A horse's color is a fixed individual characteristic. It is based on a strict combination of colors and shades of hair on the body and legs, mane, tail and eyes. An important role is played by the location of light or dark spots on the face, croup, and groin area, which may be genetically determined.
Characteristics and features
The game color of a horse is considered one of the most beautiful and unusual. Graceful horses are distinguished by a red body color, which varies from light apricot to brown-red, almost brown, and contrasting, always light, mane and tail. The color of the latter varies from vanilla, boiling white to straw shades. If only the tail or mane of an individual differs in color, then it will also be a game horse. Features of the game suit include eyes: brown or bright amber color. In the cover, light marks are possible on the legs near the hooves and on the croup.
Conclusion
As experienced athletes say, “they choose a horse by the wrong suit,” but it’s hard to agree. Everyone has favorites among the variety of colors of horses: someone loves light gray, dappled, salt and tan horses, others cannot take their eyes off the blue-raven and elegant bay.
The green horse does not go unnoticed. A rare and unusual suit is admired by everyone. You will find even more interesting and useful information about the different colors of horses in our previous publications.
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Genetics of game suit
It is difficult to decipher the genetic code of horses of the game color. But hippology scientists have practically coped with this task. The lilac color is a variation of the red color, and the f gene is responsible for the lightened tail and mane. Breeding such a horse is not an easy task for breeders. The gene encoding light red hair is recessive, which means that both parent individuals must be homozygous for this trait. But for the brightness and attractiveness of their color, such horses are prized at sporting competitions and circus performances.
Compliance with the regime
If you feed the gamefish at the same time, and also create good conditions for it to feed, the animal will get used to this way of life. After establishing a regime, the digestive system independently prepares for food intake. An animal may feel stressed if any nutritional disturbances occur.
The veterinarian must periodically monitor the animal , as well as the health of the individual’s teeth. It is advisable to eliminate and correct any problems that arise. It is recommended that all feed be properly processed so that the nutrients are well absorbed in the horse’s body. The presence of healthy teeth will create clear chewing, and as a result, saliva will be produced in sufficient quantities. Thanks to this process, the animal will avoid the formation of ulcers. It is necessary to select rough food as the main diet for females and males, because grinding will take more time.
Game breeds
People have known about such horses since the Middle Ages. Descriptions of white-maned creatures with dark red bodies can be found in texts from the 15th and 16th centuries. The mutation, which makes the mane or tail lighter, has become established in several breeds. Initially, such individuals appeared in southwestern Europe and spread widely during the war years. Often this coloring is found in heavy trucks - Belgian, Norian, Soviet, Icelandic. Trotters are popular in circus performances for their contrasting colors. Sports champions are Finnish horses. The Haflinger horse breed lives in the Alps.
Belgian game horse
Belgian draft horses or Brabançons began to be bred back in the Middle Ages. Thanks to their powerful, strong legs, wide stride, and calm nature, they have become indispensable in agriculture. Most often, Belgian horses are of the game color. Despite technological progress, in Western Europe these horses are still used for work in the fields. In the 19th century they gained particular popularity in connection with sporting successes.
Game-green haflingers
The Game Haflinger (sometimes called Haflinger) began to be bred in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. in the northern provinces of Italy and Austria. Short (135-150 cm at the withers), graceful, cautious, but hardy animals were irreplaceable when residents of small villages needed to overcome difficult and dangerous mountain paths that separated populated areas. During the war years, the purity of the breed suffered somewhat, because... the front needed large heavy horses. But thanks to the efforts of breeders, the breed was restored.
Gray
The gray color is formed due to the early graying of any of the possible colors. Because of this, it is very common. Animals begin to turn gray at different times, sometimes even before birth. Gray horses are usually born hyperpigmented, with a pronounced presence of pigment in the coat and hair.
The gray coat retains the color of the eyes, skin and hoof horn, only the base color of the hair changes. The shades of the gray horse are very diverse, from light gray to pink and red-gray. Gray horses with apple or buckwheat patterns are often found. Gray horses are found in almost all breeds.
Buckwheat gray: Wikipedia
Similar horse colors
The game horse is unique, but a layman may confuse it with another color. For example, the color of nightingale is close. The hair of horses is creamy, honey, sandy, golden, and the mane is whitish with an admixture (no more than 15%) of gray hair. Genetically, the Cream gene is responsible for the color of this color. You can see that the game color of the horse in the photo is darker than the nighting color. The silver-bay undercoat is also surprisingly similar to the lilac one: a dark brown body and a snow-white mane. They can be distinguished by gray hairs in the mane and dark, almost black, legs, which do not exist in gamefishes.
