What Is a Sorrel Horse?

The term "sorrel" refers to a wide range of reddish brown horse color, from very light palomino coloring to very deep, almost black shades.

  1. Also Known As

    • Sorrel horses are also popularly referred to as chestnut in coloring. While some people use the terms interchangeably, others may use sorrel to refer to lighter shades within the red-brown range and chestnut to describe darker, deeper red coloring.

    Types

    • Among those that use the terms "sorrel" and "chestnut" interchangeably, there are certain descriptive words that refer to the many different varieties of coloration. Horses can be described as "light sorrel," "honey sorrel," "standard sorrel," "liver sorrel" and more.

    Genetics

    • Sorrel is the most recessive horse color according to the Ultimate Horse Site. Every sorrel horse has two "e" genes, so breeding two sorrel horses will always produce a sorrel foal. However, horses of other colors also can produce sorrel offspring.

    Breeds

    • Sorrel horses are found in all different breeds of horses, from light horses such as quarterhorses, Morgans and thoroughbreds to heavy draft horses including Clydesdales and Belgians.

    Fun Fact

    • General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson rode a horse called Little Sorrel in battle during the Civil War. The horse died in 1886 at the old age of 36. Little Sorrel was stuffed and is now on display at the Virginia Military Institute's Museum in Lexington, Virginia.