Colours for horses in the acw

[paulr]

So what mix of colours do people use for horses in general?

I tend to do about 1/5 each of: Bay, Chestnut, Brown, Black, Dun and mix them up a bit on the bases.

For some reason I really strugge with greys so tend not to do them

Regards,
Paul

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

2/3 chestnut.
Then in amounts, decreasing...
Roan
Dun
Black
Grey (paint grey, black wash, stipple highlight with dead no 2 brush)
Grey (as if in grey, not white)
Bay
Palamino

[Hertsblue]

If its a western campaign you can sneak in a few palaminos as they were highly prized especially in Texas, otherw mix them up as they had to make do with whatever nags they could get hold of. This is even more true of Southern States later in the war.

I didn't think Palaminos were bred until the eighteen-seventies? Oh, and pretty well all European armies used the convention of mounting trumpeters on greys - including the Brits. Still do in the Household Cavalry.

[Matt J]

mostly chestnut and bays then a few greys, black and the odd dun.
did used to do piebald and skewbald but bloody hard work at this scale.

[Maenoferren]

mostly chestnut and bays then a few greys, black and the odd dun.
did used to do piebald and skewbald but bloody hard work at this scale.

Guess what colours my plains wars mounted warrior's  horses are going to be 

[Matt J]

They would be my only exception. Plains Indians have to be on piebalds 

good luck with them, a very, very, very, small sponge dipped in white paint may help 

[Tobbe]

Thanks! I thought this was for the napoleonic era only, didn't know it went as far as that!!

Most everything taught at West Point was French in origin. The Hardee infantry tactical manual was translated from French.

[Maenoferren]

good luck with them, a very, very, very, small sponge dipped in white paint may help 

the couple I have done so far seem to have worked using inks over pale coat... will do some more and then get the photos done.... well... get better photos done

[Fenton]

I have found over the years that 49 out of every 50 horses  I have seen outside in the wild is a Vallejo Beige Brown colour...which is very lucky for me as I have lots of Beige Brown paint

[Techno]

I have found over the years that 49 out of every 50 horses  I have seen outside in the wild is a Vallejo Beige Brown colour...

There's a right, royal old mixture around here..... (You should see the variations in just Mrs T's 'brood'.  )
About the only colour I haven't seen since moving to the 'Land of the Wet' is a palomino......And they were pretty damn rare, even where I used to live.
Do we actually know....From a historical perspective...The colours of horses from the last few hundred years.....Or longer ?

(Serious question...For a change.)

Cheers - Phil

[nikharwood]

I have found over the years that 49 out of every 50 horses  I have seen outside in the wild is a Vallejo Beige Brown colour...which is very lucky for me as I have lots of Beige Brown paint

There's a right, royal old mixture around here..... (You should see the variations in just Mrs T's 'brood'.  )

Yep - my six are all widely different colours. Apart from now, when they are all a remarkably similar shade of "muddy field".

Not sure what Vallejo number that is though...

[Maenoferren]

Napoleonic colours -  we know from the records as it gives regiments and colours of their mounts, however is a bay in 1812 the same as a bay now. the further back we go the less we will know of their true colours -

[Techno]

Yep - my six are all widely different colours. Apart from now, when they are all a remarkably similar shade of "muddy field".

I keep trying to get Mrs T to get rid of ours....Then we could 'step' all the fields and grow rice.....There MUST be enough water there.
Cheers - Phil

[Hertsblue]

Napoleonic colours -  we know from the records as it gives regiments and colours of their mounts, however is a bay in 1812 the same as a bay now. the further back we go the less we will know of their true colours -

Pat Condray in his Swedish and Russian Armies of the Great Northern War notes that it was believed in Sweden that the darker a horse the stronger. Heavy cavalry therefore tended to ride black horses. Christopher Duffy's The Army of Frederick the Great also remarks that "The darkness of the coat was seen as a sign of quality. Thus in 1751 Frederick stipulated that the very blackest horses should go to the cuirassiers, and those of passable black or blackish-brown to the dragoons." Napoleon instituted a similar order during his reign.
 

[OldenBUA]

I came across this blog about equestrian history recently, it has a lot of nice stuff in it.