I thought we all learned our colors in kindergarten?

As we've observed many times, the world is full of Krazy Kolor Breeders. This is what we call breeders who focus on color and tend to ignore quality, disposition, performance records and even genetic defects.

One of their identifying characteristics is that they are unable to accept the truth when their mare pops out something that is a basic horse color. So they run around the internet claiming that the foal is going to turn a new or cooler color at some later date, perhaps after a visit from the Krazy Kolor Faerie and her magic wand? They allude to white hairs and roaning, refuse to believe that countershading is just that, and claim four year old horses are still going to turn a whole new color! So today, we're gonna give these folks a shot of reality.

THIS IS A BAY.

Ad title: Reduced Beautiful 3 year old black & white paint stud - $450 (Poteau, ok)

"Gizmo is a gorgeous, unregistered bl/w paint stud colt. I think he is a quarter/tb cross due to his confirmation. He is turning 3 this year. He has a very sweet personality. He is 15+ hhs and growing. He is very gentle with mares. I am selling him because I think he is going to be to high spirited for what I need. He has been worked in the round pen alot, and lunges well. He is saddled and bagged when we work him. He is a skiddish horse. Bagging him has helped alot. I am needing a horse that I can ride with my kids, and I think he is just gona have to much get up and go. I will have him cut if I need to. I will consider trading or partial trade for a aqha or apha broke or green horse. Just depends on the horse. I would also consider a good saddle for a partial trade. Gizmo is going to make a good "get after it" horse. He loves attention and his treats. Good home only. These pictures do not do him justice. He is a very pretty horse, and has a better build than you can see in these pics. I will get better pics later. "

You know, he's not such a bad colt but:

(a) he ought to be a gelding and it should have occurred to her that might change his disposition into the horse she wants.
(b) I don't even want to KNOW what "bagging" is...have they been tying plastic bags to him? I'd be "skiddish" too!

(c) Why is he t/o in a nylon halter? See yesterday's blog.
(d) he's NOT a black and white paint! Where would you even get that from? That his MANE is black?

For reference, here is a actual black and white paint. :-) Very nice one too, a Superior Halter Horse who isn't so musclebound that he looks like a freak. His name is Ima Quick Dream Maker.

Moving on, let's look at an amazing five year old mare that is allegedly still changing colors:




THIS IS A RED DUN

"She was born a bright red dun out of a slate grulla mare and a chestnut stallion. Over the last year (her 4 year old year) she went from red dun, to a dun with black points, to a slate grulla. Then winter of her 5 year old year she turned dun with black points again with smutty patches. This year she shed out with a herring bone pattern on her dorsal and her dun factor markings broke down to dog type brindle marks. She is technically a dun, not sure if she will stay a grulla. She is registered a dun. She carries a brindle gene and coat pattern, she carries a second DNA type as well, one for hair and one for blood."

My response:

(a) Your mare has a red base coat as is clearly shown in her lower legs. She is a red dun, period. I can't tell if she's bodyclipped in this picture or just bleached from summer sun but neither one of those things would make her a grulla and the only way those red legs were ever black is if she waded through a creek.

(b) Horses' coats do go through changes every year. Nobody's horse is exactly the same color in midwinter with 2 inches of long hair as it is in midsummer, slick and shiny. This is not exactly rare and magical. I swear, if you people actually believe that, I'm gonna start an operation selling you rare orange horses...they will be available every August! Prices start at $10,000!

(c) The fact that mare is having a baby this year is enough to make me hork up my lunch. Where do I even begin...short ugly neck, huge hammerhead, upright shoulder, camped under hind end, terrible loin attachment...try to fit a saddle to that back. This mare is only 5 and she's got the back of a 15 year old that has lived a hard life. She might look better with a few more pounds on her, but there's absolutely nothing about her that anyone should be trying to replicate.

(d) Good God, get a better farrier. Her feet are hideously shaped. The way she's built, she needs all the help she can get. Going through life with those underrun heels and long toes isn't going to help her a bit.

Here is a page with GREAT pictures showing foal colors and the (plain solid) color the foal grew up to be. As you can see, lots of "cool" foal colors grow into very plain brown or black adult horses. Unless you color test, you don't know exactly what you have, and it bears noting that some colors are simply not possible based upon who the parents are. Here is an online color calculator that can give you some idea of what the possibilities actually are, and keep you from looking silly online claiming your filly is a grey when her parents are a bay and a sorrel.

Along the same lines...folks, people aren't stupid. There is no such thing as a tobiano purebred Arabian. Someone registered this mare called RWR Sonora as a purebred, and as many people have pointed out since - uh, unless the Krazy Kolor Faerie's been by with her magic wand, this simple is not, cannot be, a purebred Arabian. You can get a sabino Arabian that has markings that look somewhat like an overo pinto, but you can't get a tobiano. AHA is investigating. And by the way, she's not nice enough to breed from even if she's a rare pink paisley print!

Feel free to share your tales of the color foals were born appearing to be, and the colors they turned out!