. Or the "chestnut mare" syndrome, that indicates chestnut mares are hot and spirited, and more unpredictable than most horses.

Well, none of them are really true. That being said, funny enough all the chestnut mares I have known have been a little kooky! And I've known some nutty chestnuts, but I have known just as many calm chestnuts.

But.




> ll black horses like to lic


My boy is black (okay, he's bleached to a yucky orange right now, but he IS naturally black), and he's never licked. He licks his lips when he thinks I have a snack for him though! 



> all red roans get woolier winter coats


Never heard this, but the red roan I knew as a child actually had a fairly light winter coat. The roaning may make it appear to be fuzzier though.



> sorrels are fast


I've heard it, but I don't think it's true. I've known a lot of sloooow, lazy sorrels.



> white horses have a harder time learning to back up


I've never heard that. Or course, "white" is technically not a real color, unless you want to count dominant white, which is the only "true" white horse. Grays though...all I've known have backed fine, and the one I knew who was in training learned pretty easy.

Another one I just remembered hearing was the black horses are super-spirited. I guess that's a stigma that comes from stuff like The Black Stallion and movies with "dreamy" black horses. I've only known a couple of black horses in my life. One I didn't know that well, but she seemed to be fairly mellow in temperament, not super hot headed. And my Jack is definitely not a deadhead, but I would not call him hot or super-spirited. I think he's got a lot of personality and he's somewhat pushy, but he's very motivated. I think he just gets more studly (although he's a gelding) rather than spirited or hot. Or am I just making excuses for him? 

I've heard Appaloosas are sweet and that Cremellos/Perlinos are hard to handle.
http://www.horseforum.com/#post736800#ixzz0yOYklT4z​


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## DressageIsToDance (Jun 10, 2010)

herdbound said:


> I heard one last night actually...If a horse has 4 white socks run like hell...Mine happens to have 4 knee high white socks and I have been told she is a crazy nut...anyone else ever heard that myth?


I HAVE.

"One sock, buy 'em.
Two socks, try 'em.
Three socks, deny 'em
Four socks, DON'T BUY HIM!"

That's the saying I believe. I think it stems from an old way of thinking that white socks made the hoof weak. But I don't think it had anything to do with craziness. I could be wrong.

My trainer has an awesome pony with 4 white stockings though, and he's a 2nd level dressage horse with a sweet disposition.


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## GreyRay (Jun 15, 2010)

I have herd: Paints are 'wild'. Buckskins are mean. sorrels are hard to train but really loyal when finished. White hooves are softer And Palominos are hot heads... Oh and a non color related discrimination: Stallions are crazy man eating monsters.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## tempest (Jan 26, 2009)

herdbound said:


> If a horse has 4 white socks run like hell


Yes, I have heard that one before. Rocket had four socks and a bad attitude. And was slightly jumpy, but that could have been due to lack of training because once I had him sensitized he was fine.


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

Greys are actually only prone to cancer because they have solid black skin ! 

I have always heard the chestnuts are crazy one. Which is funny because people take it so serious and won't ride them !
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## ilyTango (Mar 7, 2010)

herdbound said:


> I heard one last night actually...If a horse has 4 white socks run like hell...Mine happens to have 4 knee high white socks and I have been told she is a crazy nut...anyone else ever heard that myth?


Some of the old racehorse trainers (probably the modern ones too) thought a horse with white feet had weak legs or something like that. Needless to say, Secretariat alone had four white socks, and...well, look how he turned out. But then again, Tango has four white legs, and she's lame in one of them. Coincidental? Maybe. Actually, probably. I'm not really superstitious.


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## Citrus (Feb 26, 2010)

DressageIsToDance said:


> Oh there are tons of myths. The most popular one I've heard is "red heads" (chestnuts that is) are crazy. Or the "chestnut mare" syndrome, that indicates chestnut mares are hot and spirited, and more unpredictable than most horses.
> 
> Well, none of them are really true. That being said, funny enough all the chestnut mares I have known have been a little kooky! And I've known some nutty chestnuts, but I have known just as many calm chestnuts.
> 
> ...


I made those ones up for examples


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## DressageIsToDance (Jun 10, 2010)

Oh. :lol: LOL

Greys are prone to cancer because of the soild black skin? That can't be right, greys are not the only horses with black skin. And not all greys are solid - you just can't see their white markings if they are "whited out" entirely.


