Do horses of Color sell better?

[NewHorseMom]

I notice more and more that horses with color i.e. paints, palominos, buckskins etc always seem to be priced more expensive then say a solid bay horse with a similar amount of training. Why is this? Are they really selling for that much more?

[horse99]

I always say you ride the horse not the colour! I would never choose a horse based on colour alone. I pick my horses for who and what they are, their temperament and conformation. Then if they are a colour I happen to like, that is a bonus.

[striderrider]

I love horses of colour, (I happen to own all solids lol) but a well put together horse of colour, does not matter if a buckskin, dunskin, paint, pally whatever will turn my head. I think it just depends on the buyer. Some folks love chrome and will pay a premium to get it, while others don't like markings at all.

[peppysan]

Colour does sell, no doubt about it. The problem I have is that some folks are just looking at colour before anything else. Like Horse99 mentioned, conformation and temperament have to come first. I see so many stallions offered at stud only because they are homozygous for a colour gene, meanwhile they are not put together well at all and will no doubt pass the flaws on and on. I think the breeders breeding for colour have to be very selective and only breed to the best. Then, of course they can charge a little more for something that is well put together and has that little bit of something extra that a solid horse of the same quality does not have. Of course it's subjective to the buyer, but there are a lot of folks that love and want colour. Who doesn't want to stand out in the show ring amongst all bays and sorrels?

[kite]

Yeah, some people prefer certain colors, so..........

[alove4horses]

I think it just depends on the person. Some will pay a premium for color while others don't care. It's all personal preference.

[Maridadi]

Originally Posted by striderrider

I love horses of colour, (I happen to own all solids lol) but a well put together horse of colour, does not matter if a buckskin, dunskin, paint, pally whatever will turn my head. I think it just depends on the buyer. Some folks love chrome and will pay a premium to get it, while others don't like markings at all.

What exactly is 'chrome' ? are these the markings? or the colour of the mane and tail? just curious as haven't heard that saying and have seen it in a few ads...

[horse99]

Chrome is the white markings on a horse- a horse with 4 stockings and a blaze is said to have lots of "chrome."

[Wonowon]

Hey, it depends on the person, and what breed or activity the person is involved with.

It's better to have a horse that looks like his breed, in my opinion. So that a Paint would be "painted".

I have Cleveland Bays, and for me, my breed "colour" is bay for the purebreds as that's the breed standard! But the partbreds (they are registered as partbred Cleveland Bays) can be any colour.

Regarding activity: the RCMP have a colour preference: black, for example.

Colour can be fun. But there are some striking horses that are sorrels. And my own preference when I'm looking at jumpers is to see a grey. And if I'm at the track, I'll always bet on the grey!

Linda Yaciw
Legacy Cleveland Bay Farm
Dawson Creek

[SamanthaSky]

It's better to have a horse that looks like his breed, in my opinion.

I agree, keep things true to the breeds. i.e. I don't want to see a colored friesian!