Features and color options of bay horse color

A bay horse is often found in Russian folk tales. This kind creature helps the main character solve important problems and achieve his goal. Going with the folklore Ivan in search of the princess along fairy-tale roads, few people in their youth thought about the question of what the word “bay” means. Adults often answered children that they were talking about brown horses, without really delving into the meaning of the name of the color. Few people know where such an unusual word came from in the Russian language, and what kind of bay horses exist in our time.

A bay horse is often found in Russian folk tales.

About the origin of the name

Parents were right when they told their children that a bay mare or stallion was brown in color. If you look at this graceful animal, you can see that almost its entire body is chocolate-colored, but its luxurious mane and bushy tail are darker, almost black. The legs are the same from the hoof to the knee. Scientists believe that the word “bay” is associated with the appearance of the horse.

In the vocabulary of the Old Russian language there once existed the verb “to oppress”; it meant to fan or kindle a fire. A word similar in spelling and meaning can be found in Latin. "Nidor" - smoke, fumes or fumes. The Czechs have the adjective “snědý” - this is how people with dark skin are called. And the ancient Greek “knissa” was used in connection with something fried or even burnt. If you look closely at the bay horse, it will seem that he was in a flame and scorched his tail and mane, and his slender legs practically turned into charred brands. Bay color is the color of something scorched or burnt.

It’s not for nothing that the East invented a legend about these horses. It talks about beautiful light-colored animals. A whole herd of them once approached a lake filled with dragon blood. Overnight the horses turned from snow-white beauties into bay horses, bright as fire and burnt like tree branches. The ancient word suits these animals very well. They couldn’t name their suit more precisely.

Artiodactyl habitat

The ancestors of today's horses lived throughout Eurasia and northern Africa. Later in the Ice Age they lived in North America, but became extinct about 10 thousand years ago. Scientists believe that horses are the only genus of the equine family of the artiodactyl order that has survived to this day.

In some regions, you can still find herds of horses living in the wild today. Domesticated species are distributed throughout the world; they are represented by a huge number of breeds that differ in build, size, head shape, color and other characteristics.

The preferred habitat for horses is cool temperate climates with grasslands, steppes and savannas. Some species can live in semi-deserts, as well as among forests and swampy areas. When domesticated, horses can adapt to different places and climates.

Why are brown animals so popular?

Horses of the following 4 colors are bred on the globe:

• blacks;
• gray;
• redheads;
• bay.

These are classic purebred colors. The rest of their numerous shades and color combinations are bred by breeders and are called shades. The most common horses have long been bay horses. They were and are loved for their endurance and strength. The bay horse was considered a good helper for the peasant in the field and on the road. In military service, they also preferred bay stallions and mares, considering them to be very docile. But the black horse was considered too hot and uncontrollable. “Singed” horses could travel long distances without getting tired and rarely got sick, unlike their light-colored counterparts.

For modern horse lovers, bay color also serves as an indicator of the strength and health of animals, which is why they are popular in various equestrian clubs. At horse races and dressage competitions, it is the red-and-black beauties that emerge as winners more often than others. But horse breeders value the color of these horses most of all. After all, it makes it possible to breed foals of different shades when crossing.

Caring for a bay horse

Proper care of a bay horse is the key to its excellent health, physical strength, good health and spectacular appearance.

The basic rules of care are no different from keeping horses of other colors and breeds:

1. Horses should only be kept in a warm, dry and spacious stable. It must have a spacious room for walking and training animals.
2. For the good health of horses, it is very important to protect them from constant cold and drafts.
3. An important role in caring for horses is given to proper, balanced nutrition. The diet of bay horses must include oats and other grains, hay, nuts, vegetables and root vegetables, and fruits. You can’t do without special additives - chalk, salt and bone meal.
4. The required amount of water is calculated depending on the weight of the horse. You need at least 10 liters for every 100 kg of body weight.
5. After training, the animal should be rinsed with warm water, and its hooves should be carefully monitored.