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## haviris (Sep 16, 2009)

I've heard the one about the white feet, white hooves are supposed to be softer. Ironically the horses I know w/ the best/stongest feet where mother and son and had 3 white feet each, and the horses I knew w/ the weakest feet where mother and daughter and had all black feet. Also ironically my dad's horse has 3 whites and recently got a trim, his dark hoof has been abit tender on the gravel since, white feet are fine. 

Also heard stuff about blue eyes, blue eyed horses are crazy, have vision problems, can't be out in the sun w/out squinting, etc.


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## ThatNinjaHorse (Jul 26, 2009)

When i was young i heard "horses with blue eyes are crazy, stay away from em" quite a few times :lol:


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## sarahver (Apr 9, 2010)

Gray horses jump higher. Not a myth, pure fact...


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## DressageIsToDance (Jun 10, 2010)

sarahver said:


> Gray horses jump higher. Not a myth, pure fact...


That's easily proved false. The horse that holds the record for highest jump was not a grey! :lol:


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## Wallaby (Jul 13, 2008)

DressageIsToDance said:


> Oh. :lol: LOL
> 
> Greys are prone to cancer because of the soild black skin? That can't be right, greys are not the only horses with black skin. And not all greys are solid - you just can't see their white markings if they are "whited out" entirely.


Grays are more prone to getting melanomas, not skin cancer. The melanomas can be cancerous and depending on the placement of the melanoma can be deadly but in most cases they are perfectly harmless. Grays get them because as they age, the melanin that made their hair black/non-"white" when they were born leaves the hair follicle (turning their hair white) but still needs somewhere to go so instead of going into the follicle, the melanin forms a tumor. So basically, melanomas are tumors of pigment. It's pretty rare for a gray horse over the age of 20-25 not to have a melanoma somewhere on his or her body. It's only an issue though if they grow too fast or if they're in a bad spot.

At least, that's how it was explained to me, I'm no vet. :wink:

Thread hijacking over! :lol:

I've heard the one about chestnut mares too. I'm inclined to believe it too cuz I've met quite a few and they were all a little...questionable. Sweet but questionable.

Here's a link to something Arabian horses and their colors. The Arabs had very specific neat beliefs about what a horse's color meant. 
for fun... good and evil signs... Arabian horse lore - Arabian Breeders Network


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## ridergirl23 (Sep 17, 2009)

the one about the 'one sock, buy 'em' one... What if the horse has no socks?!!?!! Lol! 
I've always heard chesnut mares are crazy.... But I've known a few normal ones....
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## Solon (May 11, 2008)

Don't buy a sorrel! My grandfather lived by that rule. Never owned one and neither did I for fear of being skinned alive. No idea why - I never thought to ask. So, never have been interested in sorrels or thought they were pretty.


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## SorrelHorse (Apr 9, 2009)

"Four white socks and a snip on his nose, tan his hide and feed him to the crows." 

Terrible yes, but it's the myth or soft feet basically. 

"Chestnuts are the bravest of all horses."

Egyptian thing with their Arabs. They also say that all chestnut horses were carved by the winds of the god and the lords of the desert or sething like that.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

Yeah, the white legs thing stems from both soft feet and the tendency to be more prone to things like scratches because of the pink skin.

It's not a color myth, but I laughed last week because one of the ranch hands said Justus looked funny in an English saddle because palominos are Western horses. :lol: I thought that was so funny. 

I've actually never really encountered any color myths like crazy chestnuts, only the white legs poem!


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## ponyboy (Jul 24, 2008)

SorrelHorse said:


> Egyptian thing with their Arabs. They also say that all chestnut horses were carved by the winds of the god and the lords of the desert or sething like that.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


It says in the Koran that Allah created horses out of the south wind... Is that what you're talking about? (I only know that because it was in an old horse book I used to have).


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## Jacksmama (Jan 27, 2010)

Hmmm, can't say all bays have the sweetest temperaments,Jack is the most temperamental horse on the farm. He's bay AND a gelding,lol. Someone came out to try a few mares and said they prefer geldings because mares are temperamental. The BO and I just DIED laughing.


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## DressageIsToDance (Jun 10, 2010)

Jacksmama said:


> Hmmm, can't say all bays have the sweetest temperaments,Jack is the most temperamental horse on the farm. He's bay AND a gelding,lol. Someone came out to try a few mares and said they prefer geldings because mares are temperamental. The BO and I just DIED laughing.


LOL!

I don't think gender really dictates anything. Mares can get "mareish" when they are in heat, but most well-trained mares that respect human handlers will get a grip when they are brought in.

