Gray OTTBs ....

Last night while I was participating in one of my favorite online activities - window shopping on CANTER - I got to thinking about something I've noticed since the beginning of CANTER and other OTTB resources many years ago.

Why is it that the gray horses are almost always priced about $1000 higher than bays or chestnuts that otherwise seem pretty comparable in quality?

Do that many people really prefer grays to horses of any other color? Grays are definitely striking and tend to stand out, but as for me personally ... While I wouldn't turn down a gray horse because of color, I kind of like the fact that my brown horses ar easier to keep clean and shiny (especially since they spend a lot of time turned out!).

And for those who buy OTTBs for resale ... Do you find the resale value of grays to be that much higher than the bays and chestnuts?

Do you think it's "worth it" to pay extra because the horse is a pretty color? Again, if I really liked the horse, most OTTBs are priced low enough that the price is still likely to be very reasonable even with the "gray horse surcharge" ... But given the option to purchase the exact same horse in chestnut for $1000 less, I would go with the chestnut!

The grays that are listed usually seem to sell pretty quickly, so it seems that people are willing to pay more for them.

I'm not looking to buy or sell one or anything ... It's just one of the quirks of the horse world that I have noticed, and I'm curious as to what others' thoughts are on this situation!

I have NO idea what it is, but I agree, people will pay more for a gray horse.

I had a VERY fancy Welsh/TB cross for resale last fall. That lovely, dappled gray with darker legs and a white mane and tail. He moved and jumped REALLY well, but was an akward size 15-15.1 hands, and really sharp. Just very hot off the leg and had a wicked spook. He was very talented but in no way a horse for the average AA or junior.

He sold within 3 weeks of advertising him for 10k. He was great the first time the girl tried him but a TOTAL turd the second time... Spooking, spinning etc. I probably would have walked, but they LOVED him. I had so much interest in him it was crazy. I know if he had been bay or chestnut and small, hot, and spooky, it never would have happened.

Go figure.

I know someone right now who is looking for a TB to event. She found one that she loves. He just has the right temperment, experience and is the proper size for her, but he is could probably be considered a bit over priced because he is gray. She may end up paying it because she loves the horse, although her least favorite thing about him is his color! Too much work to keep clean :)

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Originally Posted by Sticky Situation

Last night while I was participating in one of my favorite online activities - window shopping on CANTER - I got to thinking about something I've noticed since the beginning of CANTER and other OTTB resources many years ago.

Why is it that the gray horses are almost always priced about $1000 higher than bays or chestnuts that otherwise seem pretty comparable in quality?

Do that many people really prefer grays to horses of any other color? Grays are definitely striking and tend to stand out, but as for me personally ... While I wouldn't turn down a gray horse because of color, I kind of like the fact that my brown horses ar easier to keep clean and shiny (especially since they spend a lot of time turned out!).

And for those who buy OTTBs for resale ... Do you find the resale value of grays to be that much higher than the bays and chestnuts?

Do you think it's "worth it" to pay extra because the horse is a pretty color? Again, if I really liked the horse, most OTTBs are priced low enough that the price is still likely to be very reasonable even with the "gray horse surcharge" ... But given the option to purchase the exact same horse in chestnut for $1000 less, I would go with the chestnut!

The grays that are listed usually seem to sell pretty quickly, so it seems that people are willing to pay more for them.

I'm not looking to buy or sell one or anything ... It's just one of the quirks of the horse world that I have noticed, and I'm curious as to what others' thoughts are on this situation!

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You don't ride color. But then poor me, I've never owned a gray. So deprived! :lol:

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Originally Posted by merrygoround

You don't ride color. But then poor me, I've never owned a gray. So deprived! :lol:

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Me neither ... Mine have all been some variation of brown or red!

Maybe that why I just don't get it :cool:

While a dapple grey is beautiful I would shy away from them more because of the risk of melanomas then the keeping clean factor.

I noticed the same thing. We "shopped" this past year pretty regularly via CANTER and the usual sources for project horses. My daughter would have preferred a grey, specifically a dapple grey, but as everyone says you don't ride color and color isn't the deciding factor. But because they were often priced a little high for projects we hesitated on several and then *boom* they were sold. We ended up just this month buying a big bay that I just love the looks of. We just has to find a really pretty boy to make up for the fact he's not grey. :)

Seriously grey horses are a pain to keep clean and here at 7000' elevation they nearly always get melanomas....even so, I noticed they are moving.

[QUOTE=Reagan;6817578]While a dapple grey is beautiful...QUOTE]
The problem with dappled grey when they're younger is they almost always turn flea bitten grey as they age (10 and up), a color I can't stand.

I had one that was lovely - I paid $1200 more than the cute blood bay horse, both OTTBs. he was truly beautiful, and I'm sure that is why I got him...not so smart. I've had 2 and they are a pain to keep nice and clean, so now all my horses are dark with the exception of a Perch cross paint...