The bay color of horses is one of the most common, numerous and popular. It has several varieties that differ in color nuances. Animals of this color are highly valued by breeders for their spectacular appearance, balanced character and excellent physical characteristics.

How to tell if a horse is purebred

If you decide to purchase a purebred bay, you should become familiar with the characteristics of the breed. With bay horses, the head, neck, body and legs above the knee are brown. On the “shirt” among the chocolate hairs there are also black hairs. The skin of bays is grey. It can be seen by moving the hairs to the sides. On the animal's face there may be areas lighter or darker than the main color, as well as white spots (star, bald spot). But the eyes are always brown.

The ears, mane, tail and legs below the knee are dark, as if scorched by fire, or black. When purchasing a foal, you may be confused by the light color of its legs. The thing is that the bay color on the legs of horses does not appear immediately, but only after the first molt. As the foal grows older, its legs will darken. With age, a bay mare or horse, like people, turns grey. White “socks” can be seen on the legs of brown animals. Such horses look elegant and are highly valued. An experienced horse breeder will help you choose a handsome, purebred bay. It is worth taking a closer look at other colors of brown horses. Among them there are specimens with a variety of shades from light to the darkest.

Interesting facts about handsome bays

At the beginning of our review, we said that bay horses are often found among the famous sporting breeds and are highly revered among experienced riders. What is this connected with? One might assume that such brown and chestnut horses are very hardworking or have some special character traits. But it is not so.

In general, debates about whether the color of an animal affects its character and abilities continue to this day. Some hippologies claim that the connection is direct and dependent, others say that character is a purely individual trait that does not depend in any way on the color of the body. We adhere to the point of view that the bay color is very ancient and originates from eastern horses. At one time they were always distinguished by good health, endurance, speed and agility, and good disposition. Therefore, in modern breeds where this color predominates, horses are distinguished by such important traits for a sports career.

It is believed that white markings on the legs negatively affect the horse's running performance. For example, it is believed that the marked leg is weaker in the joints, so such horses are least often used in racing or show jumping. But in reality this is not the case, which has been proven by many years of practice. Bay horses, even with white socks, show excellent results in sports and achieve worldwide popularity.

Status of the most expensive horses in the world

Who could doubt it, but here too the bay horses are ahead of the rest. Yes, yes, this color was most often found on the most expensive horses in the world. For example, just remember the horse that the Prince of Dubai purchased at a London auction in the late 90s. He bought a bay stallion named Monju for $85 million.

Another big name of the bay horse is known to many - Sheriff Dancer. This famous stallion was sold in 1963 for $40 million. Or recently, the beauty and perfection of the movements of a bay mare named Poetin was valued at 2.5 million euros at the Perforance Sales International auction.

Famous pets

Beautiful bay horses not only received the status of the most expensive, but also the most outstanding. Among the famous horses of the world, a considerable part is made up of just such beauties. Many big names of bay horses come from the lines of the famous English thoroughbred breed. For example, the children of a stallion named Nearco always receive the main awards of prestigious races.

What color was the famous horse of the Soviet Union named Aniline? The horse, awarded the title “Thrice Crowned” and “Property of the Republic,” had just such an elegant bright color. The bay was also an equally famous trotter named Kvadrat. Needless to say, many famous horses in the world actually had this color.

Light suits

Representatives of the light bay color are golden and brown horses. Light bay animals have brick-colored fur. A darker stripe runs along the back - the “belt”. The areas on the face and near the eyes are lightened. The bay color, which has a dark brown tint, is clearly visible on such parts of the body as the legs below the knee, the head, except for light areas, the tail and mane.

Golden horses have a lighter color, red, the tail and mane are golden brown. But underhaired horses are bright brown; there are light tan marks on the body in the area of ​​the front legs, in the groin, and on the buttocks. On the muzzle there are light areas around the eyes and near the mouth.

Sometimes the mane and tail of hairless horses are bleached. It looks like the horse was dyed blonde. But this indicates that the animal manifested the gene of its ancestors - wild horses.