My gelding is a temperamental fellow, albeit we believe he was cut later in life.


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## sarahver (Apr 9, 2010)

DressageIsToDance said:


> That's easily proved false. The horse that holds the record for highest jump was not a grey! :lol:


Go easy on the logic tiger, I am allowed one misconception a week!


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## DressageIsToDance (Jun 10, 2010)

sarahver said:


> Go easy on the logic tiger, I am allowed one misconception a week!


:wink: Well, you know, just saying and all!


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## Nature2horses (Feb 24, 2010)

I've heard that chestnuts can be quite "fiery". In old Spanish breeding they did not breed chestnut horses because of the attitude they had but chestnuts are getting more popular these days. I am very drawn to chestnut horses...I don't know why.


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## Solon (May 11, 2008)

The one I think is really cool is the bloody shoulder arabian.

Holly

I found the original story - the one posted on Holly's page is the Breyer version and they changed it a bit.

________

Once upon a time many years ago in the desert of Arabia, there was a Bedouin warrior who owned a very special Arabian mare - a mare he rode into a battle and to whom he entrusted his life.

Theirs was a very special relationship, a bond of trust, love and mutual respect. Either would have given his life for the other. In fact, their bond of trust was so strong that the mare often "read her master's thoughts," doing exactly what he needed at exactly the right time , allowing them to win many battles and to be the envy of all the Bedouin tribes.

Years passed and one day in a fierce battle the master was severely wounded, falling across the neck and shoulder of his beloved war mare. Although her master was unconscious and she was miles from home, the mare carefully balanced him across her shoulder, carefully carrying him toward home. She went for days without food or water to return her master to his family.

When the courageous mare finally arrived at the encampment, she was exhausted and weak, her master was dead. As the family carefully removed the master's body, they saw that the mares shoulder was heavily stained with his blood, leaving a distinct red mark on her shoulder.

Although they had lost their leader, the Bedouin family was eternally grateful to the mare for delivering his body from battle. They knew that the long journey had been very difficult for the courageous mare, and they were very concerned for her because she was heavily in foal.

Finally the time of her foaling arrived, and there was great concern for the cherished war mare. But when the long-awaited foal was born, he was healthy and vigorous and healthy and of exceptional quality. He also bore the identical "bloody shoulder" that his mother had from her master's blood.

It was then that the tribe realized that Allah had rewarded this mare and their tribe for their courage, loyalty and faith and that the bloody shoulder was a reminder of his favor.

Since that time, hundreds of years have passed, but once in a great while there is a mare of exceptional courage beauty, quality, and courage who foals a very special foal graced by God with the bloody shoulder. The Bedouins have continued to believe this is a sign of Allah's favor. Who are we to disagree?


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## A knack for horses (Jun 17, 2010)

Anybody heard the little red mare myth?
There is a cowboy saying that little red (sorrel or chestnut I guess) mares are the hardest to train, as they are stubborn as heck, but once you have them trained, you have the best horse in the world.

I believe I've heard people say grey horses bring good luck, or was it white? Or maybe it was bad luck? That one is kind of hazy, but I know it has to do with light colored horses and luck.

And with the sock one people have mentioned...I kind of agree with it, but only because it is sooo much easier to maintain a horse with no white socks than it is to clean a horse with four of them. :wink:


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## Solon (May 11, 2008)

Yeah, my gramps said never buy a sorrel!


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## DressageIsToDance (Jun 10, 2010)

A knack for horses said:


> And with the sock one people have mentioned...I kind of agree with it, but only because it is sooo much easier to maintain a horse with no white socks than it is to clean a horse with four of them. :wink:


I cheat with Twinkle Toes chrome cream. :lol: That stuff's awesome. I don't stress on the socks as much now.

My boy's star is so minute it doesn't really matter, thankfully.


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## A knack for horses (Jun 17, 2010)

Solon said:


> Yeah, my gramps said never buy a sorrel!


Well, don't buy one that isn't trained yet. The only sorrel mare I knew was a little red mare. It took forever to get it into her head that she needed to do it our way or the hard way...and after she learned that, she would tow around elementary school kids and wouldn't bat an eyelash at them unintenionally pulling on her mouth and bouncing around on her back. She even would try and "protect" her little riders by pinning her ears back when another horse got to close to her riders. The weird thing was she only did that around little kids. Not once did Annie try to protect adolesents, adults, or me (some lesson horse, huh?).


