Coloured Horse - Breeding and Genetics Information from Angrove Stud

Coloured Horse

A coloured horse is the term given to a horse which has a "broken", non-solid colour: there may be two or more distinguishable colours in its coat, it may have spots, or the coat may have a roan type appearance.

Coloured Horse Types and Colours

If the coloured part of the horse is black, the horse is piebald. If it is brown, or a variation of brown, like chestnut, or bay, it is skewbald. A tri-coloured horse does, of course, have three colours – typically having both black, and brown, on white.

There are two main types of coloured horse: the prevalent Tobiano, and the rarer Overo. There is also a sub-type of Overo, Sabino.

Coloured Horses Historially

Coloured horses have been around a long time &ndash with spotted horses showing up in ancient Egyptian art, and later becoming fashionable throughout Europe amongst 17th century high-society.

More recently, though, coloured horses have generally been frowned upon in almost all disciplines, - until the late eighties, when the fortunes of the type were turned around.

Before then, coloured horses were unfairly considered the second-class citizen of the solid coloured horse. As a result, they had a lesser value at both auctions and private sales, and were consistently marked down in classes at district level - not to mention county or national level! Traditionally, coloured horses would have been heavy set, but, with the introduction of new warmblood bloodlines, this heaviness was gradually phased out. Now the market was seething with quality coloured horses of Arab and thoroughbred bloodstock.

Coloured Horses Present Day

Coloured horses now finally enjoy the recognition they deserve: the stud fees for coloured stallions have never commanded as much; coloured horses regularly beat solid-coloured horses in classes at county shows, and now command thousands of pounds on the market. Pinto horses in America have enjoyed a similar success.