An unusual bait is the bay deer. The upper part of the horse, its head, neck, back, croup and sides are painted dark brown, as are the tail, mane and legs. The lower part of the muzzle, throat and belly are light brown on a stallion or mare. This transition from dark to light in nature can be observed in deer, which is how the brush got its name.

Photo gallery

Owners of bay color are widespread in different countries of the world, and the variety of shades is so great that such animals can be the ancestors of all existing breeds. Moreover, now there is no true bay color, but only combined variations.

The story goes that the original horse had a light brown body, as well as completely black hooves and tail. You can get acquainted with the external features of modern animals using a detailed photo gallery.

Population and reproduction

There are several methods for crossing horses, it all depends on what the breeder’s goals are.

Photo: bishi-teke.com

Purebred - crossing horses of the same breed in order to enhance breeding characteristics.

Linear - crossing animals of the same kind. This method makes it possible to strengthen the characteristics of a particular type of horse.

Horses breed in the summer. Gestation lasts from 287 to 419 days, birth occurs in spring or autumn. Almost always one foal is born, two cubs are very rare.

Lifespan

The lifespan of a horse depends on the conditions of its existence, area and load. Wild individuals rarely live more than 10 years, as they have to fight for survival throughout their lives. Climatic conditions, infections, and predators significantly shorten the life of wild individuals.

Horses live much longer at home, up to 30 years. Breeding stallions have the longest life up to 30 years, as the breeder pays special attention to them. Sports horses live up to 20 years. Even working horses, provided they are well maintained and have the correct alternation of work and rest, can live up to 25 years.

Classification and origin

The huge variety of colors of horses made it necessary to classify them. One of the first accepted in hippology is the classification of Hippocrates, which classifies black, red, bay and gray as the main or basic colors. Traditionally, the domestic horse breeding adhered to this classification. However, due to the fact that the teachings of Hippocrates were based on the ancient idea of ​​​​the structure of the world from four elements, in modern science this classification is considered imperfect.

Today, Sponenberg’s classification is considered more accurate, and most importantly, scientifically sound. He identifies three main colors of horses: black, red and bay, explaining their occurrence by the action of two basic genes, Extension and Agouti. If they have other genes in their background, color variations, or so-called derived suits, are obtained.

• The Extension gene is considered “wild” because it is found in all wild equines. In genetics, it is designated by the letter E. When E is dominant, it leads to the synthesis of the black pigment zumelanin. Thus, a black (black) suit appears with the designation EE. If the e allele is recessive, it causes the synthesis of the red pigment pheomelanin. A horse carrying such an allele will have a red color with its designation.
• Agouti is a dominant allele designated A, which, as a result of its action, causes the appearance of the zumelanin pigment in some areas. Thus, the entire lower part of the legs and the protective hair are painted black. The rest of the integumentary hair remains under the action of pheomelanin. As a result, horses get a bay color, although at the genetic level they are black: the Agouti gene appears only if the E gene is present. If the Agouti gene is recessive, then the horse remains black.

All other genes identified by science act only against the background of two main ones, Extension and Agouti, and are divided into lightening genes and white hair genes. All horse colors formed by their action are called derivatives.

How to maintain?

On average, animals of dun color rarely exceed the threshold of 30 years of age. However, properly selected balanced nutrition, regular veterinary examinations and overall quality care can significantly increase a horse's life expectancy.

A horse's diet must include the following nutrients:

• cereals – oats, rye, wheat;
• vegetables – carrots, beets, potatoes;
• fruits – apples;
• legumes;
• hay and straw.

In addition to food, it is necessary to provide the stallion with a sufficient amount of clean water.

The animal should be given water before meals, depending on the season and weather conditions:

• the volume of liquid drunk in the hot season can reach 50 liters;
• In winter, 30 liters of water is enough.

To avoid colic, you should stick to fractional meals - small portions several times a day. It is necessary to refrain from feeding if the animal will undergo physical activity in the coming hours.

Cleaning is no less important. The procedure should be carried out daily, since in addition to aesthetics (silky, shiny coat), care will avoid damage to the horse’s skin by microbes and pathogenic microorganisms.

