What's the most common colour?

[MrA]

Really want to know if its bay or chestnut now!

 

[newforest]

I am going to say bay too.



Yes when I was a kid too it was kind of unheard of to see a paint or pinto in any english classes.

I think coloureds were only seen in a cob and those were looked down upon as a "just a common cob"
I know people who don't like a cob but I tend to reply that it says more about them than the horse. I don't dislike any type though I am drawn to the more solid.

The Queen only has greys known as Windsor Greys, not sure what breed those are.

I found an article that said grey wasn't a common gene in Welsh until a grey Welsh stallion became popular.

 

[chev]

@chev I think we need some knowledge to weigh in

It's a very difficult one to answer that one. Think for instance about Friesians. They are all EE black apart from the occasional embarrassing crop out of red. Hafflingers are all flaxen chestnut. Rocky Mountain Horses are predominantly silver dapple in colour but not all. Fjords are all dun but have a varied base colour (brown dun is probably the most common).

If you look at feral or wild horses they tend to be "camouflage" coloured. Often brown with sooty and panagre. This colouring makes them more difficult for predators to see because it sort of makes them like upsidedown shadows. So if you look at non domestic horses you get different results than domestic. You won't see many greys in a feral herd. They'd stand out like a beacon! But look at the tribes who depend on their horses for milk, meat, hunting and hides and they're pretty much all the same; kind of Przewaski like. They are the only breed never to have been domesticated and have therefore never had breeders messing with colour genes.

So, a lot has been done with colour. Like the silver dapple gene. In Rocky Mountain Horses it's the prominent colour but in Welsh it's a rarity. And then there's the Icelandic which carries just about every color possible! And then there's chimeras, which happens when two fraternal embryos fuse together. I think this is the best known image of a chimeras.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=c...hWGuhQKHcphAcUQ_AUIBygB#imgrc=aeeAii4L548h6M:

 

[Russet]

I would say bay is the most common. Thinking of the yards I've ridden at, I can think of many bays at most of them. I love chestnuts, so take special notice of them, and there hasn't always been a chestnut.

 

[tikkitti]

By the way when I was little it was very unusual to see a coloured horse, and they were looked down upon ("Gypsy horses" or rudely "Pikey ponies"). Nobody would have dreamed of hunting or competing in anything with a coloured horse, though spotties were sometimes seen. I've been staggered by how overwhelming the move towards coloured horses has been in the last 20 years or so!

I can remember Oberon standing at stud about 20 years ago ( he was coloured) and all or a sudden there was young stock all over our area, every other youngster was sired by him( he was stunning mind) I know of 2 people who only keep light to mw coloureds, one shows and the other just has a preference for them. x

 

[fortridgestar]

at my yard we have:
flaxen chestnut: 2
chestnut: 1
bay: 5
roan: 1
dun: 1
black: 1
dappled grey: 1
piebald: 1
skewbald: 1
so id say bay tbh

 

[eml]

I agree with Chev, i is breed determined!! Ex racehorse ie TB classes are dominated by bays with the odd grey and even rarer chestnut. Welsh A/B are mainly grey with some chestnuts, palominos and rarely bays.,,Welsh C's and D s are often black or bay, Dales black or grey etc... I think the predominant colour depends more on type than anything else.!!

 

[Wally]

It's a very difficult one to answer that one. Think for instance about Friesians. They are all EE black apart from the occasional embarrassing crop out of red. Hafflingers are all flaxen chestnut. Rocky Mountain Horses are predominantly silver dapple in colour but not all. Fjords are all dun but have a varied base colour (brown dun is probably the most common).

If you look at feral or wild horses they tend to be "camouflage" coloured. Often brown with sooty and panagre. This colouring makes them more difficult for predators to see because it sort of makes them like upsidedown shadows. So if you look at non domestic horses you get different results than domestic. You won't see many greys in a feral herd. They'd stand out like a beacon! But look at the tribes who depend on their horses for milk, meat, hunting and hides and they're pretty much all the same; kind of Przewaski like. They are the only breed never to have been domesticated and have therefore never had breeders messing with colour genes.

So, a lot has been done with colour. Like the silver dapple gene. In Rocky Mountain Horses it's the prominent colour but in Welsh it's a rarity. And then there's the Icelandic which carries just about every color possible! And then there's chimeras, which happens when two fraternal embryos fuse together. I think this is the best known image of a chimeras.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=chimera+horse&client=tablet-android-pega&prmd=ivsn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjpjI_U17jJAhWGuhQKHcphAcUQ_AUIBygB#imgrc=aeeAii4L548h6M:

I have noticed dun is the best at not being noticed, even in a greenish hill, The black and grey and piebalds etc are all noticeable, the duns fde into the background and you have to look hard for them. Dun is a superb colour for not being noticed.

 

[chev]

I have noticed dun is the best at not being noticed, even in a greenish hill, The black and grey and piebalds etc are all noticeable, the duns fde into the background and you have to look hard for them. Dun is a superb colour for not being noticed.

Dun is what is known as a primitive colour. Studies have shown that if a herd of horses are left alone to breed (like brumbies and mustangs) they revert to dun type features and colouring. It is the "safest" colour to be as it blends so well into the landscape.

 

[MrC]

We have

Black
Bay
Grey
Palomino
Coloured
Black rabicano
Chestnut
Brown

I would say bay or chestnut or grey are the most common colours although dilutes are really taking off these days and a few years ago everything had to be a flying coo