48 TYPES AND BREEDS 



red, green, or yellow combinations in which most commercial 

 vehicles are finished. It is also reasonable to claim that the 

 gray horse is less sensitive to heat tlian the horse of darker color, 

 since white has the physical property of reflecting the sun's rays, 

 while black absorbs them. This fact is borne out by one's ordi- 

 nary experience with light and dark suits of the same weight. 

 Gray horses, outside the work horse division, are generally 

 objected to on account of the conspicuousness of their hair when 

 shed ; the degree in which they show stable stain, although this 

 difiiculty is largely overcome by the use of peat moss bedding; 

 and the inevitable disappearance, with advancing age, of the 

 black pigment in the hair, resulting in white color and a predis- 

 position to melanotic tumors. On the other hand, gray horses 

 show dandruff and body dirt less than most other colors. The 

 darker shades are most preferred, although in the hunting field, 

 on the race track, or even in the show ring a beautifully dappled 

 light gray horse will invariably catch the eye. History has done 

 much to offset the prejudice against gray horses. Grays are cross 

 matched in pairs with blacks, chestnuts, and browns. 



Roan of either shade is becoming more popular or prevalent 

 in draft horses, due perhaps to the increasing number of Belgian 

 grades which come to market, roan being common in that breed. 

 In harness and saddle horses, red roan especially is a rather 

 pleasing though not common color. 



Piebald and skeivhald are popular colors in ponies, and in 

 sporting fours and tandems where striking colors are a feature ; 

 also for advertising wagons and the circus, where it is desirable 

 to have them conspicuous. A piebald is a black and white com- 

 bination, while any color other than black, such as bay, brown, 

 or chestnut, combined with white, constitutes a skewbald. 



Cream, dun and mouse colors are generally in disfavor ex- 

 cept for some special purpose, although the buckskin, a darker 

 shade of dun which is distinguished from cream by black points, 

 has a reputation for stamina. 



White markings are most desirable in horses of the show 

 type, since they enhance the brilliancy of a flashy performance. 

 Even here they are objectionable in ladies' classes. 



BlacJc points are, as a rule, considered indicative of greater 