I've noticed that too, and also wondered why. I'm in the "no gray" camp myself. When I was shopping for my first horse, my first elimination criteria was "no gray, no mare". I ended up coming home with a gray mare because she was the right horse, but she was a bi8$ch to keep clean and presentable for shows. Now I'm back to the "no gray" rule.

Not to mention the melanoma issue with grays...who wants to deal with that?

Judging by numerous comments I have overheard by what I would politely describe as "yahoos" hanging out at a CANTER booth at a Horse Expo, tall, chrome, and gray are, in fact, JUST the ticket for at least some people, and everything else is secondary. :sigh:

I wouldn't buy a gray if an equally nice bay, black, chestnut, pinto, or any other color were available. Melanoma is too heartbreaking.

But track horses who are gray are typically at that "gorgeous" phase of their lives--dapples everywhere, etc. They make a pretty picture, and eye candy must sell at least on some level! :lol: A dark bay with four stockings and a blaze will automatically be marked up, too, because they're uncommon.

Me, love my plain bays (or the Keebler, dirt hiding roaning). I avoid both chrome and grey (although I do have a soft spot for pintos - solved by buying one for the assistant trainer to ride and deal with grooming :encouragement:)

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Originally Posted by chism

Not to mention the melanoma issue with grays...who wants to deal with that?

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Regulary when selling a grey during the PPE buyer bringsupmelanome...and every vets will reply the horse will die from something else before from a skin melanoma and to date I have never ever has a grey who was found with a melanoma..

I've had three greys in the past ten years - I love the color. I haven't found they are any harder to keep clean than my bay mare. Really. When they are dirty, they just look - grey! They get hosed off after exercise same as any color horse and when you go to a show you have to bathe them regardless of what color they are. I have not had any issues with melanoma. And they look great it just about every color except yellow.

Didn't particularly want a grey but I ended up with a very quirky grey TB gelding. I have to say that he rolls in manure a lot less than my bay and chestnut mares did (except on show days, of course)--or at least it seems to stick to his wierd grey coat less (his coat has a strange texture unlike that of my other horses)--and seems to take some pride in his appearance. So far, he hasn't been any more work (and maybe a bit less) to keep clean than my chestnut mare with chrome. And he is getting more good looking as he fades; he was almost too flashy as a dark dappled grey with a blaze and two white stockings. He's an oddball, though, he has a LOT of personality.

I have what I guess you'd call a rose gray TB. She's a wonderful color, because she seems to be the exact color of dirt and dust. :)I guess I won't be so smug when she lightens up. BTW - which gray colors go flea bitten and which go white? I'm hoping she goes white, but I think the odds are low.

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Originally Posted by judybigredpony

Regulary when selling a grey during the PPE buyer bringsupmelanome...and every vets will reply the horse will die from something else before from a skin melanoma and to date I have never ever has a grey who was found with a melanoma..

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And I, in a polar opposite scenario, have known many older grays with them.

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Originally Posted by chism

I've noticed that too, and also wondered why. I'm in the "no gray" camp myself. When I was shopping for my first horse, my first elimination criteria was "no gray, no mare". I ended up coming home with a gray mare because she was the right horse, but she was a bi8$ch to keep clean and presentable for shows. Now I'm back to the "no gray" rule.

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Same here... no gray, no mare, and ended up with a fantastic gray mare. :rolleyes: In her dark dappled days, most stains blended in well. As she got lighter, I had to buy more Quicsilver! Thankfully she's always been a lady about baths, and will stand politely to have her tail/haunches washed in icy water on cold mornings at 6am.


I bred her last year (3 months left of Fat Mare!) and one of my criteria was NO GRAYS. She already has a 50% chance of having a gray foal, and I didn't want to up that to a 75% chance by breeding her to a gray stallion. My mare has started developing melanomas since age 11, and they've been slowly growing bigger; she has a couple acorn-sized lumps under her tail now, and a golf-ball sized lump at her throatlatch below her right ear. While I know they don't hurt her, it's concerning to see the melanomas grow larger, and I worry that she may have some internally that could eventually cause a problem. My fingers are crossed for a BAY filly! (But I'll still love it if it's gray!)

I have always heard vets talk about melanoma's being a serious issue with gray horses and I have personally known grey horses with them as well. I am not sure that would stop me from buying one if the horse was lovely simply because horses seem to hurt themselves and come up with plenty of other ways to die.

As a seller, I love a grey horse! Yes, people go nuts over them and it makes my job much easier. An average grey horse will sell much faster than an average bay horse. I have seen it happen many times. Even the grey horses that I list for CANTER that have injuries often find homes quite easily.

Can you get more money for them? Yes, I do believe you can and it has been proven to me many times even when I am skeptical. As a person who resells if I had to pick between a grey and a plain bay that were of the same quality than I would probably lean towards the grey because I think they sell better.

I personally LOVE grays, but hate the idea of keeping them clean. The melanoma things scares me a bit, but I know that they aren't the same as when you say melanoma in humans. I know quite a few grays that had melanomas but they never bothered them, and they died of other causes.