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## DressageIsToDance (Jun 10, 2010)

A knack for horses said:


> Well, don't buy one that isn't trained yet. The only sorrel mare I knew was a little red mare. It took forever to get it into her head that she needed to do it our way or the hard way...and after she learned that, she would tow around elementary school kids and wouldn't bat an eyelash at them unintenionally pulling on her mouth and bouncing around on her back. She even would try and "protect" her little riders by pinning her ears back when another horse got to close to her riders. The weird thing was she only did that around little kids. Not once did Annie try to protect adolesents, adults, or me (some lesson horse, huh?).


Sometimes mares will get motherly over kids. My first horse was a mare through and through, and could be a terror for adults, but put a kid with her and she was a saintly schoolmaster.


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## Solon (May 11, 2008)

My gelding is motherly like that with little kids too. But he's uh, been said to be a little light in the hooves. :lol:


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## Citrus (Feb 26, 2010)

sarahver said:


> Gray horses jump higher. Not a myth, pure fact...


 Lol... that is hilarious if you are sweet talking your grey!


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## DressageIsToDance (Jun 10, 2010)

Solon said:


> My gelding is motherly like that with little kids too. But he's uh, been said to be a little light in the hooves. :lol:


ROFL! :lol:


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## A knack for horses (Jun 17, 2010)

DressageIsToDance said:


> Sometimes mares will get motherly over kids. My first horse was a mare through and through, and could be a terror for adults, but put a kid with her and she was a saintly schoolmaster.


Annie was good for everybody, but sometimes I questioned if there was a big scary monster, "Would she offer me as a sacrifice while she swept away the little ones to safety?" :lol:

And besides, it was just to darn cute that she wanted to protect her "babies" from Hollywood, the big fat lazy saint of a gelding.


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## Citrus (Feb 26, 2010)

Well apparently we need to start some positive color myths about our horses.


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## horseservant (Jul 29, 2010)

Here is an awful old time saying:
'Four white soxs and a long white nose, knock him on the head and feed him to the crows'. Don't blame me I didn't make it up. I have been told that pink hooves are weak but there are not many pink hooved horses. A dent in the muscle of the neck has two names. I suppose it is all a question of whether you are an optimist or pessimist as to which you pick. You can call it a "prophet's mark" or the "the devil's thumbprint".
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Solon (May 11, 2008)

Citrus said:


> Well apparently we need to start some positive color myths about our horses.


You did say discriminations!


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## horseservant (Jul 29, 2010)

Yellow Dun's and buckskins are supposed to be reliable and steady.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## horseservant (Jul 29, 2010)

And light colored horses or horses with white legs look like they have more bone so they sell better
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## DressageIsToDance (Jun 10, 2010)

Well, there can be good and bad discriminations!


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## erikaharmony (May 25, 2009)

> White hooves are softer


 
That is not true for sure. My horse has 4 white hooves and they are sturdy as sturdy can be. I've been told my horse is the closetest thing to a horse surviving in the wild.!


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## Solon (May 11, 2008)

Good discrimination? LOL! That just sounds odd.


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## DressageIsToDance (Jun 10, 2010)

I know. Well, really a discrimination would indicate that an individual believes something they take action upon, so these are probably more like sterotypes. I'm sure in the old days it was more like discrimination, but now days most people hear about white hooves being softer, and chestnuts being crazy, but _most_ people don't really act upon these beliefs.


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## Solon (May 11, 2008)

That's true. Stereotypes makes sense. Honestly, I didn't realize there were so many!


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## Britt (Apr 15, 2008)

I've heard:

One white sock, buy him.
Two white socks, try him.
Three white socks, deny him.
Four white socks and a white nose, skin his hide and throw him to the crows. (I love this myth, as a matter of fact... though that's probably because I have a dislike of most horses with white on the legs and white below the nose or around the eyes, lol...)

Bay horses are the fastest horses. (heard that one just the other day... strange the things people will come up with, lol...)

Horses with wall/glass eyes are crazy.

Horses with a blue ring around their eyes are crazy.

Horses with a blue ring around one eye are unpredictable and dangerous. (Heard this one years ago, and, in my experiences, it's true so far... but in the end it is just a myth and the horses in question are/were a bit on the... nutcase side...)

Horses with white markings over their eyes are stubborn.

Dark hooves don't need shoes. (So not true...)

Chestnut or sorrel horses are crazy. (Haha!)

Etc...


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## Citrus (Feb 26, 2010)

Solon said:


> You did say discriminations!


 Oh so you are saying there are good things in the myth/discriminations about our horses already? I can start another thread.............. I would love to hear those too


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