Bulanaya
The dun horse has a sandy-yellow body color, black mane, tail and lower legs. The eyes of horses of this color should be brown or amber. Shades of body color vary from almost white sand to dirty yellow. The lower part of the legs may not be pure black, but with a brown tint. On the spine of dun horses you can often see a black stripe - a “strap”.
The dun color is a derivative of the bay color. It arose due to the influence of the horse pigment illuminator gene. The color is typical for Akhal-Teke horses.
Horse care
Its appearance and health depend on how carefully and correctly you care for your animal.
- An important point is nutrition. It is necessary to monitor the quality and condition of the hay. Strict adherence to the feeding regime will allow the horse to remain healthy and in shape.
- The animal has open access to clean drinking water. A healthy adult horse requires 35-40 liters of fluid per day.
- After each feeding, bowls, drinking bowls and feeders need to be washed. The stall should be kept clean.
- Regular veterinary checks are required.
Healthy and proper nutrition
Before starting horse riding, as well as other physical activities, the animal must have some food in advance. This regime is observed to avoid digestive disorders and with a full stomach it is difficult for the horse to move, and cardiovascular activity is also reduced. Before feeding and choosing food, it is recommended to familiarize yourself with the health of the individual . Every horse needs a balanced diet. Males and females obtain carbohydrates, fats and fiber from high-quality hay. The following components are considered additional animal food:
- Bran.
- Muesli.
- Oats.
The food chosen to feed the breed should not contain dust, mold or other harmful substances. If foreign additives are present, respiratory diseases may occur. Hay must be checked, toxic substances and plants must be absent. The animal does not have a gag reflex, so the toxic substance spreads throughout the body and poisons it. To store feed, it is necessary to provide clean and dry conditions that can be protected from direct sunlight, as well as from the penetration of parasites such as mice and rats.
Origin of the playful color
According to genetics, the gamey coloring comes from a color that is considered red. It is generally accepted that a gene called f plays a big role here. This gene is recessive. Its name comes from the word flaxen, which means “brightening” in English. The magenta color can be obtained with a homozygous combination of ff. Horses of the game color, thanks to this gene, are lightened in two zones - in the hair of the horse’s mane and tail.
There are times when these areas are not completely cleared and scientists cannot always explain why the gene acts this way. Irregularity is seen in many breeds of horses. It happens in riding purebreds, Arabian, and heavy draft breeds. There are some breeds that differ only in their lilac color. We will talk about them.
Belgian gamey draft
Belgian game horse
These heavy trucks are called Brabançons. These powerful horses began to be bred in Belgium in the province of Brabant. It is believed that this is a very ancient breed, the roots of which originate from a wild forest horse.
Belgium, like many European countries, was often shaken by war. For this reason, many horses of different origins appeared in the country. Local breeders took advantage of this by crossing horses of foreign origin and local horses. Thanks to excellent work, a game horse was bred with excellent working qualities, strong and tireless.
Unlike other heavy trucks, the Belgian is distinguished by its compact body and short back. These horses have strong, healthy legs. The temperament of these horses is calm, and their gait is wide. More often than other colors, Brabançons have a playful color.
In the nineteenth century, Belgian heavy trucks became very popular. This was facilitated by their success in international competitions.
Despite the fact that modern technology has come to agriculture, these horses are successfully used in various jobs nowadays in many countries.
Game-green haflingers
These not very tall horses were bred in Tyrol, bordering the Austrian mountains. Even medieval writers described horses of the eastern type, which lived in the South Tyrolean mountains of Austria, as well as in northern Italy. Tyrolean mountain villages and farms were located in places that could only be reached along mountain paths, which were very narrow. To transport various loads along these paths, only very nimble horses, distinguished by their special dexterity, were needed. Paintings by local artists dating back to the early nineteenth century depicted small, compact horses under riders and packs, making their way along steep mountain paths.
The first Haflinger, whose name comes from the village of Hafling in Tyrol, was born from a stallion of Arabian origin and a mare of the local Tyrolean breed. This stallion, named Foley, became the founder of the breed.
During the Second World War, the army needed pack horses, therefore, in breeding Haflingers, preference was given to massive horses. As the war came to an end, emphasis was placed on the gracefulness of the breed. Today, Austrian stud farms that own Haflinger stallions rely on maintaining the purity of this breed. Horses of this breed came to America from Austria in the fifties of the last century, where they were loved as riding horses. Horse breeders in Germany, as well as Italy and Holland are engaged in breeding this breed. Most of these horses come from their homeland, Austria.
Smart game haflingers are used in show jumping, dressage, hippotherapy, and horseback riding.
