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front facing chestnut horse
Horse Care
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November 10, 2023

Chestnut Horse vs. Sorrel Horse: the Nuances of Red

Never have I ever seen such a heated debate as one I saw on Facebook recently. A horse was shown jumping cross country and her owner states that she gets messaged chastising her for calling the mare a chestnut. She is, in fact a sorrel, she was told. A heated debate ensues. Is it chestnut or sorrel!? There was a lot of passion in those replies. Which is right? Who has the final authority on this matter?!

This is not something I would have guessed would be such a heated topic, but people are passionate about what they are calling their red headed equines. 

Myself, spending most of my riding life in northern Virginia, have always called them chestnuts. Everyone I know calls them chestnuts. Every horse care book I read has called them chestnuts. At some point, I must have read what a sorrel was, because I knew, and I did see people calling them sorrel when I was in 4-H, but I still called them chestnuts. It seems completely natural to me that everyone would call them chestnuts. 

But, based on what I just witnessed, that is not the case. Just as I grew up with chestnuts, others must have lived their own lives calling them sorrel. Sorrel was so ingrained in them that the thought of calling them a chestnut was laughable. I even saw someone say, “Chestnuts aren’t horses, they are trees!!! *laughing emoji*”

So how did we get to this point? Why are their two names? What is going on here!?

Genetics Behind the Red Coat

Let’s start with the absolute facts, the laws of nature that are set in stone and cannot be argued.

The red color in horses is caused by the recessive “e” gene. This gene prevents the production of black pigment in the horse’s hair, resulting in a coat that is predominantly red or brown. The intensity of the red color is determined by other genes, with some horses having a lighter shade of red and others having a darker shade. But the main gene is the same.

Keeping this in mind, there is no genetic difference between chestnuts and sorrels. They have the exact same genetic makeup (in the hair color department, obviously they are different in other ways).

There may be modifying genes that change the horse’s color more, resulting in variations of the chestnut gene, but that’s not what I’m talking about in this post, and that would take a whole other post to discuss. 

portrait of chestnut horse head
My own chestnut horse, Stu

Differentiating Chestnut and Sorrel

So, genetically, there is no difference, but I have heard other people (and had thoughts myself) of what the difference between chestnuts and sorrels were. 

Many people go by using the term “sorrel” to describe horses with a lighter shade of red, while “chestnut” is used for horses with a darker shade. However, this distinction is not always clear-cut, and the terms are often used interchangeably. Some registries have decided to just use one or the other, and some, like the American Quarter Horse Association, considers both terms correct. 

As there’s no clear cut answer, the name of the color seems mainly done to regional and cultural differences. For instance, people who ride in an English style discipline typically use the term “chestnut” while those from a western riding background use “sorrel”.

But, it can also be down to regional as well. In some regions, such as the western United States, the term “sorrel” is more commonly used to describe all reddish-brown horses, regardless of shade. In other regions, such as the east coast of America or Great Britain, the term “chestnut” is used more frequently. But, interestingly enough, there’s multiple inns in Great Britain named “Sorrel Horse Inn/Tavern/etc,” which means, aside from looking like an amazing place to visit, also means the term sorrel isn’t specific to the United States. The Anglo-Irish writer Jonathan Switch also has a horse character described as “sorrel,” in his 1726 book Gulliver’s Travels, so the term sorrel has a long history of being used in Europe. It’s believed the word sorrel came from the sorrel plant, which is native to Eurasia. 

Ultimately, I have no idea how both terms came into use, but the distinction between chestnut and sorrel is more of a matter of regional usage than a true genetic difference. Both terms are acceptable for describing horses with reddish-brown coats.

front view of chestnut horse

So, Which is Right?

Where does that leave us? What term are we supposed to use? Is chestnut or sorrel correct? 

I think we’re all going to have to agree to disagree. Just like how soda is called “pop” in some places, we’re just going to have to agree we call the same thing different names. 

But just the same, what do you call it? Are you Team Sorrel or Team Chestnut?

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Fashion has been inspired by equestrians for a long time, and likely a long time to come. It's a classic, beautiful look. It's form and function. It's sport and elegance. We equestrians like it, and it's nice that others appreciate it too, even if the fashion interpretation isn't always practical.

Next time you have a dirty ride, remember that even at your messiest, you're a fashion icon. You just happen to get up close and personal with dirt.

