Brown horse color: description, history, characteristics and interesting facts

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Many consider horses to be the most beautiful and noble of animals. Human interaction with them has been known since time immemorial. Horses of unusual colors have always been highly valued among experts and ordinary amateurs. One of the rather unusual and striking representatives of the species can be called buckskin horses. The main gene that gives this color is the Cremello gene, or Crr.

Origin of the name

In Russian there is a consonant word "damask", often associated with this particular breed. The similarity with the name of the suit draws in the imagination of warlike horses, which are identified with damask steel. However, the real roots of the origin of the name are completely different. In particular, "bulan" or "bolan" is translated as deer or elk. A similar name was given to the suit because of its rather similar color. In addition, there is another opinion that the dark color of the horses of this breed without visible “apples” on the body became the reason for choosing the name. In the latter case, the origin comes from the verb "bolanmak", which means "to darken"or "get cloudy".

Lovers call this suit sunny or golden. The stateliness and harmony of the horses is especially emphasized by the contrast between the color of the legs and mane. The breeds of the buckskin suit of horses are mostly riding. These include Karabakh, Don, Budenov and Akhal-Teke. The constitution of horses is almost always light.

History of occurrence

Such horses have always been considered "noble" regardless of the time period. On the head, neck, shoulders, back and croup, there seems to be a special pattern of coal rash on a light yellow background. The appearance of animals of this suit was especially noble and appreciated in higher circles. The first mentions can be traced back in the surviving documents about the city of Nisa, which was the capital of Parthia. It says that “all the horses were yellow.”

European notes and descriptions of the buckskin color of horses in history should be attributed to the period from the 15th to the 18th centuries. In particular, in the Baroque era, noble people preferred to ride such horses along with the nightingal suits. Subsequently, rich people turned their attention to darker breeds, because the latter were considered the strongest and hardiest.

In various records of many nations, it was mentioned that the color of horses directly influenced their temperament and disposition. So, the lighter breeds were quiet, the red ones were distinguished by nervousness and ardor, and the black horses had a restive and vicious character. The Indians of the ancient tribes at one point began to call all the horses in general the word "bulan".

Main varieties

The general color of animals can be different. In total, five main options are distinguished for the buckskin suit of horses, presented in the list below.

1. Dark color. Usually combined with apples scattered randomly over the body, that is, spots of light colors. The base color can be from dark sand to yellow-brown, and some horses have a dark mantle.
2. Light color. Here, the range of acceptable tones varies from pale yellow to light sand. In some cases, the head is noticeably darker than the rest of the body. Contrasting light coat may be present on the mane and tail. The legs are mostly represented by dark shades.
3. In apples. The general character of the color is light, but the body is often replete with black ornate patterns, which creates a unique combination of colors for each horse. The hock joint in this case is not the limit at which the black color of the legs ends. The head and lower limbs often have blond hair.
4. Silver. The mantle is most often made in dark colors. It is worth noting that the silver tan color of a horse is not always easy to recognize for the reason that the silver color can only appear over the years. Even experts can almost never identify stallions of this color.
5. Bulans in gold. This name is given to horses with a bright yellow eye-catching color. The golden tint looks very impressive, so the horses wearing it are not used in ordinary work or at races. Usually,such horses are show horses and cost a lot of money. Very popular and in demand in the Middle East.

Professional description

An interesting fact is that this suit is not the main one and was not officially included in the corresponding list. The modern classification considers buckskin horses as one of the offshoots from bay horses. The main distinguishing feature in this case can be considered an even sandy color throughout the body and head. The description of the tan horse also indicates that the acceptable range of colors varies from rich cognac to golden or earthy.

At the same time, there are other characteristic features of such horses. In particular, the color on the front and hind legs should be black. The same color prevails on the tail and mane of the horse. It is important to note that for the forelimbs, the black coloration, as a rule, continues up to the carpal joints, and for the hind legs - to the hocks. A variant with a continuation to the forearms and shins, respectively, is allowed. If dark pigmentation predominates in the skin, then the eyes can be completely different - from bright amber to deep brown. It is specifically mentioned that dark outer hair is not considered a defect.

Other features

In other descriptions of this suit, there are sometimes a number of additional indicators indicating that the horse belongs to the buckskin. For example, there is such a thing asa belt that runs along the entire spine of horses. In this breed of horses, it has a black-brown color. In addition, there are other characteristics and descriptions of buckskin horses. Some horses have very prominent wings, presented in the form of blurred transverse stripes of a dark shade. You can find these elements on the shoulders of the animal.

Experts advise to take a closer look at the horse's ears. This part of the body should have a clear black color. Certain varieties of suit have the so-called frost, that is, white or whitish locks of hair in the tail and mane. Most sought after by collectors, yellow-gold horses can have some luster and also have quite bright amber eyes. All of the listed features of the buckskin suit are due to the common genotype with the horses of the kaura suit.

Horse in culture

The nobility and stateliness of this variety could not go unnoticed, and therefore firmly took its place first in folk legends and fairy tales, and then in animation. Disney Studios, for example, filmed a TV series that featured a tan horse named Spirit.

Also, this breed often appeared on large and small screens in cowboy films, where whole herds of such horses galloped across the prairies, which the Indians of North America considered their faithful companions and called mustangs.

Confusion with other suits

Such cases are not uncommon, because a horse can be attributed towrong suit even seasoned professionals. In the breed genotype itself, there may be a certain admixture of wild genes. This fact is usually indicated by the presence of a zebra color of the limbs in combination with a clear dark belt on the back. The stripes on the legs at the same time go up to the hock or carpal joint. The correct name for this seemingly dun horse color is savras.

In the past centuries, teachings from Russia conducted a series of studies that proved that many peoples have a stable erroneous opinion about the breed of some horses. As an example, one can cite the eternal confusion between buckskin and isabella suits. This is only due to the fact that both breeds are related to crows and have a special Cremello gene.

Current situation

Today these horses are highly valued among professionals and amateurs. The description and features of the buckskin horses delight experienced collectors, and the most worthy and beautiful specimens cost no less than an expensive sports car.