Chubaraya
Another spotted color is Chubara. Such horses have spots of different colors densely scattered across their white body. Depending on the location on the body and the shape of the spots, more than ten types of forelock are distinguished, for example chaprak, leopard, speckled, snowflake and others.
Although the forelock color is one of the most ancient (horses are depicted in cave paintings from Paleolithic times), now this color is extremely rare. It happens in the Appaloosa, Knabstrupper, Noriker, Altai and Yakut horse breeds.
Chubby leopard-type horse: Wikipedia
Belgian game horse
The era of these beautiful, powerful draft horses began when Caesar reigned. At one time they were crossed with trotters, which subsequently led to a change in the breed, and then two species appeared. Heavy trucks are also called Brabançons. Horses began to be bred in Belgium in the province of Brabant.
The Belgian horse is the embodiment of all the strength and power of the game color of horses. Height no more than 174cm. The whole body is powerful, but compact, the back is short, the neck is slightly arched and muscular, the legs are thin with prominent muscles, on which the “brush” gracefully hangs. Thanks to their strong joints, they are fast and durable. Their health is enviable, they are long-lived, have strong immunity, and do not go overboard with their food. By character, they are strong in spirit, courageous knights with a calm and flexible character. Brabançons are predominantly bay, but you can also find red or black ones.
Belgian game horse
With the advent of the war, the need for horsepower increased greatly, and varieties of breeds appeared, crossed between their own and imported horses. Thanks to the work of breeders, the game color of horses with a strong and persistent character was developed.
With the advent of modern technology in agriculture, these wonderful workers continue to be successfully in demand.
White-born
Typically, a horse with a pure white coat will be light gray or light Isabella. However, the white color of horses does exist, although it is extremely rare. White-born horses, contrary to popular belief, are not albino. They have pink skin, dark eyes and white fur.
Beautiful animals come in a dozen colors. It never hurts to demonstrate your horizons and name the correct color of the animal.
Original article: https://www.nur.kz/household/pets/1941959-masti-loshadey-foto-opisaniya-i-nazvaniya/
Savrasaya
Savras color is the oldest horse color. Because of this, it is also called wild. Thanks to the special colors, owners of the savras suit can camouflage well. A number of “wild markings” help horses do this. They form different dark patterns on the animal's body: a belt on the back, a web on the forehead, a mask on the face or frost on the tail.
Savras color is present in many breeds: Bashkir, Vyatka, mustangs, Polish skates, Belarusian draft horses and American quarter horses. In artificially bred breeds, for example the Trakehner, the savras color is not found. Since the ancient ancestors of horses had the savras color, it can easily be analyzed through a DNA test.
Genetic characteristics of the suit
The basis of the color of game horses is red, and the f gene is responsible for the “lightening” of the mane and tail. It has not yet been proven exactly how it works. In some cases, lightening does not occur, for which there is no explanation. What is known is that the gene is often found among Arabian horses, Belgian and Russian breeds.
Early studies of game horses showed that when animals are crossed, the offspring inherit the parental color. However, it was later revealed that among Haflingers and other breeds this rule does not always work. So, light foals can appear from dark parents.
Sometimes the game color is confused with the nightingale, since both species are characterized by a red body color, which sharply contrasts with the shades of the tail and mane. However, at the genetic level they differ significantly - other genes influence the formation of the salt color.
Interesting Facts
The Isabella suit, like any other, has a number of its own individual characteristics. Let's consider each of its features separately:
- Such horses are very rare, they are even considered one of the rarest breeds in the whole world. Usually you can only find them among true connoisseurs. What this is connected with is not particularly clear, most likely this is because the beauty of the Isabella color is endowed with a slightly frightening albino beauty and many, out of habit, are even afraid to have one.
- The second name for the Isabella horse is the cream horse. The breed owes this name to its soft cream coat color.
- In addition to the unique color, what makes such a horse unusual is the presence of shine. Moreover, this shine is visible not only in person, but also noticeable through photography. For those who have not seen a horse in person, when looking at its image, it may seem that some kind of effect has been imposed on it.
- In order to breed a purebred Isabella horse, you need to combine two completely identical genes.
- In America, the term “cremello” is used to refer to these amazing horses.
- Although outwardly such a horse looks thin, delicate and even fragile, in fact it has considerable strength and incredible endurance. It doesn’t matter to her what natural conditions to live in. The strength of the Isabella horse was also praised in legends, one of which states that during the war such a horse could carry up to three wounded people across the sands at a time. It equally endures cold of -30 degrees and heat of +50.
- Thanks to the high canter and stride, the horse can move without problems in quicksand conditions.
- The Isabella horse is very expensive because it has two red ancestors in its family; this combination is extremely rare.