Cleaning includes the following steps:

• the first step is to beat off the hooves;
• armed with a rubber brush, the animal’s rump is cleaned;
• Use a soft brush to remove dirt from sensitive areas (face, ears, nose);
• The final touch is to comb the mane and tail, removing all dirt.

It is worth noting that, despite their willfulness, dun horses are an obedient breed, so there is no need to tie the animal before carrying out hygiene procedures.

The colors of horses are described in the following video.

Difficulties in breeding roan horses

Horse breeders have many problems in breeding this type of horse. The main one is foals. When crossing a horse and a horse with the Rn gene of a roan color. The foal is stillborn or dies within a month. Experts associate this problem with the immune and nervous systems. The mutated integumentary cells of the parents are fully transmitted to the foal and the fragile body cannot cope with external factors.

Some horse breeders breed roan animals by crossing one gene carrier at a time. Those. a roan horse with a normal color horse. But the result will be 50/50. If the foal survives, there is a 50% chance that it will have an active roan gene. Such indicators repel horse breeders because they are not profitable. Therefore, it is difficult to meet a specially bred roan horse, and it is not easy to meet a non-specially bred one either.

Horses in history and culture

The bay color under this name is described among most Slavic peoples. But scientists have not yet figured out the exact origin of the word. According to linguists and historians, there are several theories:

• Latin version of origin - from the word “nidor”, meaning smoke or fumes;
• the ancient Greek version is “knissa”, which translates as “the smell of roasting” or “chad”.

Both versions, as well as a number of other hypotheses, rest on the “toasted” hypothesis, linking brown wool with tan marks. In fact, if you look at a bay horse, unlike chestnut horses, it will be covered with some black hair that looks vaguely like tan marks.

Although the bay horse in comparison with other colors (black, white) is not widely reflected in culture, a lot is associated with this type. The bay horse was (and even now it is the most common color) the most popular on the farm due to its genetic characteristics. But not only this predetermined the fate of the horse - its excellent working qualities made it the main worker of the village. It was on bay horses that most peasants who did not have oxen plowed. Horses of the same color were ridden in sleighs or carts. Of course, it is impossible to connect color and predisposition to work, but it so happened that it was the bay horses that worked more than others.

The Legend of Bayar

In French folklore there are several legends about bay miracle horses. Most often they were called Bayard, which means “bay horse” in French. The most famous is the story, which is based on the confrontation between Charles Martel (the grandfather of Charlemagne) and his subject Chilperic, who did not want to obey and fought an unsuccessful fight. Through the works of French storytellers, the action was transferred to the time of Charlemagne, and his vassal turned out to be much more successful and actively fought against the emperor.

According to this legend, the main characters are Aymond and his four sons, who famously defeated the French monarch in any battle. But the main role in the victory belongs to a powerful horse named Bayard (Bayard), who was received as a gift from the dragon or is one himself. This horse was characterized by loyalty, sharp intelligence and strength. In addition, he knew how to talk to a person, and four horsemen could sit on his back at once.

Charles failed to defeat Aymond in a single battle and they signed a peace treaty. But time took its toll, and the old father gave the horse to his youngest son Reno, and the rest of the wealth to his other sons. The bay horse constantly saved its new owner and his loved ones, but a tragic ending awaited it. The brothers were tired of hiding from the emperor and waging war with him, so they went to war. The price of peace was the life of the bay horse - the emperor ordered the beast to be drowned. The horse, betrayed by its owner, lost its strength and sank like a stone.

Subsequently, the story was rewritten many times, new plots were added to it - the legend of Reno and Angelique became the key theme of most romance novels. But the powerful horse was not forgotten. Every 10 years in France they organize a grandiose show performance, the key figure of which is the moving figure of a huge bay horse. Four horsemen sit on it. They are also unusual - they are selected from among the local residents, and they all must be blood brothers. The dimensions of the brown horse are impressive - height is 5 meters, body length is 5.2 meters, and weight is 800 kg. Similar processions are organized in many European cities; in addition, monuments to the fabulous bay horse have been erected in the Ardennes, Brussels, Ghent and other cities.

