What Colors Do Horses See? | Wiskadero
What Colors Do Horses See?
(The Thinking Behind Wiskadero's Colorful Horse Toys)
We see a rainbow. Your horse sees something a little different. And that got us thinking about color in an entirely new way.
Color is everywhere in the equestrian world. From saddle pads and halters to blankets, jump poles and barn accessories, we tend to choose colors based on what catches our eye. We love a great color combination, a little personality and something that stands out from the traditional black and brown.
But have you ever wondered what your horse actually sees?
It turns out that the world looks a little different through their eyes. And understanding how horses see color is an interesting part of what goes into designing Wiskadero's colorful boredom busters.
Horses See Color, Just Not Like We Do
Humans typically have three types of color-sensitive cone cells in their eyes, allowing us to see a broad spectrum of colors. Horses have two types, a condition known as dichromatic vision.
Their eyes are particularly sensitive to blue wavelengths and a range of wavelengths associated with yellow and green. This means horses experience a more limited range of color than we do.
They can distinguish certain blues and yellows quite well, but have more difficulty differentiating reds and greens.
So that bright red, pink or orange toy that catches your eye? Your horse may perceive it quite differently. Some colors that look dramatically different to us can appear much more similar to a horse.
It doesn't mean horses see the world in black and white. They absolutely see color. They just experience a different version of our colorful world.
An illustrative comparison of human and equine color vision. Horses have dichromatic vision, allowing them to distinguish some colors while making others, particularly in the red-green range, harder to tell apart. Actual color perception varies with lighting and the colors surrounding an object.
Does Color Make a Difference to Horses?
It can!
Color perception isn't just an interesting bit of horse trivia. It can have practical implications for how horses interact with their surroundings.
One particularly interesting example comes from research into horse racing and obstacle visibility.
A 2020 study published in Applied Animal Behaviour Science, titled "Horse vision and obstacle visibility in horseracing," examined how visible different colored jump markers were to horses.
Researchers found that traditional orange markers often provided relatively poor contrast against their surroundings. Blue, fluorescent yellow and white were generally more conspicuous.
The study even looked at how horses responded when jumping obstacles with different colored markers.
It's a fascinating reminder that the colors we choose for horses aren't necessarily experienced the same way by the horses themselves.
So, What Does This Have to Do With Wiskadero?
At Wiskadero, we believe horse gear should have personality.
We love color. We love unexpected combinations. And we believe everyday horse products can be functional without looking like everything else in the tack room.
When developing our Equine Boredom Toys, color was an important part of the design process. We wanted to create toys that were visually interesting, distinctive and full of personality.
But there's another side to the design: horses interact with their world through more than just color.
Shape, movement, texture and contrast all contribute to how an object looks and feels in their environment.
That's why we think about the overall experience of a toy, not simply the color.
A combination that looks bold and playful to us may create a very different visual experience for a horse. And that's part of what makes designing products for horses so interesting.
Designing for Horses
(And the People Who Love Them)
Let's be honest. We also want to love the things we buy for our horses.
We spend time choosing the right halter, matching our saddle pads, coordinating our riding outfits and making our barn spaces feel like our own.
Why should horse toys be any different?
We don't think practical has to mean plain. We don't think enrichment has to look boring. And we certainly don't think everything in the barn needs to be black or brown.
Our goal is to bring together thoughtful design, functional details and a little unexpected personality.
Because horses have personalities. Their gear should too.
A More Colorful Way to Horse Around
The next time you look at your horse's favorite toy, take a moment to think about how different the world might look through their eyes.
What catches your attention might not be what catches theirs. And that's okay. There's more to a great enrichment toy than color alone.
At Wiskadero, we're here to make the everyday a little more interesting, for horses and the people who love them.
Functional gear. Playful details. Serious personality. Crafted for Performance. Made to Horse Around.
Explore our Equine Boredom Toys and find a little more personality for your horse's day.
A Little More Reading
For those interested in learning more about equine vision:
