What's the one colour you wouldn't want in your breeding program?

[Tiny Hooves]

For myself I don't really care for the Cremello or Perlino's, but if I had to choose one I think I would take the Perlino over the Cremello.

I LOVE

:wub bay's, blood bay's, silver bay's, & silver black's. I own several silver bay's & 1 silver black. The rich dark hershey colored silver bay or indian red bay with white mane & tail are just GORGEOUS!!! (to me)

:yes The blood bay's I prefer over dark bay's even though I have a dark bay colt that I just LOVE!!!

:wub I wouldn't trade him for nothing. So really like other's have said a good horse is a good horse no matter what color they are!!

 

[Jean_B]

You needed the option "I'm color blind"...when it came to buying/breeding, I NEVER considered color. Only conformation.

 

[PaintNminis]

my least favorite Color would have to be the Double Dilutes

I did have a Perlino Stallion Whom I just Adored & thought he was Very Stunning!!!!

He Passed away Several Years Ago

my other not so Favorite are the Medicine Hat Pintos

and I have One of those too!!! I couldn't Love her anymore if she was a another Color.

I really Like Pintos with LOTS of Contrast

 

[Getitia]

Can't really vote, as we currently have every color listed in our breeding herd. The color of the horse is not even a selection consideration we have as part of our breeding program. Now some colors I find more appealing than others - but the horse could be purple, green, orange or pink

if it is exceptional in type and movement

 

[Tenltraining]

I really dont pay much attention to the color either on the horses. Its one of the last things I consider. WE choose horses first on conformation, type, movement, bloodlines basically. I have a lot of different colors in my herd. I have to admit that I used to not like perlinos or cremellos as much but now that we have them in our breeding program I am wowed by what we have gotten as far as color they can produce. Its really wonderful to see all the buckskins out there, but As long as I get good conformation on my babies for show prospects Im happy. If they have some pretty color that is just an extra bonus.

 

[Carolyn R]

I also like a nice horse in any color,and a nice horse is a nice horse. If I were just out to buy a georgous mini, any color would do an a georgous horse. If I were looking at that horse to add to my breeding program, I would have to say no to grays. There are MANY beautiful grays out there, and I drool over some of them, I just don't want to incorperate them into my herd.

 

[Lewella]

I tend to avoid gray but I won't pass up an exceptional one that would fit in my breeding program. I simply do not particularly like to look at the color after years of having gray Arabians!

 

[Little Wolf Ranch]

I voted no to grey simply because it seems once you have one your whole herd turns grey!

 

[Annabellarose]

Interesting. Quite a few don't care for the double dilutes. I'm surprised.

You can add me to that list! Again, I voted for Appaloosa because I have/breed a couple of Pintos and I do not like when Pintos and Appaloosas are crossed, but I do not dislike Appaloosa; if I had/bred Appaloosas, I would not want Pintos! It just happened that the first horses that I purchased were Pintos and I am too in love with them to sell them and switch to Appaloosas. However, as far as my color preference (you asked about the color that we would not want in our breeding program, not our color preference), I do not like Perlinos and Cremellos AT ALL. I absolutely WOULD add one to my herd (if it was not Appaloosa related) if I thought that it was a quality individual and that it would improve my herd and/or if I valued it as a performance animal, but I would prefer any other color!

 

[Michelle@wescofarms]

I voted gray, but seeing as I have a grey pinto stallion and a grey mare - lol! There isn't a horse color I don't like, but breeding I'd LOVE a gorgeous bay pinto. Right now it looks like I'm breeding Fresians - too many blacks - but I love black horses.

 

[StarRidgeAcres]

I voted but my post went into the abyss!lol

I really do not want any appy characteristics in my breeding horses - visually or even in their pedigree. I've seen some stunning apps - Catch comes to mind - but it's just not for me.

As for double dilutes, I agree they sometimes are overlooked in the ring, but I LOVE having them in my breeding program because of all the desirable/saleable colors they produce. If you have a perlino and can get black-based dilute (quality of conformation being first of course) foals, they really, really are marketable. And then so many people really love palominos, so having a cremello is wonderful for that.

Again, hopefully we all are more concerned with conformation, but after that color is just another of the many factors based on personal preferences and what the market is. Color, use, pedigree, height preferences...they all play a role.

Great topic Matt!

 

[hobbyhorse23]

This is definitely interesting! Some of my favorite colors (black bay, silver and pintaloosa) have been listed as strong dislikes and others I'm not fond of have been at the top of people's lists. Hmm....

