I did not go looking for color when I bought Harley. I wanted a good riding horse first. If the good riding horse was also pretty, that was just icing on the cake, and, besides, I knew that my horse would be beautiful in my eyes no matter what. As luck and circumstances would have it, I ended up purchasing a horse with a very unusual coat color and markings, even for a buckskin. Harley's coloring is definitely unique. Pretty much anytime we meet new horse people, they are captivated by his color. Just a few weeks ago, we met some people on the trail. One woman in particular was showering him with compliments and then as we walked away, I heard her continue to exclaim how she had never seen a horse that looked like him before. At our first Turkey Trot, a person driving through the parking lot, stopped their car, rolled down the window, and snapped a few photos of Harley as we walked by. It felt a little paparazzi, but I smiled and waved just the same. Harley batted his eyes and gave his best Marilyn impression. We may not have jaw-dropping movement in the dressage ring, but we certainly get people's attention in the color department. I like the attention and so does Harley. He always manages to arch his neck and puff up when he has a new audience. Such a ham.
Harley's "buttermilk" buckskin coloring changes quite a bit throughout the year. I thought that if might be fun to document some of those changes as we move from winter to spring. Harley's stockings are acquiring an interesting molted appearance. Take a look!
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| The light hairs are shedding out from the front of his legs first. The black stockings will eventually reach over his knees. |
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| The front of his leg looks really neat up close. |
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| Almost all of the this light hair is going to fall out, as evidenced by the shedding fur on the ground! |
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| I love the long, wispy hairs on the back of his legs. |
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| Stylish, side-swept "fetlocks". |
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| His hind legs have not shedded quite at much as the fronts, so you can see more color gradation... |
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| ...and the red highlights in his tail. |
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| That is just the beginning. Right, Harley? |
Harley is lovely no matter what time of year. And his fetlock "do" is to die for! I think I like his precious muzzle the best though. :)
ReplyDeleteHe is a beautiful. I love buckskins. Like you, I didn't go looking for a particular color - or breed - it just worked out that I got a cool colored horse.
ReplyDeleteI like Winston's "flames".
DeleteHe really is a neat color- I just love his red forelock!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteHarley is beautiful no matter what season as CFS said. I love buckskins and horses of a different color. My Dusty (palomino) is like Harley as she changes colors with the seasons. By the middle of summer she is almost brown but during the winter she is a dappled gold color. Go figure. We've always had paints and I love their patterns too. I never went looking for colors but like you picked the horse who suited our needs. Just lucked out with the colors.
ReplyDeleteI would be curious to see how a palomino changes color. Maybe you could share some pictures from the year?
DeleteHarley is a real head turner! I love both his coloring and conformation.
ReplyDeleteMy palamino ap changes color alot through the year too - makes it iteresting.
Thanks, Carol!
DeletePalomino ap? Beautiful. I need to look for some pictures on your blog...