Does anyone else get discriminated because of what color their horse is? I own a 7 year old paint throughbred (registered as a paint.. looks buckskin though lol) and I do dressage/jumper shows and events on him. EVERYWHERE I go, people always comment that I should throw a western saddle on him. Does anyone else ever get this? I think my horse is beautiful, and it hurts when people say that I shouldn't compete just because of his color

~*~*~*~*~PLEASE DON'T COMMENT ON MY RIDING. IT WAS OUR FIRST SHOW AND I WAS NERVOUS~*~*~*~*~

Here's some pictures.. From our first show and baby pics..

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s24/Serrari/CharlienMe2.jpg

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s24/Serrari/charliebaby2.jpg

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s24/Serrari/charliebaby.jpg
Edit: Pictures are copyrighted to their original users. Please don't reuse, distribute or alter in any way, shape or form without their consent.
Edit: Yeah, I get the western comments because of his color, not his build or movement. He never raced as a baby either, because of his color - racing trainers didn't want him despite his breeding so I bought him instead
CRStardust.. you made my day Thank you! heheheh
To keylime1602: Those pictures ARE mine. I bought the one with me riding him from McCoolphotography, but I don't have a scanner so I had to get them off of the website. The two baby photographs are of him from his breeder. He IS registered as a pain - on the basis that the blaze down his face is wider than three(3) inches. I don't know much about the mother or father, but I do have paint papers on him. I don't compete in hunters anymore, but dressage, show jumping and eventing. I don't know if it was hunters or jumpers who make the comments about my horse - I didn't look hard enough to see what the horse was wearing. As for racing him, I just know what the trainer told me, I never questioned it.

Everyone else: Thank you. <3
To keylime1602: Those pictures ARE mine. I bought the one with me riding him from McCoolphotography, but I don't have a scanner so I had to get them off of the website. The two baby photographs are of him from his breeder. He IS registered as a paint - on the basis that the blaze down his face is wider than three(3) inches. I don't know much about the mother or father, but I do have paint papers on him. I don't compete in hunters anymore, but dressage, show jumping and eventing. I don't know if it was hunters or jumpers who make the comments about my horse - I didn't look hard enough to see what the horse was wearing. As for racing him, I just know what the trainer told me, I never questioned it.

Everyone else: Thank you. <3
D'oh.. I ment to fix a spelling error and double posted Sorry

Don't sweat it! He is very good looking!

Remind those who bad mouth your horse that a good horse is never a bad color. He is an attractive horse. He's probably better than what they're mounted on....ask them if they just unhitched their horse from a plow to get to the show? Say this in earnest.....and bat your eyes at 'em.

(I'm nasty today!)...sorry..

It is pretty ignorant when people do that, but I agree that it definetely does happen. I am working witha very flashy overo at the moment, and she is doing training level dressage. Even her owner expressed some doubts about her ability due to her appearance! Pretty stupid, when you stop to think about it...

I guess all you can do is tell yourself that anyone who says things like that really has no concept of what riding is all about. They are likely just going off of mental images from photos they may have seen over the years, or Westerns on TV, or etc. They don't know that a horse's ability is dependent on him and not what his registration papers say!

Here's a related link for you - I really liked it, and it definetely pertains to this! Grand Prix dressage horses and not one a warmblood. Check out the Grand Prix PMU foal!

http://behindthebit.blogspot.com/2008/04/non-warmbloods-in-dressage-breath-of.html

EDIT: LOL at CRStardust. Either that, or you can smile sweetly and say, "You must be new to dressage/jumping/hunter classes."

no matter where you go i find all shows etc always have the people that think they are better then you and say nasty comments., the best thing you can do is hold your head high and dont let what others think bother you!

In a nonhorseperson's mind a buckskin is a more traditional western horse color. Don't mind them, there is no bad color for a good horse.

Also in your question you sounded very close minded, one sided and judge mental of western riding as if you look down upon it. I would normally be offended.

Have fun!

i think that ur hirse is beutiful theres nothing wrong with him and don't let anyone tell you u should not show him just because of his colour.
if u love him thats all that maters.


be cool and good luck!

Dude your way to sensitive. Its actually a compliment if you think about it this way. Your is good enough for western just as much as he is good dressage/jumper. Just one thing though dont do barrels if he has long legs he could be seriously injure. Anyway Im going to do english with a horse that looks western because of her legs (she going to be a great jumper)good luck

My chum has a paint and she shows him in paint classes, and equitation, he gets marked down for his color, but he still gets placed!!

I even heard the judge call him a circus pony behind her back! how horrible

I think your horse is beautiful

Yea, I have a hard time believing people at a show would make such comments. So I have a hard time believing you're telling the truth in this quesiton. I also wonder if the pictures are even yours, especially after you posted the copyrighted comment.

Why would you do that if those pictures were yours? Hmmm.

Anyways, I've been to plenty of english shows and I've seen barely a few buckskin thoroughbreds so they're rare. I find it even harder to understand how a thoroughbred would be registered as a paint, while the horse has no paint markings. If such is the case, the horse would be registered as a breeding stock paint and in order to be registered as such, it would have had to have a registered paint horse in it's breeding line, wherefore, the horse is a cross and/or an Appendix. If the horse is pure thoroughbred then it can't be registered as a paint (they require a breeder's certificate proving the registered Paint dam or sire), but it could be registered as a pinto. That's beside the point however.

Everytime my friends and I have seen a buckskin thoroughbred at a show or at a barn, it's always been the envy of those who see it. Never was there talk against the athletic ability of the horse or it's potential unsuitability for the english show ring.

If you speak strickly of the hunter ring, then sure, the hunter ring can and has discrimnated against almost everything that isn't a bay, so the ongoing jokes go.

In addition, when it comes to racing, and for that matter eventing, trainers and owners don't give two shakes of a rats tail what color the horse is as long as it's fast. If the horse is purple and runs faster than Big Brown, they'll race it. lol

Your horse is very attractive. Don't worry about it.
It does get annoying though.
I have gaited horses (TWHs & MFT's) that I do a variety of different things with including hunter paces. With the comments and looks we get, you would think we showed up on water buffaloes!!!
People can be very immature and insensitive with their dissing and negative comments.
Just ignore them. What they think doesn't matter anyway.
Its especially satisfying when you win your class !

I only have one thing to say.

That is one beautiful horse. Ignore those who say you should throw a western saddle on him...I think the buckskin color really sets you apart because of how flashy he looks.