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This is a non-commercial, independent website, owned and written by Nancy Kerson, for the benefit of actual and potential adopters of BLM Mustangs and Burros and similar animals.
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7. Color: A good horse is never a bad color. You don't ride the color, you ride what's inside the horse. See "Colt In A Plain Brown Wrapper"
That said, color may matter to you.
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 Most mustangs are bays, browns, blacks and reds. There are a few herd areas, however, that abound in "color" South Steens in Oregon, High Rock in California (actually Nevada but managed by California), Calico Mountains and Granite Range in Nevada, are a few of the better-known herd areas that produce horses "of a different color." Nationally, about 5% of wild horses are of colors or patterns other than basic bay, brown and red. |
You may feel that, if you can only get this one horse, it had better be the horse you've dreamed of all your life. One's Dream Horse is usually a certain color or color pattern, perhaps a palomino, a shiny Black Stallion, a dapple gray, or a flashy pinto. Or you may be attracted to the exotic "primitive markings" on duns.
Since your ability to commit deeply to the horse is THE prime ingredient for success, I consider a color priority to be legitimate. If you have a color preference, simply admit that you do, and don't beat yourself up over it.
On the other hand, as you get to know your new horse and to develop a bond, you are likely to stop noticing the color. If you can get past color and just choose for conformation, movement, and other qualities, such as "kind eye" or heart connection" you are more likely to get a better horse.
Looking at this Halter class at the Western States Wild Horse & Burro Expo, you would never guess that the vast majority of mustangs are bays and browns, and that pintos and appaloosas make up less than 5% of all mustangs, would you?
THE DOWN SIDE OF COLOR PREFERENCE WHEN CHOOSING A MUSTANG:
The vast majority of mustangs are bays or dark reds, known affectionately as "Nevada Browns." These plain-wrapper bays and dark reds are far more "at risk" under the Burns Rider 3-Strikes Rule, than their more unusually-colored brothers and sisters. The majority of young 3-strikes horses are plain-colored, and the ones left over at the end of an adoption are nearly always the "Nevada Browns."
 | What's wrong with this 3-strikes Sale Authority 3-year-old? Absolutely nothing! Except that she comes in a "plain brown wrapper" and went to 3 adoptions where she was passed over for more colorful horses. This horse was lucky: she was purchased by Cathy Barcomb of the Nevada Wild Horse Commission, and is now in training with "Save-A-Life" Foundation to become a saddle horse. But there are many more like her who are not so lucky! |
In the domestic horse world, bay, brown and sorrel or chestnut are fine colors. No one would consider ruling out a Quarter Horse because he is Bay or Dark Red! 
This is my friend Terri on her fine solid red American Quarter Horse. Skippy is an excellent horse because he has a good mind and good training, as well as sound conformation. As a QH, no one cares if he isn't colorful.
So what's the deal with Mustangs and color?
In domestic horses, people choose a horse based on training, bloodlines, conformation, and temperament.
Wild horses have no training, their bloodlines are unknown, their wildness makes it difficult to evaluate their temperaments, and many adopters are not comfortable evaluating conformation, especially in a wild, un-groomed, and possibly underfed horse.
So they look for the horse that stands out from the crowd - the "horse of a different color."
But folks, DO look deeper! Once you get to know your horse, the color will be the LEAST important quality! Choose a good horse, not just a color! Give those "Nevada Browns" a chance! The Mustang Heritage Foundation's Extreme Mustang Makeover features exclusively "Nevada Browns" being trained for competition. See "Links" page
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| Three wonderful "Nevada Brown" Mustangs: Chinook, Mac, and Tally Ho | ||
| COLORS: Sometimes you get a surprise: When we adopted Ruby, we were so proud of ourselves for not "going for color." Ruby was a plain brown-black/dark bay youngster. Hmmm...Guess What! | |
 |  Read about the action of the GRAY gene here |
A plea to look beyond colorHere are 4 young horses of approximately the same age who were recently offered by the BLM over their Internet Adoption: | |
 This blue roan went for $755, and had 16 bids |  This well-conditioned sorrel got no bids |
 This sorrel got no bids. Except for color, he is almost identical to the blue roan above - possibly a bit wider and deeper. |  This bright, healthy youngster went for minimum bid ($125) |
 This 14-hand, 3-year-old pinto mare from the High Rock herd went for $795, after 17 different bids were placed on her
|  This facility-born 3-year-old, 14 hand mare from Litchfield's "Friendly Mare" corral, and  This 3-year-old 14-hand High Rock mare got no bids |
| Okay, I like color as much as anyone. Colors are interesting, I like to see colorful horses in pictures or out my window. My own herd consists of a pinto, a buckskin, and a gray (that we thought was a bay when we adopted her) as well as a sorrel and a bay. I'm not saying the two colorful horses above aren't worth the money. The pinto mare has certainly nice conformation, a nice head, and spectacular coloring. The blue colt will probably fill out as he matures and his nutritional status improves. There is nothing glaringly bad about his structure other than being a bit thin and shallow-bodied, but that can improve with maturity and groceries. But really, folks, how much is color worth? In these cases, apparently it's worth $755 - $795. | |
 This Devils Garden mare was adopted for $130. She is already gentled and halter-trained. Her conformation is good, with a nice long neck and deep shoulder. Is she really $665 less good than the pinto mare? | |