My least favorite color to have around, breeding or otherwise, would be a red roan. They can be pretty in Welshes and such but in minis I haven't seen one I liked yet and they clip out AWFUL colors. Like a chestnut but worse as they turn pink!

Ugh. Second would be a really orangy chestnut with no markings as to me that is just not an attractive color. A copper chestnut or liver chestnut or one with a lot of color variation in its coat is fine for me as a non-breeding animal but I'd prefer something with a little more genetic possibility when breeding.

I like greys as long as the base color wasn't something stunning, then it's just sad to watch it fade!

I hate the look of double creme dilutes but like others here, would have one for breeding as they produce outstanding colors I do like such as buckskin.

Not a big fan of palomino in minis however as it clips out so light. LOVE it in big horses!

Things I'd love to have in a breeding program are white markings on any base color, deep dark bays with red (not mealy) highlights, dun anything, buckskins, silver dapples with white socks, appies and pintos for producing pintaloosas, blue or bay roans...anything eye-catching and stunning! I love the rainbow of colors possible with our little guys and the crazy colors like smoky silver black are my favorites. OBVIOUSLY, as everyone else said, conformation/temperament/movement all come first, but in a perfect world....

I'd just leave the solid red horses out of my program for the most part as I'm going to get quite enough solid chestnuts breeding from the darker, more patterned horses. Why up my chances?

Leia

P.S.- The single biggest lesson I'm taking from this thread is that no matter what color your foal is, there's probably someone out there who likes it!

 

[heartkranch]

I hate sorrels, silver, and double dilutes. Everything else is fine. haha I have one sorrel pinto but everything else is "black" base.

I have one mare that is a grey, I love them but I wouldn't have a grey stallion unless its just a awesome horse.

 

[kaprikorn]

I voted gray although I do own a gray. She is a dapple gray so will not fade to white. Still has dark areas over her croup, shoulders and lower legs. Beautiful dapples over her barrel, hips and shoulders. . .salt & pepper mane and tail. . .her name is Pepper

She is 5 so not much more to change I think.

Love a dark silver bay but NOT a silver dapple anything. . .

Sheryl

 

[ohmt]

Please disregard earlier post. Thanks

 

[Matt73]

You are funny-what you have IS a silver dapple/silver black! Yep, dapple gray and silver dapple/silver black are one and the same

There are many different shades and various expressions of dapples though. I believe the correct term is always silver black though-the others get too confusing.

ETA: She actually is grey and not just silver black after looking at your website-she will end up white eventually. Some take much longer than others. I'm actually a big fan of greys and if I didn't have my appy breeding program, I'd love to have one! That last picture of your girl in her winter woolies-her dapples are just beautiful!

A dapple grey is not a silver black. A dapple grey is a grey horse that happens to have dapples. They are, often, like this while they are maturing (going from whatever colour they were born...to grey/light). 4 and 5 year old greys will often have dapples. 10-15+ year old greys are usually very white.

Silver black is a completely different modifier/colour. Silver blacks will stay the colour they are. They may have dapples on and off or they may have none.

 

[Matt73]

You are funny-what you have IS a silver dapple/silver black! Yep, dapple gray and silver dapple/silver black are one and the same

There are many different shades and various expressions of dapples though. I believe the correct term is always silver black though-the others get too confusing.

ETA: She actually is grey and not just silver black after looking at your website-she will end up white eventually. Some take much longer than others. I'm actually a big fan of greys and if I didn't have my appy breeding program, I'd love to have one! That last picture of your girl in her winter woolies-her dapples are just beautiful!

Why did you say that silver black and dapple grey are one in the same? And then you went on to say that, no, the mare is actually grey? Like I said, Grey and Silver Black are completely different.

 

[chandab]

Why did you say that silver black and dapple grey are one in the same? And then you went on to say that, no, the mare is actually grey? Like I said, Grey and Silver Black are completely different.

Probably just a confusion between "silver dapple" and "dapple grey" terms (not necessarily the colors).

 

[ohmt]

To clarify why I posted what I did-growing up everyone called silver blacks, dapple greys. From her description, I thought she was referring to silver black. After looking at her website and seeing the mare I knew her mare was actually grey which is why I came back and did the ETA.

I apologize if I confused anyone. I have removed it.

 

[Matt73]

No need to apologise. But, like I said, a silver black is not a dapple grey.