#equestrianfashion #fashion #style #horsestyle #equestrian #horses #horsegirl #riding #countrystyle #countrygirl #oldmoneylooks #horsesofinstagram
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Fashion has been inspired by equestrians for a long time, and likely a long time to come. It's a classic, beautiful look. It's form and function. It's sport and elegance. We equestrians like it, and it's nice that others appreciate it too, even if the fashion interpretation isn't always practical. Next time you have a dirty ride, remember that even at your messiest, you're a fashion icon. You just happen to get up close and personal with dirt. #equestrianfashion #fashion #style #horsestyle #equestrian #horses #horsegirl #riding #countrystyle #countrygirl #oldmoneylooks #horsesofinstagram
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FINALLY got some mounted photos on my boy! I can't believe it took this long, but I'm happy it finally happened. Stu loved just standing here, it was his favorite part of the whole ride. He's a good stander, and I'm a good sitter, I'm  wearing my amazing @syncequestrian breeches so I'm basically glued to him.

Thank you @nataliaornatascha you're so good at this!! 

#equestrianlife #horsesofinstagram #instahorse #warmbloodsofinstagram #equestrian #ridinglife #horses #horsephotos
FINALLY got some mounted photos on my boy! I can't believe it took this long, but I'm happy it finally happened. Stu loved just standing here, it was his favorite part of the whole ride. He's a good stander, and I'm a good sitter, I'm  wearing my amazing @syncequestrian breeches so I'm basically glued to him.

Thank you @nataliaornatascha you're so good at this!! 

#equestrianlife #horsesofinstagram #instahorse #warmbloodsofinstagram #equestrian #ridinglife #horses #horsephotos
aneqlife
aneqlife
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FINALLY got some mounted photos on my boy! I can't believe it took this long, but I'm happy it finally happened. Stu loved just standing here, it was his favorite part of the whole ride. He's a good stander, and I'm a good sitter, I'm wearing my amazing @syncequestrian breeches so I'm basically glued to him. Thank you @nataliaornatascha you're so good at this!! #equestrianlife #horsesofinstagram #instahorse #warmbloodsofinstagram #equestrian #ridinglife #horses #horsephotos
3 months ago
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There's nothing like a summer day with horses. You may end up dirty and sweaty, but you'll never be so happy.

#horselife #horsesofinstagram #instahorse #horsefarm #virginia #horsecountry #countryside #farmlife #lovehorses
There's nothing like a summer day with horses. You may end up dirty and sweaty, but you'll never be so happy.

#horselife #horsesofinstagram #instahorse #horsefarm #virginia #horsecountry #countryside #farmlife #lovehorses
There's nothing like a summer day with horses. You may end up dirty and sweaty, but you'll never be so happy.

#horselife #horsesofinstagram #instahorse #horsefarm #virginia #horsecountry #countryside #farmlife #lovehorses
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There's nothing like a summer day with horses. You may end up dirty and sweaty, but you'll never be so happy. #horselife #horsesofinstagram #instahorse #horsefarm #virginia #horsecountry #countryside #farmlife #lovehorses
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Well, after you disappear for a while, reappearing in Iceland is pretty cool. Good thing I now have the travel bug because I still need to ride an Icelandic horse there. But just seeing it was still pretty incredible!

#iceland #blacksand #travel #travelgram #travellife #icelandtravel
Well, after you disappear for a while, reappearing in Iceland is pretty cool. Good thing I now have the travel bug because I still need to ride an Icelandic horse there. But just seeing it was still pretty incredible!

#iceland #blacksand #travel #travelgram #travellife #icelandtravel
Well, after you disappear for a while, reappearing in Iceland is pretty cool. Good thing I now have the travel bug because I still need to ride an Icelandic horse there. But just seeing it was still pretty incredible!

#iceland #blacksand #travel #travelgram #travellife #icelandtravel
Well, after you disappear for a while, reappearing in Iceland is pretty cool. Good thing I now have the travel bug because I still need to ride an Icelandic horse there. But just seeing it was still pretty incredible!

#iceland #blacksand #travel #travelgram #travellife #icelandtravel
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Well, after you disappear for a while, reappearing in Iceland is pretty cool. Good thing I now have the travel bug because I still need to ride an Icelandic horse there. But just seeing it was still pretty incredible! #iceland #blacksand #travel #travelgram #travellife #icelandtravel
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4/6
He makes me happy but also causes confused and vacant expressions, but like, overall, pretty happy

#horsesofinstagram #horsegirl #equestrian #instahorse #horselife
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He makes me happy but also causes confused and vacant expressions, but like, overall, pretty happy #horsesofinstagram #horsegirl #equestrian #instahorse #horselife
9 months ago
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5/6
When you have to  guess at what your trainer said 🤷 more leg is always acceptable

#horsesofinstagram #instahorse #equestrian #horses #horselife #moreleg #ridinglesson
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When you have to guess at what your trainer said 🤷 more leg is always acceptable #horsesofinstagram #instahorse #equestrian #horses #horselife #moreleg #ridinglesson
9 months ago
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