Breeds

Bay horses are found in all breeds. This is one of the most common colors.

But there is a breed of horses within which there are no individuals of any other colors. That's what it's called - Cleveland bay. It includes powerful horses for universal purposes, bred in England back in the Middle Ages.

Representatives of the bay color are found in many European breeds.

Content

Piebald horses are not picky in their use.
In addition, their diet is similar to that of ordinary horses. Piebald horses need to be fed regularly, and also always remember that they need vitamins, and add as much healthy food as possible to their diet so that their health is strong and their offspring are good. If a pinto's diet contains enough vitamins, its coat and mane will shine and shine. These horses need daily walks to prevent them from developing cardiovascular disease.

Bathe, clean and shoe your horses regularly. You should bathe once a week, but not less often. To do this, you will need soap - you can replace it with a special shampoo - and a special brush (you can buy it at a pet store). After bathing, be sure to rinse your horse and dry the skin with a dry cloth. During the molting period, bathing should not be abused.

Only those animals that participate in races or at exhibitions should be shoed.

Horseshoeing is needed to protect animals' hooves from chips, damage and various diseases. Also remember to take your horse to the vet. It is advisable to do this at least twice a year as a preventative measure for any diseases or abnormalities.

Keeping and breeding piebald horses requires a lot of effort, time and money. If you decide to buy yourself such an extraordinary horse, be prepared for the fact that you will have to spend a lot. However, the effort and money will pay off if you plan to have your animal participate in various themed exhibitions.

Overview of the main varieties of bay horses

It is customary to classify a horse as a bay color based on the standard, the description of which is partially given above, that is, according to the color of various parts of the body, eyes and skin. But within the color itself there are a large number of different shades and options, which sometimes almost do not coincide with the original criteria, so only a trained specialist in this field can accurately identify whether an animal belongs to bay or any other color.

Depending on the specific underlay, there are several main types of bay horses:

• light bay and dark bay;
• Karakaya;
• under-haired and bay-haired;
• cherry bay (red);
• chestnut, golden.

Each subspecies has its own characteristics, and sometimes only a small detail classifies a horse into a specific subgroup.

There is also a wild type of bay, with brown-black, lush hair on the legs up to the beginning of the hocks. It is rare in modern nature, but is highly valued among professional athletes for its excellent speed and agility.

The influence of color on character and health

In popular depictions, there are strong standards about the connection between the color of an animal and its character. Description of the horse: blacks are attributed to self-will and even hostility, red ones are considered hot-tempered, grays are considered kind, and the bay horse is a symbol of indestructibility. Neither academic research nor horse breeding research recognizes this connection.

It happens that in 3 neighboring stalls there are three bay horses, each with its own character. As de La Guerinière wrote in the Horse Bible, “suit is nothing more than a game of nature,” he emphasizes that among horses of various colors there are both evil and good. The opinion that the temperament of a horse depends on its suit has not been confirmed from an academic point of view.

The health of the animal and its coat color, on the contrary, have a connection with each other. It has been scientifically proven that gray animals are more susceptible to anomalies of solid tumors - “blank tumors” (melanosarcomas) and allergic rashes.

Horses of the rare white color often have hereditary diseases. Among them is a low level of fertility, or even infertility. This ruined the once famous line of white Hanoverian horses, still shown on the coat of arms of Hanover. Brown color is not associated with any diseases. "Bays" are usually strong and hardy.

The most expensive

Speaking of prices, it is worth noting a statistical fact: all the most expensive horses are bay.

The winner in this “nomination” is the stallion Montju. The Prince of Dubai once purchased it for $75 million. It is followed by:

• Sheriff Dancer - $40 million;
• Green Monkey - $16 million.

In this peculiar competition, Monju would have been only second if the prince of Saudi Arabia had decided to part with his favorite horse, Frenkel. Experts valued this horse at $200 million.

According to statistics, bay horses are the most expensive.