While black color signifies power and strength, brown is known for resilience and safety. Though brown and black horses look beautiful, the combination of black and brown gives rise to a unique nearly black Seal Brown horse.
At a glance, these steeds may look brown, but at another, they may change their color to black as if they were chameleons! Being a perfect merger of the two most sought-after colors in the equine world, here is everything that you need to know about Seal Brown Horse.
What Is a Seal Brown Horse?
A Seal Brown is a horse whose coat is nearly black but is not really black—it is a magical mixture of black and brown. They also have black points over their mane, tail, and legs that are oftentimes hardly discernible. Likewise, there are reddish and tan patches around their eyes, muzzle, and behind the elbow. Full black color is not possible in these horses because they lack the non-agouti mutation.
Seal Brown is not a separate horse breed like the Friesian horse—an almost exclusively black horse breed; rather, it is only coat color any horse breed could have. So Seal Brown horses are distinct only because of their color and cannot be classified as a separate breed.
Brown vs. Seal Brown Horse
Seal Brown and brown horses are commonly confused with each other because if not observed closely and appropriately, Seal Brown horses seem to look just like brown horses. Nonetheless, careful observation can lead to several differences between the two types.
To note a few, firstly, brown horses have either a reddish or chocolate brown coat color. Secondly, they are void of dark and light markings. Finally, they have no black color points – there is no difference between their coat color and the color of their mane, tail, and legs. Therefore, although the two colors are closely related, some clear differences set them apart.
Dark Bay vs. Seal Brown Horse
Seal brown can be confused with Dark Bay horses too. However, the latter is slightly less dark than the former when compared. Besides, they also do not have red and tan patches around their muzzle, eyes, and behind the elbow. Another difference is that Dark Bay horses have a comparatively smoother coat. That said, bay horses like Blood Bay horses do have black color points just like Seal Brown horses.
Physical Characteristics of Seal Brown Horse
Given that the Seal Brown steed could be from any horse breed, we cannot really say much about its physical features except the characteristic coat color. The physical characteristics of your Seal Brown horse would depend on its breed. However, based on the average horse profile, here is what you can expect from your Seal Brown horse.
Seal Brown Horse Height
Genetics and dietary habit play the most important role in determining the height of a horse. Depending upon the breed they belong to, Seal Brown horses can exist in several sizes. For instance, if your Seal Brown horse belongs to a small horse breed like Haflinger horse, it may have a small height ranging between 13.2 to 15 hh. Conversely, if your steed comes from the biggest horse breeds, such as the Shire, you can have a Seal Brown Horse standing tall at 16 to 18 hh.
However, since the average equine height is about 15 hands for adults, it will be a safe guess to say that Seal Brown horses’ height falls in the same range.
Did You Know?
The world’s smallest horse was Einstein, a Thoroughbred Racehorse who lived between 2002 and 2020. He was only 14 inches tall. Conversely, the biggest ever horse, Sampson, was a Shire horse standing tall at 21.5 hh.
Weight
As in the case of height, genetics and diet are at the center stage in determining the weight of a horse. It all depends upon the breed a Seal Brown horse belongs to out of more than 200 horse breeds known and registered with local in international clubs.
Nevertheless, to talk in numbers, a safe guess can also be made here as it was made in the case of height. On average, adult horses weigh anywhere between 900 and 2,000 pounds.
Therefore, the guess weight of Seal Brown horses is a bit ‘dynamic’ as compared to their height, and they can fall anywhere in the above-stated range.
Seal Brown Horse Personality
Like all equines, you can expect Seal Brown horses to be generous and friendly. In addition, they are independent and can survive most obstacles without the help of others. Although many unique traits can be associated with horses depending upon their breed type, typically, they are social, challenging, and fearful.
Seal Brown Horse Diet
Seal Brown horses eat the standard horse diet. Being natural grazers, they eat intermittently. Their natural diet consists primarily of grass with a high roughage content. Besides, horses also love to snack on horse-safe fruits and vegetables. Apple is their traditional favorite fruit, while carrots are their traditional favorite vegetable. Some vegetables, such as those belonging to the nightshade family, potatoes, for instance, are toxic for horses though they might like to eat them.
Also, note that the horses require a substantial amount of fiber in their diet, regardless if it is a Seal Brown or not. To meet your steed’s need for fibrous content, grass, and flakes of hay should comprise most of the horse’s diet.
Seal Brown Horse Health
Seal Brown horses are, regretfully, not immune to the diseases common to equines. In addition, if a Seal Brown horse is a part of a specific breed, the health issues prevalent within that group can further jeopardize his well-being.
The diseases usually observed in horses are:
- Equine influenza
- Lockjaw
- Strangles
- Infectious anemia viral disease
- Sleeping sickness
To keep Seal Brown horses healthy, the owners can resort to vaccinations and regular monitoring and grooming. Frequent vet checkups can also make an impact on the equine lifespan.
Seal Brown Horse Names
Due to the unique combination of brown and black colors, naming a Seal Brown horse may be challenging for some owners. They are, thus, left with almost no choice but to select the monikers based either on breed or personality types. Based on color, the suitable names come out to be only a few: coffee, cappuccino, and brownie.
However, there also exists an option to choose the name from the list of either brown or black horse names. Some cool names from the said lists are:
- Amber
- Black Magic
- Dark Knight
- Silhouette
- Smokey
- Autumn
- Cinnamon
- Toffee
- Clay
- Dusty
Seal Brown Horse Facts
Here are some awesome facts exclusively associated with Seal Brown horses.
Seal Brown Horse Black Points Can Only Be Seen in Daylight
Due to the rich brown color of their coat that almost look as if it is black, the dark points – a tool used for differentiating between the Seal Brown and other coat colors – almost merge into the rest of the body. However, when brought in the daylight, the color points become distinct.
Seal Brown and Dark Bay Horses Look Same in Shade
In the bright sunlight, Seal Brown and Dark Bay horses become distinguishable. Nonetheless, as soon as the sun sets, both of them start giving off the same shade. To differentiate between the two in such a case, the light patches around their eyes, muzzle, and behind the elbow of Seal Brown horses prove to be decisive.